130 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



not want his extracts for he could manu- 

 facture a cheaper and better article himself. 

 So you can see something of its workings. 



I have spoken of the encouragement we 

 are getting from the different societies in 

 the State, and this is nothing in compari- 

 son to what it ought to be. Look at the 

 State of Michigan, and see what is going on 

 there — no better honey producing district 

 than Wisconsin. I think not as good. In 

 their State Agricultural College the science 

 of apiculture is taught as one of the branch- 

 es 01 education. Its influence is being large- 

 ly felt. There is probably more interest 

 taken in honey-producing by the people 

 generally than any other State in the Union, 

 I might almost say than all the States ; but, 

 perhaps, that would be saying too much. 



Now as to the condition of things in Wis- 

 consin, for a number of years previous to 

 'G7, the State Agricultural Society olfered 

 quite a number of premiums, to our frater- 

 nity, viz : on honey, hives and handling of 

 bees. There was generally a good exhibi- 

 tion of honey and hives from which bee-men 

 had the cliance to comitare and judge of the 

 merits. But tln' liandling of bees, for which 

 the Society awarded for several years a 

 Silver Medal, if we might exclaim. Oh ! 

 Humbug of Humbugs ! Bee-charm and bee- 

 handling was carried on until the man him- 

 self became disgusted with his own proceed- 

 ings. The society withdrew this encourage- 

 ment to apiarianism, down to a premium of 

 two dollars on box honey. The consequence 

 was that the bee and lioney interest was 

 poorly represented, Init in looking the 'mat- 

 ter over, the society in their generosity has 

 for two or three years awarded more liber- 

 ally, for which ])ee-nien are very tliankful 

 and larger favors will be gratefiillv receiv- 

 ed. 



Now, in conclusion, I will say to those 

 contemplating going into the bee business, 

 that I know of no kind of em])Ioy!nent that 

 you can undertake that will yield you a bet- 

 ter profit from the capital invested than bee- 

 keeping with inoper management. And on 

 the other hand I know of no other enijjloy- 

 ment you would loo,se your money sooner 

 with bad management.for be it understood 

 that negligence in bee-keeping is sure fail- 

 ure. I may be asked the (luestion, for it is 

 a very common one, what kind of a hive I 

 would reconnnend, the movable frame hive. 



That you may satisfy yoiu-selves as to the 

 l)est hive, ask General Adair, of Kentucky. 

 He will tell you that the New Idea Hive is 

 tiie one ; that is only along ojie story, with 

 sectional frames for comb building honey is 

 the best— backing it up with his book, the 

 annals of bee-culture. Or you may ask 

 Jasper Ilazen, of Vermont. He will tell you 

 the Eureka Hive is best ; because you can 

 run it exclusively to box lioney. "and get 

 more than any other hive, and is a non- 

 swarmer. So you may ask (iailnp. and he 

 will tell you ttiat his Twin Hive is the best, 

 because it works on the New Idea ])lan of 

 Adair's. And you may ask Novice or Root, 

 they will tell you that the two story, Lang- 

 stroth Hive istlie l)est. Ijecause it is('heai)er 

 to work with tlieextraetor. and will back it 

 with his ( !leanings. ))ul)lished once a niontii. 

 You may ask .Mrs. Tapper, she will or would 

 a yearoi- two agosay. that the Tall or Ameri- 

 can Hive, invented by H. A. King, was the 

 best, seconded by H."^ King and backed up 

 by tlie l)ee-keeper"s Ma'4a/.ine. 



L might refer von to numerous other hives 



that have been offered to the judilic but 

 many of them without merit, bid if you ask 

 A. H. Hart what hive he thinks best, he 

 will tell you the High Pressure, most as- 

 suredly, because of its simplicity, the ease 

 with which it may be put in shape to work 

 on either or all the other plans proposed in 

 the other hives mentioned, and will backup 

 his assertion witli his circular that any of 

 you can have by calling on him at any time 

 during the convention or by afterwards 

 writing. 



One thing bear in mind, that a hive to fill 

 the bill must admit of largely breeding up 

 in the spring early— an easy adjustment of 

 cards, that will admit of contracting or ex- 

 panding to suit the size of the swarm, so no 

 idling is dong, a non-swarmer at will, 

 simple and cheap in construction, etc., etc. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



Purity of Italian Bees. 



In answer to INIr. Argo, who says, in the 

 last number of the Americax Bee Jouk- 

 KAi., "If Edward Uhle is in Italy, then 

 Uhle's queens, according to Dadant, are 

 pure Italians." I liave never received a 

 queen from Uhle that was not a hybrid, and 

 I will say that since Ed. Uhle is in the bee 

 business, on his own hook, he inhabits 

 Tyrol. 



Tyrol is an Austrian Province, situated 

 at the north of Adriatic Sea, and encircled 

 with mountains on every side, but a small 

 part, by which the river Adige runs from it 

 into the sea. 



To send pure bees, Uhle had to raise and 

 to test them, with the same care, as we 

 do in this country. No wonder, if so many 

 American l>ee-keepers have no confidence 

 in the imported queens ; they were deceiv- 

 ed by the Euro))ean bee-keepers, who, 

 except in Italy, are never sure of the 

 purity of their stocks. Since they are, the 

 same as in this country, surrounded with 

 black and hybrid bees. In Italy, and in 

 Italy alone, the bees are of undoubted 

 ]nuity, since there are no others there than 

 pure Italian bees. Charles Uadaxt. 



Shall We Continue to Imiiort Bees. 



A PAPER READ BEFORE THE MICHIGAX 

 bee-keepers' COXVENTION. 



Much has been written and said about the 

 Italian Bee. I'arties interested in their sale 

 have imported often and done much to in- 

 duce bee-keejiers to believe they were su- 

 perior to the common or black bees. 



Various theories have been ])ronuilgated, 

 from time to time, as circumstances re- 

 quired, to keep up the interest and augment 

 their sale. 



Such for instance, as that they would gath- 

 er honey from red clover, and other like ex- 

 ceptional soni'ces of honey supjily. 



Without jiresuming to" aliim or deny the 

 truth of these claims! 1 shall proceed to give 

 some of the reasons why it is not Judicious 

 tor us as honey raisers — which I presume 

 we are — to encourage tliis promiscuous and 

 constant imiiortation. 



The first is that there is great danger that 

 we shall import with them the parasites and 



