1881. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



363 



Fur tile American Bee Journal. 



That "Coming Bee." 



JAMES 1IEDDON. 



So much has been said pro et con in 

 regard to the Cyprian bee, lately, that 

 many of ns are led to wonder what 

 part she is going to play in the make- 

 up of the " coming bee." Now. t 

 have never seen a Cyprian, but have 

 conversed with those who have, and 

 have read the reports of numerous 

 tests made with them. I suppose that 

 the conflicting accounts regarding 

 their Ferocity must be settled in our 

 mi i ids in some way. It is about settled 

 in mine now. 



I have noticed that those who always 

 import the genuine, and those who 

 have purchased from them, agree that 

 they sting through boots and all. 

 These bees look so much like the Ital- 

 ian, that I have no doubt lint that the 

 bees of those who ■' tind the Cyprians 

 very gentle." are. simply Italians, and 

 not the pure belligerents. This is the 

 only way that I can account for the 

 very different reports handed to us 

 outsiders. 



I hardly think that any more than 

 the best Italians and blacks are needed 

 to produce the coming bee. While I 

 have full faith in such a production, I 

 hardly think it will be done all in a 

 minute, or by one, two or three men 

 alone. I think it will be the aggre- 

 gated labors of a number of Ameri- 

 cans. It will be a growth— evolution, 

 hastened and guided by the hand of 

 intelligence. I cannot refrain from 

 penning a smile at the late prize effort 

 made by the Rev. E. L. Briggs, of 

 l.nva. While 1 sympathize with the 

 end in view. I must say that the 

 method he employs to reach it is not 

 at all the one 1 follow, advocate or be- 

 lieve in. 1 will explain. First, letus 

 consider the four points of excellence 

 that Mr. 15. makes the test: 



1st. "The largest in size herself, and 

 producing the largest worker proge- 

 ny." I have seen small queens that 

 produced large, gentle and industrious 

 bees, and such queens should not be 

 ranked as second class. 



2d. "Producing the brightest col- 

 ored workers.'' The experience of 

 the most extensive importers and 

 honey producers, is that the dark Ital- 

 ians are superior to the bright ones. 



3d. " Her progeny being the most 

 peaceable in handling, and adhering 

 to the combs the closest." We agree 

 exactly about the peaceableness, but I 

 consider the adherence to the combs 

 of minor consideration compared with 

 other points of merit. 



4th. "As far as itcan be ascertained 

 this fall, the most prolific breeder, and 

 honey-gathering worker offspring." 

 Now in regard to the most prolific 

 breeder. I deem it a great mistake in 

 bee-keepers to cherish and encourage 

 this quality. If a queen cost live dol- 

 lars, and the hive, combs, etc., only 

 five cents, then proliticuess would be 

 of great value ; hutas just the reverse 

 of this is true, and as it is also true 

 that in the greater profusion a vegeta- 

 ble or animal produces, the lower is the 

 quality of the product, I And that the 

 most profit lies in using a hive of that 

 size that the very moderately prolific 

 queen always keeps full of brood. 

 Small hives for surplus. 



The honey-gathering quality in the 

 offspring is desired by all, but I want 

 two or three years to thoroughly test 

 a strain of bees for this valuable trait. 

 Comb-building capabilities are also of 

 vast importance. So far as I am con- 

 cerned, I would as soon order a queen 

 of any of the others who sent one to 

 Sir. Briggs, as from Dr. Wilson. It 

 seems t© me that when money and 

 time are devoted to tests of qualities, 

 that these tests should be made com- 

 prehensive and thorough enough to 

 satisfy the public. "Handsome is 

 that handsome does ;" valuable is that 

 valuable proves. Below I give you a 



test of success in skillful breeding, by 

 quoting from a letter just received by 

 mi'. From an honest man living in an- 

 other State. [ quote without his con- 

 sent, and, therelore, withhold the sig- 

 nature : 



. . . ." It has been a very dry and hot 

 season ; have had a good crop of 

 honey, and of good quality. My crop 

 will average about 201) lbs. of box 

 honey per working colony in the 

 spring; have doubled my number. 

 From one colony in the spring, with 

 no extra chance, I have to-day three 

 new colonies, all good and in the best 

 condition (except about 15 lbs. too 

 much honey in each of the hives); 

 from the old one and increase, 400 lbs. 

 of white honey and 300 dark, all in 

 2-lb. sections. Another gave 400 lbs. 

 and no increase. I have worked my 

 bees for all they are worth. A large 

 portion of my white honey was from 

 red clover. I have a strain of bees 

 that I commenced breeding from — a 

 hybrid — that worked on red clover five 

 years ago ; have bred from the ones 

 that gave the most honey without re- 

 gard to anything else, and as closely 

 in-and-in as possible. They are im- 

 proving every year, and have taken as 

 nigh as 40 lbs. of white comb honey 

 per colony when there was nothing 

 but red clover for them to work on, 

 and colonies of Italians of the " peri- 

 od," full as strong, did not get 1 lb. I 

 confidently expect to find that " com- 

 ing bee" by following this very strain ; 

 at least, I have more confidence than 

 in sending to Italy for a queen to breed 

 from that was reared by an ignorant 

 peasant for no other purpose than to 

 sell. In my opinion, the way our lead- 

 ing breeders are improving, or claim- 

 ing to improve our bees, is a perfect 

 humbug. I found out years ago, that 

 to rear queens that would satisfy the 

 average customer, I was ruining my 

 stock for honey. I have not reared 

 any for the market for years." 



