118 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



one strong Syrian colony. Tlie Syr- 

 ians did not equal tlie albinos in sur- 

 plus honey. 



Wlien Syrian colonies are made 

 queenless tliey build a great many 

 cells, but generally destroy a goodly 

 number of tiiem before the queens 

 emerge. When I sent Mr. Root my 

 imported queen, her colony was very 

 strong and I divided it, and I had con- 

 cluded not to rear any more Syrian 

 queens, but just tlien I received a let- 

 ter froui a customer at Fort Scott, 

 Kansas, saying lie would likely need 

 a lot of Holy Land queens this fall 

 and I let the divided colony (which 

 was very strong, but queenless) build 

 up 44 queen-cells, and after they were 

 capped over they destroyed all but S 

 or 9, which produced queens. They 

 are also more difficult to introduce 

 queens in. 



I have therefore concluded to drop 

 the Syrians. I iiave but two queens 

 at present, which are mated with al- 

 bino drones. I shall keep these for 

 further experimenting, but will not 

 rear any more for sale, unless they 

 develop more favorably, liereafter. 



I am preparing to run at least 1-50 

 colonies for honey tlie coming season, 

 of which a large majority will be al- 

 binos. I prefer them to any I have 

 yet seen. Tlipre will be a rusli for 

 early queens, the couiing season ; the 

 orders that 1 have boolced aliead will 

 require over 100 nuclei. 



Double Pipe Creek, Md. 



For the American Bee Journul. 



The Best Bees Controversy. 



JAMES HEDDON. 



Ill reply to my article in tlie Bee 

 Journal, Mr. Briggs made a man of 

 sti-awaiid then knocked him down, to 

 his evident satisfaction. Wlien we can- 

 not answer what our opponent says, 

 we sliould not put words and ideas 

 up to answer that he did not say. Mr. 

 Briggs' way of getting at my meaning 

 is not only quite ingenious, and favor- 

 able for a reply, but about like the 

 little boy whose mother told liim 

 " never to despise a man because he 

 wore a ragged coat." This little boy 

 being obedient, commenced at once to 

 despise all men wlio wore coats tliat 

 were not ragged. It would seem im- 

 possible for anyone to misunderstand 

 my meaning as Mr. Briggs seems to 

 have done. 



Many of our largest honey produ- 

 cers escliew the idea of purity of any 

 special race of bees as a point in suc- 

 cessful honey-produciiig, and many of 

 those of less experience are foolish 

 enougli to think these men are as wise 

 as tliose whose honey has never been 

 seen in tlie markets, ;ind if one of 

 these men should order a queen from 

 some equally foolish breeder, asking 

 for one ■' tested for qualities and not 

 color," there would likely be no ques- 

 tions arising afterward in regard to 

 the "rings of purity." 



A friend of mine (in whose words 

 I have conlideuce), who lias swapped 

 "rings of purity" foi- bees tiiat are 

 producing immense yields of surplus 

 coQib honey, writes me that during 



tlie past season lie has taken 700 lbs. 

 of surplus comb lioiiey from one 

 colony and its three swarms, and they 

 are not three-banded bees at all ; 

 neither are they pure anythings; they 

 are simply a strain that he has pro- 

 duced out of the best Italians and 

 Germans that he could get. He says 

 they work on red clover iinmeiisery. 

 He has 75 colonies that doubled, and 

 averaged over 200 lbs. per colony, and 

 are 15 lbs. each too heavy now. One 

 noteworthy difference between his 

 bees and the " pure three-banded," is 

 tliat he has no queens for sale, and 

 does not wish his name given ; he is 

 not a queen vender, but a home 

 breeder and honey producer. 



Does Mr. Briggs really think tliat it 

 is more ditlicult to test bees for bands 

 than for business? If so, why not 

 quit testing for bands, for all you can 

 claim is that they indicate certain 

 business qualities, and test for the 

 qualities direct ? Does lie imagine 

 that a lioney producer will complain 

 of the number of bands upon a queen 

 or her progeny, if they till the Ijill of 

 his expectations for qualities. Every 

 queen that I call " tested " will have 

 to |)ass througli a different crucible 

 and a far greater period of time, than 

 those of the prize test. By a tested 

 (jueen, I mean one proven to be nor- 

 mal and healthy, and lays eggs that 

 hatch out bees that (no matterWhere, 

 how or what they work upon) store 

 large amounts of honey, build comb 

 readily and behave peaceably. A 

 queen that does that is tested to my 

 entire satisfaction, and if she pro- 

 duces bees having no bands or four, 

 as large as kittens or as small as yellow 

 jackets, or is herself dark or light, 

 large or small, normally or excessively 

 prolilic, she is of value to me ; and 

 what I prize for myself, I prize for 

 others, and rice versa. I could test 

 queens for liands with less than one- 

 fourth the labor and time tliat I can 

 for the qualities named above. 



