THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



77 



ny; and that we may treat each colony as 

 one individual; and that the character of 

 our colonies will depend upon that of the 

 queen and drone with which she has 

 mated. Aside from the characteristics of 

 her offspring, the queen has traits pecu- 

 liar to herself; as her size, her willingness 

 to remain on the comb and continue her 

 egg-laying when the comb is removed 

 from the hive; and, more important than 

 all others, her ability to lay eggs. 



Here we see the necessity of ha\ang our 

 hives stocked with the best queens, that 

 have mated with the best drones to be 

 had. 



Again, the variation in our queens and 

 their progeny should not be looked upon 

 altogether a disadvantage, but rather as 

 the sure promise of great improvements 

 in bees in the near future. Already, I 

 believe better queens of the Italian race 

 can be found in this country than in 

 Italy. 



But I am digressing. If we look 

 around us we will find in both plants and 

 animals of the same species a disposition 

 to vary more or less from the common 

 type. 



vSome years ago I planted a dozen < n 

 more Norway spruce. Not one oftluM 

 proved to be exactly like the others. 

 There was a difference, either in form, <>r 

 foliage, or growth. There is a mui ' 

 greater tendency to vary in some specu 

 than in others. In some there is nont- 

 at all. A celebrated horticulturist of 

 Europe raised some 60,000 seedlings of a 

 certain wild plum, without observing the 

 slightest variation in either fruit or tree; 

 and gave up its improvement as almost 

 hopeless. In other species of plants we 

 see great variations as they grow wild; as, 

 for instance, some species of our Ameri- 

 can wild grapes; more especially that one 

 known as / 7//.s" Labnisra, or fox grape. 



It may be stated as a rule that the 

 greater the varation found in plants or 

 animals in a wild state, the mora rapid- 

 ly can they be improved under cultiva- 

 tion or domestication. For instance, 

 fifty years ago, not a half dozen native 



grapes were known to nurserymen as 

 worthy of cultivation ; to dny there is al- 

 most an endless variety, of all colors, and 

 many of them of most excellent quality, 

 well adapted to our harsh, changeable cli- 

 mate. 



May we not then prize this disposition 

 to vary among bees as something of great 

 value to intelligent and progressive bee- 

 keepers ? 



MiDDLEBURV, Vt. Dec. 10, 1897. 



MAKING EXHIBITS AT FAIRS. 



They have Little Effect Upon the Sale <»f Hon 



ey; Old Exhibitors Know this, and 



no for the Premiums. How to 



Sell Honev. 



J. H. M.\RTIN. 



r/RIEND H — 



r- 



Your descrip- 



lion of swinging 

 iround the cir- 

 cle of the fairs 

 reminds me of 

 my own experi- 

 ences in that line 

 liack in York 

 State some years 

 ago. I have al- 

 so been reading 

 something on exhibits in a recent issue of 

 Gleanings, and I am inclined to put in a 

 a few words if your circle of contributors 

 will allow me to squeeze in and get my 

 foot on the fender with them. I know- 

 that you Eastern fellows must have a com- 

 fortable fire and need it. Eastern papers 

 give us hints of cold north winds, whirl- 

 ling snow and frosty windows, while here, 

 on the last day of the old year, the ther- 

 mometer registers 82 degrees in the shade; 

 we have roses in bloom, now and then a 

 barefooted urchin, and bees working 

 busily on the gum trees. How often we 

 forget that this is called winter, and act- 



