)0S. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



33 



eyond the search of sense, the soar seems to be a mooted question as to 



of thought: their "stinging" qualities, this quali- 



ow vainly asks the scenes she left fication seems to be developed to an 



abnormal degree in all those taking 

 part in the controversy, pro and con, 

 I had some thought of trying a 

 few queens next season, but will have 

 to deny myself the pleasure. 



I fear we might be called upon for 

 an ''opinion," and we certainly would 

 be afraid to "run the gauntlet" under 

 f varied scents, that charmed her as such desperate conditions. 



she flew. Wishing you the compliment? of 



— the season, .. ;.„ 



-^litli|i5F:^3J^v>^-^^^§,^^-.^^te, Yours,, etc., 



^^Ttfc^ J. L. Byer. -.• 



behind, 



s orb so full, its vision so confin'd! 



'^ho guides the patient pilgrim to her 

 cell? 



^ho bids her soul with conscious tri- 

 umph swell? 



ith conscious truth retrace the 

 mazy clue 



J'RAW SKEPS, THE PUNIC DIS- 

 CUSSION, ETC. 



Markham, Ont., Dec. 20., 1904. 

 I itor American Bee-Keeper: 



A'^hen I read your editorial in the 

 Icember Bee-Keeper, "'Where Are 

 Te Straw Skeps?" in view of your 

 oressed wish of possessing"an old 

 saw hive," I came very near ship- 

 pg you one for a Xmas "box." 



lowever, when I reflected that it 

 vuld be probably near spring before 

 yi would receive it, "way down 

 S'lf," I thought when you would see 

 tl express bill you would be apt to 

 r^ard it more as an April "joke." 



^ears ago the straw "skep" was 

 q.te a common thing all through 

 tlse parts. My -grandfather and 

 g;atuncle, of respected memories, 

 CJh at one time owned over a hun- 

 did colonies, all in this kind of hive, 

 sctnuch in vogue in those times. 



,V''hile there are now none of these 

 "1 es" occupied with bees, yet quite 

 I imber of them are still in evidence, 

 1 oodly number occupying the "ex- 

 al d" positions of hen's nests, a pur- 

 pte for which they are admirably 



' >ted.' At the recent fruit, flower 



honey show, held in Toronto, one 



'these "skeps" was , on exhibition, 



' judging from the remarks of 



a few apiarists, I believe they 



not commonly in use years ago 



'Other counties of Ontario as ex- 



te ively as they were, here in York 



coity. 



;, the discussion as to the merits 

 'n demerits of Punic bees. While it 



PUNICS HIS FAVORITE. 



Editor American Bee-Keeper: 



Seeing the account in your journal 

 of October last re "Punic Bees," by 

 Prof. Benton, permit me to say that 

 I do not agree by any means in what 

 he says about them. 



It is now four seasons since I had 

 Punic queens sent me from Mr. Hev/- 

 itt. I was informed of their wonder- 

 ful qualities by two neighboring bee- 

 keepers, who had kept them several 

 years, and naturally I wanted to try 

 them, which I did. The first season 

 I had over two dozen. This last sea- 

 son I received three dozen. I would 

 like to get them into all my hives. T 

 have never had any bees equal to 

 them. They are most prolific good 

 tempered and excellent workers. • I 

 have extracted over 170 pounds of 

 honey from one hive, and more, so 

 far I have found them to be proof 

 against foul brood. I have introduced 

 a first-cross Punic queen into a hiye 

 rotten with foul brood, and the disease 

 has disappeared; in fact, several hives 

 T have proved iii tlii's way, which is a 

 boon to anyone keeping bees. 1 feel 

 they cannot be spoken of too highly. 

 I would just say my hives number- at 

 present about seventy. Last Septem- 

 ber I sold a friend fifty stocks, in 

 frame hives, and safely delivered therri 

 thirteen miles distant, and half - df 

 them were. Punics, with fifteen frames 

 for brood nest, standard size. Any-* 

 thing less is not suitable for them. 

 Much more I could say, but will leave 

 it for another time. 



A. T. Bartlett. 



Gorton,- Upton Lovel, Wiltshire, 



England, Dec. 22, 1904. 