My experience is that large workers 

 are usually found keeping company 

 with the test qualities above named, 

 but quite often small queens. There 

 are other minor points of preference; 

 but if weadd them to. our test quali- 

 fications too soon, they may get in the 

 way of the more vital ones mentioned. 

 I deem such a course poor policy. 



I think, just wlnit Mr. Briggs and 

 I Ijelieve in regard to breeding, is 

 pretty .well niiderstood. We do not 

 differ in regard to wliat we want, but 

 only in the method of obtaining it. 

 We" both want a better bee. Neither 

 of us are old fogy enough to say, " we 

 have reached perfection." Mr. B. 

 puts great stress on the 3 bands that 

 we have liad for hundreds of years. 

 " Keep them pure, as they were," 

 seems to me to be the idea, in fact. 



I believe the German bee has some 

 very excellent qualities that the Ital- 

 ians do not possess ; I want these 

 qualities to become a part and parcel 

 of " the coming bee," and for 5 years 

 I have advocated working for it. The 

 main difference in opinion is, I want 

 two races (and may be, by-and-by, 

 more) and months and years of time 

 to test them, while Mr. Briggs wants 

 the three-banded race exclusively 



and a few weeks of time, if I under- 

 stand him correctly. 



If a general outpouring of opinions 

 upon this subject now under discus- 

 sion could be liad, I think that Mr. 

 Briggs would be astonished. I have 

 had private letters from many of our 

 oldest queen breeders upon tliis sub- 

 ject, and every one of them substan- 

 tially agrees with me. Thousands of 

 the inexperienced, believe that this 

 system is the only correct one. 



Nothing will ever conclusively set- 

 tle this problem except years of ex- 

 perience of those who are trying to 

 support themselves and their families 

 by means of tlie cash realized from 

 surplus honey. , 



Dowagiac, Mich. 



For the American Bee JonmaJ. 



How to Use the Apiary Register. 



E. A. THOMAS. 



The Editor of tlie Bee Journal 

 has done it ! He has gotten up a neat 

 well bound Register, well adapted to 

 the wants of all apiarists, and I be- 

 lieve it will pay every one wlio has a 

 dozen colonies or more to send and 

 get one. By its use you can improve 

 your bees, developing their most valu- 

 able qualities and thus increase the 

 products of your apiary. We all wish 

 to secure the largest amount of sur- 

 plus honey from our apiaries, this be- 

 ing the chief end of bee-culture now, 

 therefore, any means that will tend to 

 increase tlie surplus crop, either 

 directly or indirectly, should be em- 

 braced by all progressive bee-keepers. 

 A careful and correct nse of the 

 Register cannot fail to redound to 

 your ultimate success. 



Some one way back in the corner 

 may say that it " don't pay," or, " it is 

 too'mncli trouble." The first objec- 

 tion I have already answered ; in re- 

 gard to the second I will say that after 

 learning to keep the Register properly 

 it takes but very little time, it being 

 in convenient form for carrying in 

 tlie pocket while at work in the 

 apiary. 



Perhaps a few hints about keeping 

 a correct Apiary Register may be 

 timely here, and assist many in filling 

 up the blanks in their books. 



The headings are all iilain and easy 

 to understand until we come to the 

 characteristics. Perhaps if I tell you 

 how I mark my own queens, you will 

 better understand how to nse this part 

 of the Register, so important in breed- 

 ing valuable strains of bees and in 

 developing any particular quality 

 wliich yon desire your bees to possess. 



1 . Industry. I have kept a record 

 of the industry of my colonies for 

 years, and my success is due in part to 

 this fact. At intervals during the 

 early part of the season before the 

 honey harvest opens, I note the exact 

 condition of every colony under the 

 head of Remarks. I havff found that 

 about as sure a way to test the indus- 

 try of a colony is to note how they 

 work on the first pollen in spring ; if 

 tliey are found indolent at that time 

 they will not prove very valuable as 

 honey gatlierers. At the close of the 



