1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



437 



comb-building instincls may evershadow the 

 swarming propensity-. One more illustration. 



"In the January 1st issue of Gleanings, 

 page 12, is an article by J. F. Mclntyre to 

 which 1 would call your attention. Mr. M. i^ 

 known from Boston to the Golden Gate, and 

 from Manitoba to the Gulf, as one of the most 

 extensive bee-keepers on the Pac'fic slope, and 

 his word I believe above reproach. The arti- 

 cle referred to shows his candor. He says he 

 has a strain of bees that have shown marked 

 superiority for several years, far surpassing in 

 honey - gathering all other strains of bees 

 among hundreds of colonies. He has kept 

 breeding from the best." 



" How about swarming ? " inquired Deacon 

 Strong. 



"I will quote his own words. He says, 

 'This strain does not swarm half as much as 

 any other strain in my apiary.' " 



save me what it would co.>t to keep 100 colo- 

 nies, which would hi 6000 or 7000 lbs. of hon- 

 ey yearly, which could be sold for enough to 

 net me .S500 or more above all expanse. And 

 then I should be saved the labor of caring for 

 100 colonies. With .500 colonies of hybrids I 

 should have in a good year, saj-, 475 colonies 

 that would try to swarm ; while with this bet- 

 ter strain, probably not over 200 colonies 

 wo 'Id have prepared to swarm — a saving in 

 labor more easily imagined than described. 



"But another and most important fact is 

 this : If breeding bees for productiveness of 

 honey alone has, in a few years, reduced the 

 disposition to swarm a half, is it at all doubt- 

 ful what the result will be if he keeps on with 

 an eye to non swarming as well.? Indeed, I 

 consider the problem as good as settled, al- 

 though the complete accomplishment may be 

 a little delayed." 



"we talked sections, supers, and separators." 



"Then," said the deacon, " I don't see but 

 he has a non-swarming breed of bees half 

 formed already." 



" Hurrah for the nucleus of a new breed of 

 non-swarming bees," said Charley Atkins; 

 and he lifted his hat as if to salute it. 



" A breed in the pupa state," said Fasset, 

 with a preceptible brightening of his eyes. 



" I don't care how you put it, or what yoi^ 

 call it. It is something any way, and some- 

 thing in the right direction," said I. 



" Probably it is not even new, but it has 

 been recognized, and that means a good deal. 

 Probably there are many strains just as good 

 in this country, if we only knew where to look 

 for them. The discovery of these facts has giv- 

 en me great pleasure. See what it means to me. 

 I keep 500 colonies to gather the honey in the 

 range or fields that I occupy. With such bees, 

 400 colonies would gather it just as well, and 



"Is there any thing parallel to this in na- 

 ture? " asked Deacon Strong. 



" Not exactly, so far as I know," I replied. 

 "There are, however, different ways of di- 

 recting vital energy. We have spoken of that 

 of fowls. They may expend their energy in 

 incubating and the rearing of chickens, or 

 egg-laying. A cow, if not in milk, may lay a 

 large amount of fat on her ribs and between 

 her muscles ; or if in milk, a large amount of 

 vitality may be spent in producing that useful 

 fluid. A single cow has been known in this 

 country to produce more than a thousand 

 pounds of butter in a single year ; but these 

 are not exactly analagous to diverting the vi- 

 tality of a colony of bees from establishing 

 new colonies into the production of surplus 

 honey, but useful as side-lights." 



The mention of cows set Esquire Fullam to 

 thinking and talking. 



