Jan. 2, 19Ci2. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



that Italian beos arc iiKirc pi^'slstcnt workers than are (iiT- 

 lEUins. yet I fool cdnlidiiit thai tho K^'atcr production of 

 lioncy which oonics thronuli tlilsraco Is not a little duo to Ihf 

 iac't tliat tlic^y can reach tho nectar of many flowers where It 

 isiintirely inaccessihli^ t<j I lio I'onunon black Ix^e. 



Mr, ilawley. of San DicKo county, said to mo a few days 

 since that certain i|neens whicli ho obtained Iroin an Kastorii 

 i|ueen-lir(i(HliM- had ({Toatly snrpassod all others In his apiary. 

 1 liolii^ve that nuich <if this Is due to this inatlor of lon^or 

 ton}::nos. Sonio years) aijo 1 nieasnrod a large snito of ton^nos 

 from dill'eront i'ac(^s. 'I'hey wore all Iroateil in exactly the 

 same way, and 1 havo no donl)t that the riisnlts were roliablo. 

 The record was decidedly in favor of th(^ yellow races. 



1 am also lirmly con\inced that the careful hoe-keepor 

 can do vi'ry much to breed Ik'cs that shall havc^ thi'se lon)j;r>r 

 snckins-tulx's. It will bo remembered that tho glossonioter 

 whicli I invented some years since, and which secured a medal 

 at the Paris (France) lO.xposition, makes it easy for us to deter- 

 mine what bees possoss(!s the lonji'est tongues. In this instru- 

 ment a s(|uare of fjlass is stretchod diagonally from theedgeof 

 a similar-sized lim- wire K'auze to within one-half of an inch of 

 tho opposite end. Tho two triangular ed;jos of this enclosed 

 space consisted of wood. Tiie fourth lialf-incli space was also 

 closed witli a wooden door. Ity smearing' the glass with nec- 

 tar and placing tho instrument in tho hive, it was easy to seo 

 which bees possessed the longer tongues. If desired, the K'iiss 

 can be ruled, and the distance of I'ach line from the ^anze 

 marked. I liavo no doubt that with this glossometer, coupled 

 with care iu breeding, any apiarist might soon secure bees 

 with much longer tongues than he would otherwise have in 

 his apiary. All are free to make and use this glossometer. 

 fjos Angeles Co., Calif., Oct. 2S. 



James La Barre— Originator of V-Sliaped Top-Bar. 



BY ,IOUN R. SC11.MIUT. 



Mi;. JAMES LA BARRE, a bee-keeper from the wilds of 

 Kentucky .is not only an accoraplishod bee-master but also 

 a masti'r of long-distance walking, he havinu; walked from 

 Covington, Ky,, to Washing- 

 ton, D. C, a distance of over 

 600 miles in 23 days. 



This was not done for the 

 mere satisfaction of a foolish 

 notion, or accomplishing a 

 senseless bet, but for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining justice ; and, 

 secondly, the means of liveli- 

 hood .justly due him for his ser- 

 vices to his country during 

 those long, bitter days of the 

 Civil War. 



Through hatred and jealousy, 

 an officer of the company iu 

 which he served, caused a seri- 

 ous charge to be placed against 

 him. for which he was promptly 

 court-martialed without even a 

 chance to defend himself. 

 Years after the close of the 

 War. La Harre applied for a 

 pension, and was immediately 

 confronted with the court-mar- 

 tial, and his application was 

 •■turned down.'" His untiring 

 endeavor to clear his name of 

 the so-called injustice done him, 

 led to bis going to Washington 

 on foot, to plead his cause be- 

 fore Congress. The case was 

 unheard, owing to the short 

 session of that body last fall, but undismayed by th 



.lAMES LA BARHE. 



failure, 

 and with the able assistance of Hon. Shattuc. he will endeavor 

 to be more successful this fall, and vows he will not give up 

 until the unjust charge is removed, and, if necessary, ex- 

 pected to start from his home in Kentucky, again on foot late 

 in October, in order to be present whi-n the body met. 



Mr. La Karre is a bee-keeper of extremely keen observa- 

 tion, and one of many practical ideas ; his extensive knowl- 

 edge of the bees having lieen gleaned through this method, 

 as he reads little from choice. 



It is not generally known that it was he who first con- 

 ceived the idea of a V-shaped top-bar as a comb-guide. Early 

 in the Go's he accidentally noticed that the bees in a box-hive, 

 in building their lirst comb, extended it along a strip of wood 



whi<'li had been nailed on thi' liiHldo of the box to cover a 

 crack. Quick lo see Iho point, he applied V-shaped Htrlps 

 whi'ri' he wanted the combs built, and the bees, true to their 

 rjaturo, used those ns starting points. 



