17! 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



world. Let us follow the advice 

 of Plerr Wiist, und let us devote 

 our attention also to this simple an- 

 tiseptic. Let us not lose the op- 

 portunity, as soon as foul brood 

 appears, of making the attempt of 

 a cure with powdered cottee. It 

 can do no harm in any case. Do 

 not let us let the foul-brood ques- 

 tion disappear from the order of 

 the day, until at length the remedy 

 has been found to keep the brood 

 phague in a simple and sure manner 

 far from our apiaries, and when 

 they are infected to free them 

 from it. 



[In our opinion there never was 

 a case of genuine fonl brood cured 

 without the application of some 

 active remedy. The idea that 

 " Nature" will work a cure during 

 a good hone}' season is simply non- 

 sense. Every colony that has been 

 diseased by foul brood has been 

 destroyed, and as we have often 

 suggfssted and recommended, fire is 

 the quickest and most effective 

 remedy, unless coffee will do all 

 that is claimed of it. If any of 

 our readers has foul brood in his 

 apiary, will he tiy the coffee cure 

 and report to the " Api" the re- 

 sult?— Ed.] 



For the American Apiculturist. 



TEE ALBINO BEE. 



By Charles II. Smith. 



In the June number of the 

 " American Apiculturist," under 

 " Items of Interest," I see that 

 the Albino bee is greatly con- 

 demned, and that by the editors. 

 Quite a number of our apiarists 

 were much surprised when their 

 attention was called totliese items, 

 as the Albino bee is becoming a 



great favorite, not only in this but 

 in other states. For myself I can- 

 not imagine to what tests the 

 Albino bee was subjected in the 

 yards of the " American Apicul- 

 turist," or just how they were 

 managed in order for them to win 

 such a poor reputation. 



I have between thirty and forty 

 colonies of pure Albino bees and 

 they have always given me the 

 best of results, and have been the 

 most profitable bees in my yard ; 

 but as soon as I read the article 

 above referred to, I wa'ote to sev- 

 eral whom I knew had tested the 

 Albino bee extensivel}', hoping to 

 hear from them the correct pedi- 

 gree and history of the Albino 

 bee, and in tliis way to gain more 

 information as regards this i-ace 

 of bees, and also to see whether 

 or no the Albino deserved the de- 

 scription given by the "Api," or 

 whether their bees compared as 

 favorably with other races as mine 

 have done. Having heard from 

 most of those with whom I have 

 corresponded in regard to this 

 matter, I think I am safe in say- 

 ing that they all with one accord 

 sustain me in stating that they 

 stand ahead of any bee that we 

 have in our apiaries. 



You" claim that the Albinos are 

 very handsome and very gentle ; 

 thus far you agree perfectly with 

 all the others; but when you say 

 tliey are practically good for noth- 

 ing, except one desires these qual- 

 ities alone, then I consider that 

 you are condemning the bee un- 

 justly. 



Mr. Valentine, who first brought 

 this bee in a pure state before the 

 public, says, that they are not the 

 result of inbreeding as you claim, 

 but are procured by breeding from 

 queens which first showed a pecul- 

 iarity in their markings and whose 

 progeny invariably produced the 

 same white bands and white down. 



I believe that Mr. Pike first 



