M\}^ '^U-'^UlfitX5* 3^^tottt 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF HONEY PRODUCERS 



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E. B. TYRRELL, Editorand Publisher 

 Office OF Pu BLiCATiON - - - 230 Woodlan d Aven ue 



VOL. XXV. DETROIT, MICHIGAN, MARCH 1, 1912, No. 3. 



Improving Your Bees While Producing Honey. 



GEO. B. HOWE, 



'^^^ HERE is no part in bee-keeping that has been so sadly neg- 

 ^j lected and at the same time is so important as breeding. I 

 honestly believe that bees can be improved as well as any 

 other stock if we thoroughly understand zvhat zee are doing. The 

 nature of bees makes it very hard to breed them in a fair and 

 intelligent way. 



The results I have secured makes it hard to prove that bees 

 can not be improved. It is no theory with me. I have been led by 

 results. \\'e must be led by facts alone or we will surely fail. It 

 was not what I said about my bees, that brought me into the light 

 of the bee-keeping world, but the honey I got from theiii. I am cer- 

 tain that I have been fair, and in all my tests with other strains 

 and races that it has been my good fortune to test, it was honey 

 and honey alone that counted. I was not led by color or any other 

 fad. I merely let the bees do their own selecting as to color. So 

 you who may say I was partial to the dark strain of Italians will 

 understand that had my yellow bees given me the best results my 

 stock would be the yellow and not the dark leather, as it is called. 



WHAT IS SCRUB STOCK? 



I am not the only one who has good and well-bred bees, and 

 if you have such you will see just why you should not add new 

 blood to your strain unless it is absolutel}^ necessary. Some make 

 the extravagant claim that their scrub stock makes more honey than 

 the best bred bees. How do they know they have scrub bees? 

 Their color may be ofif, but their vigor to get honey is there just 



