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trious, prolific, and the gentlest of any bees with which I am familiar, 

 not even excepting the Carniolans. They have wintered successfully in 

 comparison to other races in the latitude of Denver, Colorado, and have 

 not here (Washington, D. C.) shown themselves inferior in wintering 

 qualities to ordinary strains of Italians. We may thus hope for good 

 reports in the near future." 



Much attention is now being devoted to discovering or breeding a 

 strain of bees with tongues long enough to reach the nectar in the flower 

 tubes of red clover. In 1900 the A. I. Root Co. ofi'ered a prize for the 

 bees having the longest tongues. This was awarded to Mr. J. P. Moore 

 of Morgan, Ky., whose bees were found to have tongues measuring 

 ■^^ of an inch in length. (Ordinary bees measure but ^Vo-) This 

 length of tongue enables the bees to secure nectar from most of the 

 flower tubes of red clover and thus to fill their hives with honey that 

 common bees cannot reach. Cross fertilization of the red clover by these 

 bees is likely to prove an important item, for which we are now depend- 

 ent upon the bumblebees. The problem of " red clover bees " is certainly 

 worthy of attention on the part of Massachusetts apiarists. 



In order to put bee culture on a secure footing in Massachusetts we 

 need first of all a live and united association which shall reach practically 

 everyone who keeps bees in the State. The purpose of such an organiza- 

 tion will be to stamp out brood diseases and keep them out of the State, 

 then to work hard for a few years to secure the general adoption of 

 modern methods and the maintenance of improved stock. This should 

 place the industry beyond the reach of the bee moth at least. The as- 

 sociation may find it necessary also to secure adequate legislation for 

 protection of the industry. Another need of the State is a model plant 

 at Amherst and a strong course in practical apiculture. This, which 

 we are glad to note has already made a beginning, should grow to be 

 the co-ordinating head and the strong right arm of the association. It 

 should become the centre in the State for needed instruction, for proper 

 inspection and development of the industry, for all manner of investiga- 

 tion and experiment, and, possibly, a depot for distribution of the best 

 obtainable stock, 



While our subject is not, possibly, a cheerful one, still to be forewarned 

 is to be foreai'med. Most popular writings jH-esent the subject in all its 

 most rosy lights, and this ought to be so ; for no other branch of industry 

 has the charm, the fascinating and absorbing interest which keeps people 

 young and happy and tingles in the blood like a veritable fever of de- 

 light, when once a mastery of the difliculties of successful bee culture 

 has been attained. And we have thus briefly presented some of its chief 

 dangers and difficulties in the hope that more people may come to enjoy 

 its many " pleasures and profits." 



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