THE BEE-KEEPERS* REVIEW 33 



supplied with pollen. In the spring a few good warm days suffice 

 to bring into bloom the hepatica, or liverleaf anemone, from which 

 the bees bring in whitish pollen. This often comes two weeks before 

 the earliest fruit bloom. This is followed by the dandelion, with 

 its unlimited pollen. Fruit-bloom usually does not give enough 

 lioney to start comb-building; but it does start cell-building. From 

 this time the spring beauty, dandelion, buckeye, oak, gum, black- 

 berry, and various wild flowers give a constant supply of pollen 

 without any appreciable amotint of honey, and the Italians abandon 

 themselves to reckless propagation. 



SUPERIORITY OF BLACKS WHERE POLLEX IS AHUXDAXT IX SPRIXG. 



"The blacks would seem to be naturally adapted to such condi- 

 tions, for they do not usually "lose their heads'' in this way. but 

 defer swarming until there is enough honey to justify increase, and 

 may usually be induced to forego it entirely by giving room for 

 surplus, and that without the baits and full sheets of foundation 

 needed to coax the Italians into the sections. 



"When the breeding of bees shall have become further ad- 

 vanced it will no doubt be found possible to interchange the char- 

 acteristics of different races when desirable, just as the different 

 combs and color patterns, and the sitting and non-sitting dispo- 

 sitions of poultry may be so combined by the skillful breeder. It 

 is evident that the same combination of traits will not suit ever}'- 

 where. 



"The only points which I have found in favor of the Italians 

 are their quietness and better defense against robbers; but these 

 are more than balanced by their reluctance to enter sections, and 

 their swarming proclivities.'' 



A Strong Plea For National Grading Rules. 



Director "Wesley Foster, of Colorado, makes a strong plea in 

 Lrlcaniiigs in Bee Culture for national grading rules, and the Review 

 believes he is on the right track. So long as we have so many 

 dififerent rules for grading there will always be confusion, and we 

 can never establish a national grade until we have national grading 

 rules. The Canadians claim that by selling by the section instead 

 of by the pound that the bee-keeper is obliged to grade more care- 

 fully and this they claim is one of the reasons why the}' always get 

 so good a price for their honey. There is some food for thought 

 in that. Air. Foster says : 



''Xow that the National Association has adopted the Colorado 

 double-tier shipping case and 4^4xJ:,Mxl7/s section as the standard, 

 why not have national grading rules? Shall we hereafter designate 



