1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



345 



pure stock, imported or otherwise, that will 

 give me as much honey as the stock I now 

 have. I want pure stock, if I can get it 

 without too much sacrifice. I am on the 

 fence in the whole matter. Let me place 

 before you a rather troublesome question to 

 which I hope you will give answer: Suppose 

 I have pure stock, also hybrids, and I find a 

 hybrid colony that gives 25 per cent more 

 honey than the best Italian colony: would 

 you or would you not breed from that hybrid 

 stock? Bear with me if I put another ques- 

 tion. What per cent greater yield over the 

 yield of the Italian stock would you demand 

 of hybrid stock before you would breed from 

 that hybrid stock? [Doctor, you are asking 

 hard questions, and 1 do not know that I can 

 answer them; but I do not believe that you 

 have any hybrid stock that will be superior 

 in honey-getting to some pure Italian stock. 

 Of course, you run chances when you buy a 

 queen from some breeder that has a record 

 for honey-getting, for not all daughters of 

 these extra queens will come anywhere near 

 equaling the work of the mother. But if 

 you had tested queens from different queen- 

 breeders I think you would have soon found 

 one that would have equaled your hybrid 

 stock. To answer your question more specif- 

 ically, assuming it to be impossible to get 

 pure blood that would equal the work of the 

 hybrids, even if there were only 10 per cent 

 difference in favor of the cross I would take 

 the mixed stock, even with the stings and 

 propolis; and I do not know but I would even 

 if there was a difference of but 5 per cent, 

 if I were running several out- apiaries. But 

 I think you are wrong in believing that your 

 hybrid stock will excel any pure stock that 

 you can buy. It is much pleasanter to handle 

 gentle bees; and, where other things are 

 equal, or nearly equal, I would take the 

 stock that is quiet to handle. — Ed.] 



of the pages are taken up with the proceed- 

 ings of the big Chicago convention. The re- 

 port is interesting and well gotten up, and, 

 what is more, the work of the stenographer 

 is practically without a mistake so far as I 

 can see. 



We regret to have to record the death of 

 the seventeen- year-old daughter of Mr. W. 

 H. Laws, of Beeville, Texas. She was just 

 blooming into womanhood, and was her 

 father's right-hand helper is his general 

 correspondence, signing herself Alyce. We 

 extend to Mr. Laws our sincere sympathy. 



THE CHICAGO CONVENTION REPORT. 



The annual report of the National Bee- 

 keepers' Association for 1905 has been issued 

 from the Revieio office. It contains some- 

 thing like 200 pages, 65 of which relate to 

 the report of the General Manager, the con- 

 stitution, and the list of members. The rest 



FLORIDA TRIP DEFERRED. 



To the many who have been inquiring re- 

 garding my projected Florida trip I may say 

 that an attack of the grip confined me to 

 the house for about ten days. Instead of 

 being able to get my work ahead, as I had 

 planned so that I could get away, this result- 

 ed in my getting behind. In addition to all 

 this, our printing and publishing department 

 has become so cramped by reason of the 

 tremendous growth in our subscription list 

 that I ought not to leave now owing to plans 

 for newer and larger quarters. Whether I 

 shall be able to go south before my parents 

 return, I am not able to say at the present 

 writing. But I expect to be able to^go 

 next fall or the following spring. 



A NEW LIGHT ON THE APICULTURAL HORI- 

 ZON. 



The portrait on the outside cover page of 

 this issue shows a new light on the apicul- 

 tural horizon. He has been a bee-keeper 

 only since 1902; but prior to that time he 

 was a successful florist and market-garden- 

 er. Finding it necessary to get some bees 

 to fertilize his vines he embarked in bee- 

 keeping in a small way. The results were 

 so satisfactory that he procured books and 

 journals; and now, although only three years 

 in the business, I believe him to be compe- 

 tent, from some facts in my possession, to in- 

 struct some of the Gamaliels in the business. 

 When I heard A. K. Ferris, of Madison, Wis., 

 for that is the man of whom I have been speak- 

 ing, talk at the National convention in Chi- 

 cago, I became impressed with his ability, 

 and engaged him to write for us two or three 

 articles. This he has done, and they will be 

 given to our readers in later issues. I trust 

 he is a man we shall hear from more in the 

 future; for indeed he has some ideas worth 

 giving, 



DOOLITTLE'S NEW METHOD OF SWARM CON- 

 TROL WHEN RUNNING FOR COMB HONEY. 



Beginning April 1 we expect to begin a 

 series of articles from that veteran, G. M. 

 Doolittle, detailing a new system of swarm 

 control and comb- honey production that he 

 has been quietly "digging out," as he says, 

 for the last 16 years. He now believes he 

 has solved the problem of swarm control at 

 out-apiaries when running for comb honey, 

 and yet make only a few trips in the season, 

 bees at other times being left entirely to 

 themselves. I think it is generally conceded 

 that last year was the poorest for white hon- 

 ey in the clover and basswood regions that 

 we have had for many years; yet Mr. Doo- 

 little was able, with the system he is about 

 to describe, to secure 114 lbs. per colony 

 without a swarm. While it may not work in 



