48 THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



Contract entrances that night and next morning wrap all hives with 

 straw up to the covers (see photo). Tie the straw with a string- 

 around the hive. Put on cushions and, if weather is favorable, clean 

 bottom boards. Commence with an extra and exchange the re- 

 mainder. 



I have long been a convert of the Alexander plan of spring 

 feeding. When you clean bottom boards fasten the feeder in posi- 

 tion. In this feeder lies the success of the season. Feed a little 

 each day until fruit bloom and between fruit bloom and clover and 

 you will get a crop. No feed and the crop will not bother you. 



At time of setting out be sure to put all light weight colonies 

 in the front row of the yard ; the stray bees from the yard will help 

 build them up better than any manipulation I ever heard of. 



Binghamton, N. Y. 



[When I received the photo shown in this issue. I wrote Mr. 

 Mathewson asking what that was piled up on the entrances of the 

 hives. It looked like bees but I felt sure it couldn't be at a time 

 when they needed spring protection. He replied that it was a 

 variety of sea grass which he gets from an upholsterer who uses it 

 for stuffing cushions. It is porous and will not pack. 



This method of using straw for spring protection has its good 

 features, and is certainly a cheap and easy method. One would have 

 to look out for fire, however, when using the smoker.] 



Improvement of the Bee — The Present Status of 



the Question. 



DR. A. F. BONNEY 



{Concluded Jrot)i January NiDiibcr) 



I suppose the five-banded Italian has been made such l)y long 

 continued selection, but I see no reason for not belie\ing that muta- 

 tions were actually involved in this selection. I cannot agree with 

 Dr. Phillips' idea that it will require thousands of generations to 

 bring about improvements in the honey bee. I believe it can be 

 done very quickly if we can detect advantageous mutations when 

 they do occur and can further keep these mutations by proper 

 breeding. The latter problem though is a very difficult one, not 

 onl}- on account of parthenogenesis being involved, but on account 

 of the difficulty in controling mating. I see no practical way to 

 control the latter except by having nothing but bees of a given 

 strain in one locality. I fully believe that it is possible to get strains 

 which will gather more honey than those we now have, and it seems 

 within the realm of possibility that a non-swarming bee might make 

 its appearance as a mutation. 



