50 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



and honey from each stock, with 

 the adhering bees, into a new hive, 

 allowing the new hives to sit direct- 

 ly beside the old ones ; furnishing 

 each nucleus with a young and 

 vigorous queen ; putting in place 

 of the frames thus removed, frames 

 of empty comb or foundation. I 

 should feed lightly to stimulate the 

 queen to her best efforts, and every 

 few days remove a frame of brood 

 from the old hive, and put it into 

 the nucleus beside it, replacing again 

 with foundation or empty comb. 

 If I found too few bees remained in 

 these nuclei, I should move the old 

 hive a little to the right or left, and 

 push the nucleus up close to it, 

 thus directing more bees into the 

 nucleus by diverting them from the 

 old hive. Ere long, a sufficient 

 number of bees will be found to 

 attach themselves permanently to 

 these nuclei, so as to enable them 

 to operate fully alone, when the}^ 

 can be gradually removed from the 

 old hives, and thus four new and 

 strong colonies have been made 

 with no trouble, and at the expense 

 only of a trifle of time and food. 

 The same course can be pursued, 

 ad libitum, throughout the season, 

 or till the cupidity of the owner is 

 completely satisfied in this direc- 

 tion. As queens are sold at present, 

 I consider it fully as economical to 

 purchase as to rear them ; but if 

 one intends to rear his own queens, 

 preparations therefor should be 

 made before any increase is at- 

 tempted, for an immense gain is 

 made, by having fertile queens all 

 ready to introduce into tlie nuclei 

 as soon as they are formed. 



Unless the novice hfis fitted him- 

 self by a thorough study of the 

 habits and peculiarities of tlie honey- 

 bee, and the laws which govern 

 them, lie had far better increase 

 slowly, until he has gained the 

 requisite knowledge and experi- 

 ence, but with such knowledge he 

 can increase almost beyond his 

 most sanguine expectations. 



Foxboro, J/ass., June 26, 1883. 



RACE AND VARIETY 



By a. J. Cook. 



As is commonly observed, all 

 animals tend to vary. How seldom 

 we see two individuals of our most 

 distinctive breeds or races of cattle, 

 like the noted Angus, the Devon or 

 the Hei-efords, that are precisely 

 alike. These variations, which are 

 always more or less transient, are 

 not sure to be reproduced. We 

 call them mere varieties. 



Now let us suppose that some 

 expert breeder who has an ideal 

 animal in mind selects from these 

 varieties only such animals as point 

 towards his ideal. lie will, alter a 

 series of years, produce animals 

 which possess marked characteris- 

 tics, which have been retained so 

 long that they are quite permanent. 

 The longer they have been held by 

 careful selection, the more per- 

 manent they are, and the more 

 certain are they to be rejiroduced 

 in the progeny of their possessors. 

 Such animals form a race, or breed. 

 Such animals will vary, and so we 

 shall have varieties within the race. 



