THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



51 



The more fixed the race, the less 

 frequent and the less startling will 

 be these variations. Every breeder 

 of cattle and horses, etc., knows 

 and acts upon the fact, that to 

 maintain the excellence and most 

 desirable characteristics of any of 

 our breeds, care, selection and a 

 keen insight and observation are 

 all-requisite. These very variations 

 make great improvements ever pos- 

 sible ; they also point to degenera- 

 tion, unless caution and intelligence 

 push it aside. 



Our Italian bees are surely a 

 race, though made so b}'^ the careful 

 selection of nature. Those who 

 hold that the Italians do not breed 

 as true to type as an}' of our best 

 breeds of sheep or cattle may well 

 look about them, for impure mating 

 is surely the deceiver that has 

 misled them. Nor is it true that 

 the excellence of the Italians will be 

 maintained without careful breed- 

 ing. If the possibility of degener- 

 ation characterized only varieties 

 and not races, then we should have 

 no races. Albino bees are varieties ; 

 but if we should select long and 

 carefully witli white fuzz only in 

 view, we might soon change this 

 variety' characteristic into the more 

 fixed one of race. 



The practical point to be drawn 

 from all this is obvious. Messrs. 

 Alley and Demaree in their excel- 

 lent articles have emphasized none 

 too vehemently the necessity of 

 care and intelligence in selection 

 and pains in all the work of breed- 

 ing. 



The great work o f Major Hal lett of 

 England in developing very valua- 



ble races of wheat, if I may use the 

 expression, is full of important 

 suggestions to beekeepers. I have 

 often thought and stated that the 

 most hopeful path towards the 

 progressive apiculture of the future 

 lies through the improvement of our 

 stock by following the principles 

 as laid down and followed by all 

 of our most successful breeders 

 whether of plants or animals. 

 Lansing^ Mich., June 26, 1883. 



EXTRACTING AND CURING 

 HONEY. 



Bv L. C. Root. 



At our last northeastern Bee- 

 keepers' Association, I read a paper 

 upon this subject. 



AVhile it was received with marked 

 interest by many, there were quite 

 a number, including some of our 

 very best beekeepers, who evi- 

 dently felt that some points taken 

 were unwarranted. I shall not 

 attempt in this article to discuss 

 the best time to extract ; I shall 

 only say that at that time I gave 

 many reasons why I advocated 

 throwing the hone}'- from the combs 

 as soon as it was stored or before 

 it was thoroughl}^ cured by the bees. 



I also claimed that it could be 

 equally well cured by artificial 

 means after it was extracted. 



We presented a sample of honej' 

 at that time which was extracted 

 when first gathered and cured by 

 evaporation after being extracted. 

 I there stated that it was ni}'^ belief 



