172 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



All that he persoiiall}' had observed 

 with the Caucasian bee led him to 

 approve fully all that had been 

 stated by Mr. Vogel. 



Mr, Hans of Saint Petersburg 

 stated that in the spring of 1879, 

 Dr. Butlerow received twent3^-one 

 queens of which twelve were sent to 

 Mr. Vogel. These were pure Cau- 

 casians, and did not come from the 

 region of the lower Don, as has 

 been supposed by Mr. Vogel. 

 These bees while being active, did 

 not give any very remarkable re- 

 sults ; they had a tendency to rob. 

 The wintering lasted 218 days, after 

 which laying proceeded rapidly. 



Mr. Lehzen, of Hanover, thought 

 that the present debate cannot set- 

 tle definitely anything about the 

 Caucasian bee which has only been 

 cultivated in Germany two years, 

 and in small quantities. Ever\' one 

 knows that the product of an apiary 

 depends in a great part on the way 

 it is managed. 



If we often open the colonies 

 they get irritated, they sting, and 

 eat up all their provisions of honey ; 

 then they are adjudged wicked and 

 idle. Another person will care for 

 them well, will give them combs, 

 and will make a strong colony 

 which will produce honey. One 

 will lean naturally towards that 

 race of bees that evinces the latter 

 characteristics and pass on it a 

 favorable judgment. 



Let us consider also that a for- 

 eign race, imported, is being trans- 

 formed during the first years in our 

 climate and that before the end of 

 the period of acclimatization, we 

 ought not to pass judgment one 



way or another. The Italian bee 

 is acclimatized in Germany ; the 

 first year, it ceased to lay earlier, 

 but the second it was just the same 

 as our heather bee. I hope there- 

 fore those here will wait some years 

 before definitely pronouncing upon 

 this race of bees. 



Wrong is done to apiculture by 

 extolling any one race without 

 speaking of its bad qualities ; we 

 therefore ought to thank Mr. Hil- 

 bertfor having pointed out what he 

 considers those of the Caucasian 

 bee. 



Referring now to Mr. Hoffman's 

 article Ave find he endorses the opin- 

 ion that" when pure" (a most nec- 

 essary qualification) these Cauca- 

 sian bees are the quietest, and the 

 most gentle with which he is ac- 

 quainted. Mr. Hoffman admits 

 they do not breed so early in spring 

 as other races, but points out a pos- 

 sible benefit therefrom. Again, he 

 states the wintering compares fa- 

 vorably with other races. The 

 honey-gathering power, according 

 to him, equals any race he has ever 

 tested, and this is a strong point. 

 The bad features and the good are 

 well set forth in Mr. Hoffman's ar- 

 ticle ( page 122 of The American 

 Apiculturist, Vol. I, October, No. 

 6, 1883 ) and to appreciate the 

 shades of difference I advise a read- 

 ing of that article side by side with 

 the utterances, at the Erfurt Bee 

 Convention, that I have the honor 

 and pleasure to translate for those 

 to whom they may be interesting. 



Phila., Pa., Nov. 12, 1883. 