I believe the above writer com- 

 menced the season with about 75 colo- 

 nies. 1 have heard that a party who 

 keeps the long, leather-colored Ital 

 ians, more or less crossed with the 

 German bee, litis also had a good sea 

 son, and lias secured an average of 200 

 lbs. per colony from 150 colonies, get- 

 ting over 400 lbs. from some of the best. 

 all comb honey in sections. 1 have not 

 heard from him personally, and did 

 not learn as regards increase. 



The above reports, in my judgment, 

 give greater evidence as regards qual- 

 ities, than do the awards of commit- 

 tees, or the down on the hind legs ot 

 the workers. As smoke is the best 

 evidence of fire, so honey is the best 

 evidence of superior bees. My fears 

 in regard to Cyprians are these : 



They swarm too much. 



They build too many queen cells. 



They are too cross. 



This cross disposition, coupled with 

 the bee's sharp weapon, is no matter 

 to be made light of. Property, to be 

 valuable, must not only be suited to 

 its peculiar owner, but to the populace 

 at large. That is what constitutes de- 

 mand ; demand makes price. The 

 pursuit would have a very great set 

 back were the dread of the sting to be 

 increased; the popularity of the pur- 

 suit would also fall. I fear, as stated 

 by the Bee .Iouunal. 



The proliticuess. early and late, in 

 this locality, would, one year with an- 

 other, be of no value, while it would 

 greatly aggravate dysentery. The 

 bees we have breed too long, leaving 

 off not earlier than the middle of Oc- 

 tober, and beginning as early as Feb- 

 ruary 1st. 



Note this : The Italians were brought 

 to us as an improvement over the Ger- 

 mans. To cross these imports with 

 domestics was to contaminate them. 

 Now, the Cyprians are brought in the 

 same light as were the Italians, and 

 they become improved at once by a 

 cross with those they were calculated 

 to supersede. Howisit? I have but 

 one desire in regard to them, and that 

 is, that none of my neighboring apiar- 

 ists will bring any of them into this 

 community till better reports come 

 from them. 



Dowagiac, Mich., Oct. 1, 1881. 



For tuo American Beo Journal, 



Bees and Honey in California. 



WM. Ml'TIl- RASMUSSEN. 



From the AMERICAN Bee Journal 

 of Oct. 12, received a few days ago, 1 

 learn that at the 12th Convention of 

 the North American Bee-Keepers' So- 

 ciety, held in Lexington, Ky., in the 

 beginning of October, I was elected 

 state V r ice President for California. 

 Thanking the Convention for the 

 honor conferred upon me, I propose to 

 Fulfil] to the best of my ability the la- 

 bor which my office calls for, and hope 

 to contribute my part to make the 

 next Convention as interesting and 

 beneficial as the one just past has 

 been. 



Owing no doubt to the almost total 

 failure of the past honey season, I find 

 but a very meagre report from this 

 State, giving a very imperfect idea of 

 the magnitude of the honey interest 

 of California, as about every second 

 year is a failure for honey production 

 here, and it has been thus, since I en- 

 tered the business 12 years ago. We 

 may hope that the coining season will 

 be one of prosperity for the California 

 bee-keepers, and that at the next Con- 

 vention we may be able to present a 

 more favorable report than the last. 



I am just on the eve of a trip to Los 

 Angeles Co., where I will meet some 

 of the principal honey producers of 

 southern California. Shall also com- 

 municate by letter with the Presidents 

 of the various District and County 

 Associations, and appoint suitable per- 

 sons to encourage exhibits of honey, 

 etc., at the local fairs, for which pur- 

 pose I await the pamphlet to be fur- 

 nished State Vice Presidents. 



I have just within the last week 

 completed my extracting, for which 

 reason I could not report in time for 

 your statistical table. I delayed the 

 last extracting as long as possible, as 

 the bees were still getting: some honey, 

 but frosty nights set in anil it was 

 with some difficulty that I got the 

 honey out of the combs. 



The principal honey plant in this lo- 

 cality is Alfalfa, or Lucerne, which 

 here is allowed to go to seed before 

 harvesting, while in the Southern 

 Counties it is cut as soon as it shows 

 bloom. This year, however, it did no! 

 yield as much honey as last year. 



