THE AMERICA^} BEE JOURNAL. 



807 



ground perhaps a foot. The bees are 

 prepared for wintering by paeldng 

 them in fine hay upon these plat- 

 forms. The hives are moved near 

 together, and raised a few inches in 

 such a manner as to give them a 

 slight slant towards the entrance. 

 Hay is packed under them, around 

 the sides and over the top. On the 

 top it is 14 inches deep. Panels of 

 boards are used, too, for keeping the 

 hay in place, and the boards are held 

 together by nailing on strips of hoop- 

 iron around the corners. Of course 

 all is served with a roof. There is a 

 spout or bridge from each entrance to 

 the outside. This spout is Ji of an 

 inch high, several inches wide at the 

 back end, but tapers to one inch at 

 the outside, where it meets an auger 

 hole bored in the outer boards. After 

 packing, the bees receive no more 

 attention until it is time to make 

 ready for the surplus. Mr. B. has 

 been uniformly successful in winter- 

 ing bees. 



Mr. Root had tried closing the en- 

 trances, and also leaving them open. 

 He favored a generous entrance, left 

 wide open. 



The convention then adjourned sine 

 die. W. Z. Hutchinson. 



For the American Bee JoumrJ. 



Legislation for Bee-Keeiiers, 



C. G. BEITEL. 



prohibit the legislature to pass such 

 laws for a duKa of individuals, in so 

 many words, yet in spirit it surely 

 does, and while we linil no such pro- 

 hibition in tlie Constitution of the 

 United States, I doubt not that the 

 spirit expressed in ours, would gov- 

 ern Congress in considering such a 

 bill, because in principle it is antago- 

 nistic to our free institutions. 



Again, when we scan closely a law 

 such as is contemplated, we cannot 

 fail to perceive what a source of liti- 

 gation it might lead to— the question 

 of priority of location would often be 

 as ditficult to establish as that of 

 priority of invention, and unless Con- 

 gress in enacting such a law would 

 give jurisdiction to State courts to try 

 these questions, they would have to 

 be tried in the United States courts, 

 the same as patent right questions, 

 which would entail enormous costs 

 and expenses on litigants, who rather 

 than incur them, would abandon their 

 rights, and thus render the law 

 nugatory. 



These few hints might be greatly 

 elaborated, but they are sufficient for 

 me, to decide not only against the 

 feasibility, but also against the desira- 

 bility, looking at it simply from a 

 legal stand-point. 



Easton,ot Pa. 



On page 742, Dr. C. C. Miller de- 

 sires the views of bee-keepers on the 

 desirability and feasibility of obtain- 

 ing certain legislation looking to the 

 securing of bee-keepers in their loca- 

 tions as to territory. I presume the 

 idea is to ask Congress for this pro- 

 tection. If each State was to legis- 

 late for its own bee-keepers, we 

 Pennsylvanians could hardly consider 

 it feasible, for to legislate for the pro- 

 tection of bee-keepers would be class 

 legislation, and the courts of this 

 State are opposed to such legislation, 

 and while it is true that the courts 

 do not make the laws, yet they con- 

 strue them, and always most strictly 

 against the class, and most favorable 

 to the general public. 



We have many laws that come 

 within the above category, and the 

 same laws may be found upon the 

 statute book of other States, viz : 

 mechanics' lien laws, for the protec- 

 tion of mechanics and material men ; 

 for laborers, to protect their wages, 

 and many others. I merely mention 

 these to show what I mean by class 

 legislation. Many of these laws are 

 fruitful sources of litigation, and to 

 such an extent has it been carried, 

 that it is hardly safe to tile liens, ex- 

 cept under the supervision of a good 

 lawyer. 



In addition to this, the new consti- 

 tution of Pennsylvania, adopted by 

 the people in 1873, contains a clause, 

 in which among other things it is 

 provided " that the General Assembly 

 shall not pass any law granting to 

 any corporation, association, or indi- 

 vidual, <my special or exclusive privilege 

 or imnmnily ;" and while this does not 



For the American Bee JoumaL 



Tlie New Races of Bees. 



