216 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Mr. Darwin took some of his alleged 

 facts at second-hand, and impresses one 

 with the thought that he is not a guide 

 that is to be followed implicitly. 



While reading "The Origin of Species," 

 I met with the following statement: 



"All vertebrate animals, all insects, 

 and some other large groups of animals, 

 pair for each birth." Chap. IV., sub- 

 head, "On the Inter-crossing of Indi- 

 viduals." 



As I understand it, every egg that is 

 laid and hatched is a birth. If this is 

 correct, it is evident that Mr. Darwin is 

 "away off" from the truth; for every in- 

 telligent person knows that bees, wasps, 

 and some other insects do not pair for 

 each birth. And in the case of partheno- 

 genesis, which Mr. Darwin calls "a 

 curious exception not well understood," 

 there is certainly no pairing at all 

 though there are innumerable births. 

 Then in some fowls— the turkey, for in- 

 stance — breeders say one copulation suf- 

 fices for a whole clutch of eggs. 



Again, in Chap. VIII., and under sub- 

 head, "Cell-making Instinct of the Hive- 

 Bee," we have the following: 



"The work of construction seems to 

 be a sort of balance struck between 

 many bees, all instinctively standing at 

 the same relative distance from each 

 other, all trying to sweep equal spheres, 

 and then building up, or leaving un- 

 gnawed, the planes of intersection be- 

 tween these spheres." 



Now every one who ever saw bees 

 building comb, knows that the above is 

 a purely fanciful sketch drawn from the 

 imagination of the great naturalist. 



All of which goes to prove that it is 

 better to use ones brains and eyes than 

 to be blin<ily led by a great name. 



Canon City, Colo. 



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Tlie Minnesota State Convention. 



Written Jor the American Bee Journal 



BV BARNETT TAYLOR. 



I have just returned from the annual 

 meeting of the Minnesota State Bee- 

 Keepers' Assocation at Minneapolis, 

 held on Jan. 10th, 11th and 12th. The 

 attendance was small, but as our society 

 meets in conjunction with the State 

 Horticultural Society of Michigan, our 

 society is organized as a friendly branch; 

 as the two societies hold their meetings 

 in adjoining rooms in the same build- 

 ing ; and as most of our members belong 

 to both societies, there was such a 

 friendly intermingling that we all had a 

 jolly good time, and I recommend this 

 friendly union of bee-keepers and horti- 

 culturists in other States. The two in- 

 terests are mutually interdependent, 

 and naturally belong together. 



The reason of the light attendance is 

 easily explained. Hard times, and 

 scarcity of money. Many of our mem- 

 bers are farmers who are compelled to 

 sell wheat for less than 50 cents per 

 bushel. In the city of Minneapolis is 

 stored to-day wheat enough to feed the 

 whole people of this State for the next 

 five years ; and right in the shadows of 

 the great warehouses that hold this 

 grain, children of honest, industrious 

 working-men are lean and thin with 

 hunger, and crying for bread, while 

 frail women are walking miles, each 

 carrying children, to get one meal a day 

 of soup made from the waste and bones 

 of the packing-houses, while nearly 

 1,000 families are supported entirely by 

 charity in their homes. Truly, thestu- 

 pidity and greed of the ruling classes 

 are past understanding. 



Another misfortune for our members 

 was the fact that the railroad compa- 

 nies that had in past prosperous times 

 given us reduced rates, now, in this time 

 of popular need, made our members pay 

 full fare both ways. True, they did 

 offer reduced rates on the certificate 

 plan, but they took good care that the 