The valley in which I live lies be 

 i ween the Eastern part of the Sierra 

 Nevada and the Inyo Range. The 

 mountains, on both sides, contain a 

 number of mines, while only a narrow 

 strip of the valley is suitable for farm- 

 ing. Bees are kept to some extent by 

 several farmers, but in the old-fash 

 ioned slip-shod way. and my extractor 

 and improved hives have created quite 

 an interest, although as far as I know, 

 thereby it stands. I am the only per- 

 son in this valley making an exclu 

 sive business of bee-keeping. I coin 

 inenced the season with 24 colonies, 

 have increased them to 53, and taken 

 about 3,500 lbs. extracted honey ; 12 oi 

 14 of the colonies were queen-rearing 

 nuclei, from which I did not extract, 

 but they are now good, strong colo- 

 nies. My bees are nearly all Italians 

 and hybrids. 



Independence, Cal., Nov. 1, 1881. 



For the American Bee Journal. 



The Business of Supply Dealers. 



J. V. CALDWELL. 



The business of the dealer in sup 

 lilies for the apiary having never 

 taken its place among the business 

 associations of the day. a few thoughts 

 as to the manner in which it is carried 

 on will, perhaps, be in order. 



While reading the advertisements 

 of supply dealers as they appear in the 

 bee periodicals, the thought often 



comes to my mind "why si Id men 



engage in tliis business carry it on in 

 such utter disregard of the acknowl- 

 edged laws of trade V" 



It being a well-known supposition 

 Unit all men engage in business for 

 the purpose of making money, unless 

 indeed thev be near kinsman to some 

 enthusiastic writers on bee-culture, 



who tell amateurs in the business how 

 the bees " work for nothing and board 



i hemselves." 

 I cannot force myself to the belief 



that these dealers are such noble phi- 

 lanthropists as would seem tube the 

 C isr at first, sight. Of course we, can- 

 nol expect, to succeed in having all 

 sell at the s i pi irr. 



Different locations, in some in- 

 stances, give one person the advant- 

 age in some respects. If a man lives 

 in the midst of a great bimb t region, 

 he can afford to sell hives or boxes 

 cheaper than another living ill the 

 wilds of Western Kansas, and still 

 have the same profit. But it seems 

 to me there are certain conditions 

 which all might, observe, for instance, 

 we know choice queens cannot be 

 raised very cheap without loss to the 

 breeder; queens are sold cheap, but 

 whether or not they are choice is 

 another question. I have sold queens 

 cheap, and have done so at a loss, but 

 in future I shall not be so foolish. 



Rev. A. Salisbury says, " none but 

 fools sell dollar queens, himself in- 

 cluded," and I guess he hit the nail 

 on the head that time. While people 

 buy queens as we know they do to im- 

 prove their stock, it seems to me if all 

 responsible breeders would sell only 

 choice tested queens, the bees would 

 be improving from year to year. And 

 again in view of the heavy loss among 

 confiding bee-keepers, every dealer 

 should be compelled to give good and 

 satisfactory references. This is cus- 

 tomary among all business men, and 

 if a in ,n cannot give good references 

 he should not expect men to trust 

 their hard-earned dollars in his hands. 

 Finally, let all who tire in the business 

 strive to deal honorably with our fel- 

 low men, and let our moral character, 

 business habits and standing, be open 

 to the rigid scrutiny of all men. 



Cambridge, 111., Oct. 14, 1881. 



For tne American Bee Journal. 



The Best Out-Door Protection. 



E. L. IiKIGGS. 



To place one's bees in a good cellar, 

 where the temperature is kept uniform 

 it between 40° and 50° is, doubtless, 

 the safest and most economical plan 

 for wintering bees that has yet been 

 devised. But even this mode must be 

 attended with certain precautions, or 

 in many cases disaster will result. 



1. They must be put in before frost 

 and dampness gathers in the combs. 



2. They must have some kind of up- 

 ward ventilation, but not enough to 

 create a draft through the hive. 



3. The cellar should be kept dark, 

 and be well vent dated from the hot torn. 



They should be carried in some- 

 where about the middle of November, 

 and left in stillness and perfect quie- 

 tude until about the first of April. If, 

 however, they show signs of restless- 

 ness, they should lie set out on their 

 slimmer stands for one day. provided, 

 a calm, sunshiny day occurs with the 

 thermometer above 45°; but never 

 if below until such aday occurs. Let 

 this be done in February, if possible. 



But, after till, when one's apiary be- 

 comes large in numbers, this mode 

 involves much labor. I have experi- 

 mented to some extent, therefore, on 

 out-door wintering. The following 

 mode I believe will prove a success : 



I have set my colonies in rows of 9 

 each, making the row a little less than 

 16 feet from one end to the, other, say 



15 feet 4 inches, doing this in the sum- 

 mer in preparing for winter. Let the 

 hives front the south, and the fly-hole 

 of each hive be 5 inches from the 

 ground ; the back end of the hive a 

 couple of inches higher. Take acom- 

 mon fence-board, 6 inches wide and 



16 feet long, and place it in front of 

 the row, so as to leave a space \% 

 inches in front of each hive, between 

 the board and hive; saw a notch in 

 front of each hive, 3 inches wide and 

 1 inch deep, for the reception of a tubu- 

 lar entrance, to exlend from the fly- 

 hole of the hive to the outside of the 

 fence-board. This winter entrance is 

 easily made of ?g lumber — top piece 

 6x3 inches, sides 0x>£ inch, bottom 3 



