214 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



October. 



FIRST CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINA- 

 TION IN APICULTURE. 



an and their crosses with selecte 

 strains of the blacks, or Germans. W 

 are not so particular as we once wer fii 

 The first Civil Service examination to have all stock like Royal Bakin ,|i 

 in apiculture ever ordered by the Unit- powder— "absolutely pure." It shoul 

 ed States Government bears date of be borne in mind bv the inexperience* 

 July 29, 1904, and occured August 31st, however, that there are very inferic 

 and was conducted to secure eligibles stt-ains of Italians in existence; an 

 from which to make certification to fill purity is by no means a guarantee < 

 a vacancy in the position of Apicul- excellence in any race of bees. 

 tural Clerk (eitheir sex), at a salary of the other hand, excellent strains ma 

 $720 per year, in the Bureau of Ento- be found among any of the varioi 

 mology, U. S. Department of Apicul- races. A little careful selection— wit 

 ture, and other similar vacancies as a keen eye solely to the matter of desi 

 they may occur in that Department, able traits or qualities, will result in 

 The examination consisted of the fol- short time in the development of 

 lowing subjects, and were weighted as satisfactory strain. Being select( 



indicated: 



^^'eights. 

 Spelling (twenty words of more than 



average difficulty) 3 



Arithmetic (fundamental rules, fractions, 



percentage, interest, discount, analysis. 



with a view to acquiring the particul, 

 habits or character which our indivi 

 ual requirements remand, the result < 

 such selection will correspond. Anothi 

 apiarist, difEerently situated and with 

 different object in view, might not a 



and statement of simple accounts S predate the Very qualities which T 



3. Letter-writing (a letter of not less than 



150 words on some subject ot general 

 interest. Competitors will be permitted 

 to select one of two subjects given) • 7 



4. Penmanship (the handwriting of the 



competitor in the subject of copying 

 will be considered with special refer- 

 ence to the elements of legibility, 

 rapidity, neatness, general appearance, 

 etc.) 3 



5. Copying (a test consisting of two exer- 



cises — the first to be an exact copy of 

 the matter given, and the second to be 

 the writing of a smooth copy of rough- 

 draft manuscript, including the correc- 

 tion of errors of spelling, capitalization, 

 syntax, etc.) 5 



6. Copying from plain copy (writing with 



the typewriter an exercise consisting of 

 450 words, paragraphing, spelling, cap- 



liave striven to secure for our person 

 use. 



From the knowledge at our coi 

 mand, however, we believe the leatht 

 colored Italian and the German 

 safe a base upon which to build as ^ 

 have, though it appears to be the pa 

 of wisdom to test, to a limited extei 

 new varieties and races, in order to 

 in a position to acquire or adopt a: 

 commending traits they may be fou 

 to possess. 



THE ADVANCE OF APICULTUR 

 Apiculture is now officially recogn 

 ed by the United States Governme 

 at Washington, and is on a solid fO' 

 ing, equal with other branches in t 

 Department of Agriculture. 



Our old friend and occasional cc 



italizing, and punctuating precisely as , ., , ^ , ,, ^ i . ^ nr- i • 



.... -10 tributor, John M. Rankin, of Michigj 



in the copy) J-'i ., ^^ ' ,. _~i.-_ •»f-„,.A:„ ^j: n^^ "„. 



7. Copying from rough draft (the competi- 

 tor will be required to make, with the 

 typewriter, a fair copy of a rough-draft 



and Mr. Leslie Martin, of Tenness 

 have recently been appointed "Spec 

 Agents in Apiculture," to assist A 



Th< 



..^j.. ....... .... o ^ cultural Investigator Benton. Th 



'ractical" questions ' in apicuhure: ■.'.■..... 50 ''Special Agents in Apiculture" will 



Total 



located in Washington, but at tire 



100 will go out for field observations a 



work. 



All reading bee-keepers nre aw£ 

 that this progress is but an outgrow 



THE BEST BEE. 



W. M. B., Spartanburg, S. C, writes of the years of quiet, persistent vm 

 to ask what is the best bee we have that has been brought to bear at Was 

 tried for the South. ington by Prof. Benton, and the f 



We have not tried all the different ternity owe to him a debt of gratitu» 



races; but have introduced many dif- ■ 



ferent strains of Italians, and know of Correspondence schools of bee-ke 

 no better bee for either the North or ing are springing up at divers plae 

 the South than the three-banded Itali- Great scheme — for the "schools." 