In IK77, while visiting the latn Chasi. V. Miith. he rnoii- 

 lioned the matter, and aske<i him to apply tho V-shaped liar 

 to the flames In the Langstroth hives maiiufaclurid under his 

 siipeiv isiun. It was done, anil afierward tho V top-bar be- 

 came a fixed feature of thi' Langstrolh portico hive. Several 

 have claimed this invintii.ii, but Mr, La llarro lieliig IndllTer- 

 ent as to who reaps the lienelitof his bee-kiiowli-dKo, remained 

 (piiot ami let tln-iii light it out among themselves. 



From boyhood Mr. La liarre has kept bi^os In Old Ki^n- 

 tucky. TIm^ many years of association with these loved oiiog 

 is turning his hair a silvery gray, and bending his once sturdy 

 form. Nevertlieloss, hi' loves them still, and the increasing 

 silvery condilioii of his fast-fading hair only tend.s to personify 

 a iiiiiid that is as clear as a bell. Hamilton Co., Ohio. 



•ft 



Odds and Ends of tiie Season Cleaned Up. 



in li. M, DooLirri.K. 



BIOI.N'O mainly through with the hurry of the season of . 

 I HO I . I have had a little time to look over more carefully 

 tlie dilTorent t)ee-papors coming to my address than I 

 ciiiild do in my hurry during the busy season when they ar- 

 rived. And in this looking over I came across some items 

 which I will say a few words about. 



•'SI'HV.NX-I.IKK" — OOLDEN BEES. 



Tlie lirst of tliese items is found on jiage BOl (Sept. 19), 

 where Mr. Hasty seems to think that I should do some ■"shout- 

 ing" for tlie ■•Golden llees," if they are desirable. .\nd. "on 

 the other hand, if they are undesirable bees, sphynx-like 

 silence while selling them by the hundreds, looks too much 

 like the spider-and-tly sort of ethics."" .So it would look asif I 

 was compelled to say something in this matter (even though 

 it may look like a little free advertising), or allow the thought 

 to go "out that I was willing to play the ■' spider-and-lly" act. 



The real truth is, Mr. Hasty, that I have never •■ pushed" 

 either the golden or the leather-colored bees, but simply ad- 

 vertised Italian bees and queens, making no claims other than 

 the following, which appears in my circular: 



After having thoroughly tested all other races of bees. I have dis- 

 carded all but the lialians, as none proved so good with me. all thing.s 

 considered. I have taken great pains to breed my bees up to the highest 

 standard of perfection as limien-jiatlterers. I do not claim all that pur- 

 ity of stock that some do. nor lay so much stress on golden bands, but 

 I \lu claim that for lioneii-pruduriiig my bees are second to noiie.^' 



That is all there is of it, Mr. Hasty : and I will leave it to 

 vour own good judgment whether there is any '-spider-and- 

 tly sort of ethics " there or not. As nine out of ten order the 

 goldens, I send them what they order, just the same as I do 

 the other tenth who order the leather-colored stock. Perhaps 

 I can make the matter a little plainer to you. 



Mr. Hasty has two daughters. Both are excellent, good 

 girls, and as to excellence of character, winning ways, and 

 working qualities, there is really no choice, which Mr. Hasty 

 knows by years of association. But one has blue eyes and 

 auburn locks, while the other has raven hair and jet black 

 eyes. Mr. Hasty loves both of these girls alike, and sees the 

 goodness of both, regardless of the color of their eyes or hair. 

 In the course of time two young gentlemen come along, and 

 one is infatuated with the golden-haired daughter, while thc^ 

 other sees nothing but perfection in tho dark hair and eyes of 

 the other. The first thinks it very strange that the father 

 can not see that the daughter with the auburn hair and blue 

 eyes is superior in every way to the other, and wonders that 

 he is not eontinuallv praisiiig her : while the second is consid- 

 erably •' riled" because "Old Man Hasty "' is not loud in pro- 

 claiming that the one with raven hair and black eyes is the 

 ne plus ultra of the whole family. But Mr. Hasty keeps on in 

 the even tenor of his way. saying. ••Both are good girls."" 



I was never guilty of pushing color or extreme purity, for, 

 like- '■ Pa"" Hasty. I have never been able to see that tliere was 

 anything but- minor differences between the two grades of 

 Itatians. namelv. the dark-colored or golden. And so I have 

 done, as undoubtedly Mr. Hasty would do under like circum- 

 stances, allowed the "lover of each to make his own selection. 

 But as I was accused of "pushing" the goldens. I simply 

 denied the truth of such a statement, without stopping to 

 qualifv the matter as I have taken pains lo do here, through 

 Mr. H"asty"s having compelled me to do it. that I might not 

 stand as a " fraud '" before the public. 



