AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



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into his every day life. His jovial, 

 happy manner at conventions is his 

 everyday manner at home. Full of fun 

 himself, he is quick to see the comical 

 side, as his P. Benson writings show. 

 He will always find someting of the 

 humorous in the most doleful situations, 

 and a joke is none the less enjoyed be- 

 cause it is on himself. 



His ability, and willingness to help, 

 lays much work upon his shoulders, both 

 from our Christian Endeavor Society 

 and the church, for I know that our 

 pastor depends upon him greatly. 



He is passionately fond of flowers, and 

 roses are his hobby, of which he has 

 some 300 plants. Emma Wilson. 



Albino Bees.— Among the en- 

 quiries we have had about these bees, is 

 the following from Mr. E. B. Ellis, of 

 Cooksville, Ills. : 



Will you please give, in the American 

 Bee Journal, a description of the 

 Albino bees ? 



1. From whence did they come, and 

 when were they introduced ? 



2. What are their markings, and in 

 what colors ? 



3. What are their good qualities, and 

 what their bad ones ? E. B. Ellis. 



Mr. A. L. Kildow, who has reared the 

 Albino bees, replies to the above ques- 

 tions thus : 



1. It is claimed that they originated 

 in the apiary of D. A. Pike, of Mary- 

 land, in the fall of 1873. A queen was 

 reared from a colony of Italian bees, 

 and allowed to remain with that colony 

 until the next spring, when it was found 

 that one-half of her working progeny 

 was mildly marked Italian bees ; the 

 other half having white rings or bands. 

 As soon as this was discovered, the 

 breeding out was begun, using the 

 greatest care to get them pure. They 

 were removed to a place where they 

 were not likely to come in contact with 

 other bees, and were kept there until 

 they reproduced themselves with all 

 their distinctive markings ; hence the 

 name "Albino" was given. 



2. As to their markings, the difference 

 between them and the pure Italian is 

 very striking. About the eyes they ap- 

 proach nearer a purple than that of the 

 Italians. Beginning at the waist, they 

 have three distinct yellow bands, then 

 three distinct white ; the white are pure, 

 not muddy and dirty; the wings are 



fine, and of a bright silver color. Their 

 shoulders and the under part of the ob- 

 domen are very thickly coated with 

 white hair. The queens are large, and 

 of a bright reddish yellow, and gen- 

 erally have the white hair, as described 

 in the workers. 



3. They are more gentle than the 

 average Italian, and stick closer to the 

 comb, thus making them easier to 

 handle. They are good defenders of 

 their home, have no superiors in honey- 

 gathering, and are as hardy as the race 

 from which they sprang. The queens 

 are very prolific. As yet I have found nf« 

 bad qualities in the Albino bees. 



A. L. Kildow. 



'* Soutlierii California " is the 



title of a handsome, illustrated pam- 

 phlet, giving an account of the resources 

 and interests of that unique section, has 

 been received at this office. It contains 

 some fine work in the way of half-tone 

 engravings, and an excellent map of the 

 section. Any one who is interested in 

 the land of honey, oranges, and olives, 

 and desires a copy of this book, can 

 secure one by writing to the Secretary 

 of the Bureau of Information, Los An- 

 geles, Calif., and enclosing a two-cent 

 postage stamp. The book treats of such 

 subjects as the following : The Semi- 

 Tropic Climate, Methods of Irrigation, 

 Growing of the Orange and Lemon, 

 California Prunes and Olives, the Eng- 

 lish Walnut, and the Almond, Stock- 

 Raising in California, Beet-Sugar Man- 

 ufacture, Honey-Production, Etc. It 

 cannot fail to interest all who have ever 

 visited California, or who expect at any 

 time to journey to that interesting 

 country. 



"Xhe "Winter Problem in 



Bee-Keeping" is the title of a splendid 

 pamphlet by Mr. G. E. Pierce, of Iowa, 

 a bee-keeper of 26 years' experience. It 

 is 6x9 inches in size, has 76 pages, and 

 is a clear exposition of the conditions 

 essential to success in the winter and 

 spring management of the apiary. Price, 

 postpaid, 50 cents ; or given as a pre- 

 mium for getting one new subscriber to 

 the Bee Journal for a year. Clubbed 

 with the Bee Journal one year for 

 $1.30. Send to us for a copy. 



