AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



215 



becoming acquainted with Gallup, that 

 if any one is hit, it is good-naturedly, 

 and for the purpose of drawing some 

 one out, and getting at facts, if possi- 

 ble. I have bred from a light-colored 

 queen and her progeny by natural 

 swarming, up to 24 colonies; (of course 

 I couM not select drones ; as they were 

 kept in an apiary with 100 other colo- 

 nies) ; and not one of the 24 colonies 

 came up to over one-half the product of 

 the standard colonies. But my stan- 

 dard is away up, perhaps above the 

 standard of a majority of bee-keepers. 

 Santa Ana, Calif. 



Extra-LiiM Colorel Bees. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY C. D. DUVALL. 



I am glad to see, on page 21, that Dr. 

 Gallup does not think it is a hopeless 

 task in trying to get light-colored bees 

 that will compare favorably with the 

 dark strains. 



I have read with interest the articles 

 in the bee-papers against and in favor of 

 light-colored bees, and several times I 

 have been tempted to write something 

 on this subject, but my time is so much 

 taken up with other things that I have 

 never done so before. 



I am compelled to believe there is con- 

 siderable prejudice existing against 

 light-colored bees, and no doubt with 

 good cause; but the trouble seems to be, 

 and where the injustice comes in, all 

 light-colored bees seem to be classed as 

 the same. It must be remembered there 

 is as much diiference, and probably 

 more, between the different strains of 

 light-colored bees, as between the dark 

 strains of bees. 



Now, I believe we are all looking for 

 the best bee — the one that will store the 

 most honey, and also possess the other 

 desirable qualities — and those who are 

 in it for the dollars and cents, will not 

 care whether this bee is black or white, 

 light or dark. But other points being 

 equal, any one will prefer a light-colored 

 bee, for several reasons, viz: The queen 

 is more readily found; the bees are 

 prettier to look at (and we all admire 

 beauty); and other reasons which I 

 might mention. 



Solne years ago I was as much opposed 

 to extra-light colored Italians as any 

 one, simply because I could not get any 

 equal to the dark bees as honey-gather- 

 ers; and yet, the dark imported queens 

 that I could get did not please me as a 



rule, although I went to much trouble 

 and expense to import extra-fine queens. 



In 1885, and also in 1888, I had Mr. 

 Frank Benton to select for me some 

 good queens of the dark leather-colored 

 Italians, from the mountain regions of 

 Italy, and mail them to me. While I 

 secured a good working, hardy strain of 

 bees, coming from that part of Itaiy, 

 near the line where hybridizing with 

 blacks takes place, hence the type was 

 not as fixed as might be, consequently 

 they were too much inclined to shade off 

 into hybrids. 



It is a well-known fact that black and 

 hybrid bees do exist in Italy, and this is 

 where our dark Italians come from. 



I soon came to realize that the queens 

 I reared in my own apiary were far supe- 

 rior to any imported queens I could get. 



My next step was to try to improve 

 our American Italians, so I sent to most 

 of our prominent breeders for queens — 

 all that had desirable qualities. I kept 

 and crossed with my best stock, and 

 have kept on selecting the best every 

 year since. The result has been that 

 now I have a strain of extra-light col- 

 ored bees (five-banded, if you prefer to 

 call them that) which are gentle, and 

 superior honey-gatherers. I believe if 

 Dr. Gallup would try them, he would 

 find they would compare favorably with 

 the best dark bees. They have been 

 thoroughly tested by practical honey- 

 producers. (See the Review, page 352). 



I could say much more, but it is not 

 my desire to praise any particular strain 

 of bees, but simply to show the unfair- 

 ness of those who have written so much 

 against extra-light colored bees, and in 

 many cases they have only been tested 

 in a comparatively small way. « 



It must be remembered that some of 

 the strains of light-colored bees of to-day 

 are not to be compared to the light-col- 

 ored bees of ten years ago. 



Montgomery Co., Maryland. 



Some Mista!(es of Dan in. 



Written for the American Bee Jonmal 



BY REV. L,. J. TEMPLIN. 



While I have never been able to follow 

 Mr. Darwin in many of his speculations 

 in regard to evolution, still I have ad- 

 mired him for his pains-taking researches 

 and the vast array of facts in natural 

 history that he has placed on record. 

 But I find that with all his profound 

 knowledge of nature he occasionally 

 makes a slip that inclines one to think 



