THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



227 



SENDING QUEENS BY MAIL AND EXPUE83. 



Wc have always sent our queens by mail, 

 and expect to do so as long as Uncle Sam 

 will permit. My reasons will be found in 

 the diflerence of the following two ex- 

 ninples. R. M. Argo sent me a ciueen from 

 Lowell, Ky., a distance of 300 or 400 miles 

 by mail which cost 4 cents, it was a week on 

 the road. Ch. Dadant and Son sent mc a 

 queen from Hamilton, 111., a distance of 80 

 miles by express to Ncav Boston which cost 

 60 cents, it was over a week getting to New 

 Boston and the express master notified me 

 of it by mail. I had already made one trip 

 (8 miles) for it, and the next day I got it ; 

 they were 13 dai/s on the road. The above 

 needs no comment. 1 get a different box 

 from every breeder, weighing from half an 

 ounce to a pound. 



I will describe the box I use and the 

 mode of putting up. The end pieces are 1 

 inch wide, 2^ in. long and i inch thick. 

 Two sides are | in. wide, 3 in. long and one 

 eight in. thick. The top and bottom are 2i 

 in. wide, 3 in. long and one-eighth in. thick. 

 "We use cigar box nails, nail the two sides 

 on the ends and then bottom, in the top 

 put one nail in the middle of one end, which 

 leaves it to swing open, now cut a piece of 

 sealed honey comb 1 inch by 2i in. cut oft' 

 he cells on one side near the base, lay this 

 piece where the bees can clean oft" all the 

 loose honey and no more, now place it in 

 the end of your box, having the capped cells 

 towards the inside of the box, then put in 

 two nails through the box in the comb to 

 prevent its moving, take the queen by the 

 wings and slip her in the box, the cover 

 being swung open a little, then put in 15 or 

 20 worker bees from the same hive and 

 nail. Put on the sides the address with 

 a lead pencil and a two cent stamp on the 

 cud and drop in the post office and Uncle 

 Sam will do the rest. D. D. Palmer. 



Eliza, Mercer Co., 111. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Italians vs. Black Bees. 



As everybody likes to talk of themselves, 

 and as amateur beekeepers seem to be no 

 exception to the rule, I will proceed to do 

 likewise; and now as I promised in the 

 May number of the National, I will give 

 a sort of epitome of my experience, with 

 ])oth black and Italian bees the past sum- 

 mer. 



I was anxious to know if this talk about 

 the superiority of Italian bees over our 

 blacks was interested talk, or a real fact; at 

 the same time I could not believe that all 

 the eminent bee-keepers of the country 

 would so emphatically praise the Italians 

 unless there was sovie foundation for it. 



So having two Italian colonies, I bought 

 two black colonies, and placing them side 



by side, let them proceed to their level best. 

 Previous to my purchase of the blacks (in 

 April, I think), I had been feeding the Ital- 

 ians as often as the weather would allow 

 me to open the cap of the hive (American 

 Farmers', 12x12 inside). So I think the 

 Ita-lians had some the start of the blacks in 

 that respect, though they were about equal 

 in strength on coming out of winter quar- 

 ters. 



Now for the result. I divided both of 

 the Italians and only one of the blacks, 

 leaving the other for the surplus honey. 

 The Italians have become as strong in num- 

 bers as the one undivided swarm of black 

 bees, and one of them cast a natural swarm 

 July 31st, which I wintered with a nucleus 

 which I had started from one of the other 

 Italians. 



SUMMARY. 



From two Italians I now have three very 

 strong colonies and two average ones; total, 

 five. From two l)lacks I have one average 

 colony, and two scarcly fair ones. 



As to honey, the drouth came in June 

 and white clover was a myth, but during 

 July and August they all held their own, 

 gradually increasing in weight, (I have au 

 apparatus for weighing like one suggested 

 by Burch, I think), and since September 

 1st they have been carrying in " dead 

 loads " of gold-wood and aster honey, so 

 that I have extracted eighty pounds from 

 the two strongest Italians, and the one 

 strongest black colony. Further, I have 

 been fighting the moth all summer in the 

 two divided black colonies, while the Ital- 

 ians will not allow a moth to slap his vil- 

 lainous little pinion in sight of their hive. 



I must, therefore, say that my prejudices 

 (if you call them such), have been removed. 

 Though I never was prejudiced against the 

 Italians as such, but it is my nature to as- 

 sist the weaker side always, and when I 

 heard every one praising the Italians, I 

 thought I would give the blacks an equal 

 chance, "a fair field and no favor, and may 

 the best bee win"; and for the future I 

 shall pin the Ligurian colors to my sleeve 

 and continue to say: Glorious little worker, 

 from whom we may learn glorious things ! 

 from whom even the wise king could be in- 

 structed. Long may thy golden bauds con- 

 tinue to flash in the sunlight of happy rural 

 homes ! Worker ! with an industry that is 

 never tiring, never ceasing; a perseverance 

 that could teach a Hannibal lessons in per- 

 sistance; a method that could teach "the 

 art of order to a peopled kingdom" ; a brave- 

 ry in defense of home and kindred that 

 even a Winkelreid could scarely excel! 



Verily, I should say: "Go to the bee, 

 thou sluggered, consider her ways and be 

 wise!" 



I would like to ask some reader of the 

 Journal to describe "aster" tome. 



