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AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



1892), he should insinuate that the 

 Entomologist felt no hearty concern for 

 the bee-keepers' interests, and should 

 urge that "all move in solid phalanx 

 upon the head of the Department " in 

 order to " gain our desires and rights." 



What may be hoped from the intro- 

 duction of Apis dorsata most of you are 

 probably aware of, but I may say that 

 there was some hope that it might be 

 domesticated in our hives like the com- 

 mon mellifica, while Mr. Benton thinks 

 that possibly some advantage might be 

 gained by crossing it with that species. 

 On physiological and zoological grounds I 

 have doubts whether this can be done 

 to any advantage, for, while hybridism 

 is feasible with the races of Tnellifica 

 (which, however much they may differ 

 in popular names, are zoologically mere 

 varieties of one and the same species), 

 yet Apis dorsata is a sufficiently distinct 

 species, and even if crosses could be ob- 

 tained between it and melliiica, it is 

 questionable whether such crosses would 

 be fertile. Mr. Benton, however, has 

 fully set forth the possibilities in Glean- 

 ings in Bee-Culture for June 15, 1892, 

 and also in his remarks before this As- 

 sociation, and while the introduction of 

 this species would not be the sole object 

 in sending him abroad, the question of 

 the possible value of this large bee of 

 India is of sufficient importance to jus- 

 tify thorough experimentation and effort. 



WHAT THE NATIONAL DEPAKTMENT OF 



AGBICULTUEE CAN DO FOB API- 



CULTUKE. 



So far I have indulged in retrospect, 

 and indicated what the Department has 

 done, or attempted to do. Let me now 

 come to the second part of the subject, 

 viz. : what the National Department of 

 Agriculture can do for apiculture. 



What it may accomplish — I sincerely 

 hope this may be much — will depend 

 greatly upon what suras Congress may 

 see fit to appropriate for such investi- 

 gations, and this will depend in turn, to 

 some degree, upon what representations 

 as to the needs of the industry, and the 

 possible benefits to the material inter- 

 ests of the country, are made to the 

 head of the Department, to the Commit- 

 tees on Agriculture, and to other mem- 

 bers of Congress by their constituents. 

 Certain kinds of experimental work can 

 be undertaken by individuals without 

 serious interference with the main work 

 of their apiaries. Indeed, it is desirable 

 thai each should experiment in a lim- 

 ited way, for localities differ in respect 

 of climate, flora, etc. ; in short, the con- 

 ditions upon which methods of manage- 



ment depend are so variable that each 

 progressive bee-keeper must study to 

 ascertain by experimentation what 

 methods are best adapted to his own in- 

 dividual surroundings. 



But there are certain larger fields of 

 investigation, requiring more time and 

 expenditure than individuals usually 

 have at their command, and the results 

 of which are pretty sure to benefit api- 

 culture, if not directly at least indirectly. 

 For instance, if a species or race of bees 

 could be bred or introduced which, in 

 the early part of the season, when bum- 

 ble-bees are few in number, would ferti- 

 lize the red clover, and later in the sea- 

 son do the same work more thoroughly 

 than it is now done, there is no question 

 that we should reap a reward in the 

 larger yield of clover seed, and in this 

 way our pasturage would be very gen- 

 erally improved. So that this would in- 

 directly affect beneficially our stock and 

 dairy interests, to say nothing of a more 

 general employment of red clover as a 

 green manure in the increase of most of 

 our crops. In cases like this the benefit 

 would be general, and so great that the 

 expense of accomplishing it would be 

 insignificant in comparison. Even an 

 experiment which fails, and which would 

 be disastrous to individual participants 

 in it, would not be felt by the general 

 Government, and might serve to point 

 out the way to success in subsequent at- 

 tempts, for failure often proves very 

 useful in pointing out the directions in 

 which we should not look for anything 

 valuable. Thus, if the Department by 

 ample effort should prove that nothing 

 can be gained in any given direction, it 

 would save further disappointment to in- 

 dividual experimenters, and prevent a 

 repetition of useless effort. 



To my mind the character of the work 

 to be undertaken by the Department 

 should be of such a nature as to benefit 

 the industry in all parts of the country 

 alike, and prominent among the subjects 

 which it should undertake is this intro- 

 duction and testing of foreign races of 

 bees, of which there is much yet to dis- 

 cover, and about which our actual ex- 

 perimental knowledge is limited. The " 

 distribution of queen-bees of improved 

 varieties where they would most aid in 

 building up the industry, might be un- 

 dertaken by the Department wherever 

 it would not interfere with individual 

 effort in this direction. But while the 

 lines for Government action so far as 

 the economic side is concerned, are lim- 

 ited, there is a large and most interest- 

 ing field for further scientific investiga- 

 tion of the actual life-history of the bee, 