S. SIMMINS. 



W'ith regard to the temper of these 

 bees, I intend to confine my remarks 

 to the character of those workers pro- 

 duced by imported queens only, and 

 by so doing 1 hope to enable those as 

 yet unacquainted with them to choose 

 the good and refuse the least desir- 

 able kinds ; and after obtaining the 

 varieties recommended, I feel no 

 hesitation in saying that the truth of 

 my words will be fully sustained. 



I would ask those who have tried 

 only one or two queens of either kind, 

 whether they consider it fair to run 

 down these bees upon so slight an 

 acquaintance, and what is really no 

 experience at all. Are they certain 

 that their one queen was imported? 

 To get at facts we must start at the 

 fountain-head, or we shall never lind 

 the truth if the adverse reports given 

 emanate from those who do not have 

 pure bees. 



With regard to Cyprians, my own 

 experience is completely at variance 

 with that recorded by many. It may 



the combs cleaner and more quickly 

 than any others, and yet while being 

 handled very few lly into the air. 

 Tbey will continue to breed and store 

 while Italians are starving, but unlike 

 the latter they are not suital)le for 

 comb honey production, as their cap- 

 pings lie close upon the honey, pre- 

 senting a damp-looking surface. The 

 workers are extremely beautiful and 

 pleasing to the eye, and when properly 

 handled, are as gentle as they are 

 beautiful. The queens are very pro- 

 lific, and will work a colony up to full 

 strength in a remarkably short time. 



That these bees are a most valuable 

 acquisition to an apiary, no one who 

 has thoroughly tested them can deny ; 

 but the reports as to their vindicative 

 temper have restrained many from 

 keeping them. I do not know whether 

 those who speak ill of them use smoke 

 while manipulating ; if so, it explains 

 the whole thing, as its application is 

 a fatal error, and certain to arouse 

 their ire. I use none, but gently turn 

 hack the quilt, wait a moment or two, 

 and then with a quiet, firm motion do 

 all that is required. Upon first re- 

 moving the quilt a slight hissing noise 

 of wings is heard, but this is caused 

 more by the bees running from the 

 light than by those coming up, and 

 even if they boil over on top of the 

 frames, if the operator will only pro- 

 ceed as advised, he will be surprised 

 to find tnat not one bee has any in- 

 tention of stinging, and they may be 

 shaken off the combs like so many 

 flies. 



One writer says that upon the 

 slightest jarring many infuriated bees 

 will fly out and sling him ; perhaps 

 they will if smoke has been used, but 

 without it I have divided strong colo- 

 nies in several stories, and some jar- 

 ring could hardly be avoifled ; I have 

 carried full colonies into my manipu- 

 lating house on a dull day (to prevent 

 chill), and have cut out a score of 

 queen-cells at a time, with no stings, 

 and hardly a bee has flown from the 

 combs. And let it be noted that no 

 matter how long the frames are leit 

 uncovered, or what length cf time the 

 operator may be about what he is 

 doing, the bees remain good-tempered 

 and perfectly at rest, provided only as 

 before stated, that no smoke be used. 



I have given many facts, but need I 

 give more to prove that Cyprians are 

 coming to stay ? In time to corae 

 those who now condemn them will be 

 forced to acknowledge the merits of 

 these extraordinary bees, or be con- 

 tent to fall behind in the great api- 

 cultuial race of keen competition. 



Mr. G. M. Doolittle has discarded 



i^^.v.^^ ..J many. j. „.. „. -— 



surprise some readers when I say Syrians because they would breed too 

 that of all bees yet known, I would | extensively when bees are not wanted 

 rather work with Cyprians than any 



other variety. I do not for a moment 

 say that those who have given un- 

 favorable reports, may not have 

 started with a vicious lot, but I do 

 assert that out of more than a dozen 

 colonies headed by imported queens, 

 I have not one which cannot be hand- 

 led without smoke at any time of the 

 day, on dull days, windy or fine days, 

 or whether honey is coming in or not ; 

 not the least of their good qualities 

 being that they can be shaken from 



and not well enough early in the sea- 

 son ; also that they are very vicious. 

 About half of my own Syrian colonies 

 can be handled easily without smoke, 

 while the rest are most difficult to 

 manage ; but if they were a desirable 

 race to cultivate, there is no reason 

 why all should not be bred from those 

 queens which give the more gentle 

 bees. With regard to breeding at the 

 wrong time. I believe Mr. D. is right, 

 though for this very reason they may 

 and do suit other countries where 



