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THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Call Things by their Right Names. 



Some time since Mr. D. K. Boutelle 

 sent us the following criticism on tills 

 subject: 



I was much interested in the Edit- 

 or's remarks under the above caption 

 in the Bee .Journal of Nov. 28, 1880. 

 In his treatment of such expressions, 

 as he '■ wintered '' his " stands in the 

 cellar."' " thev came out in bad shape." 

 etc., he indiisates clearly that, so far 

 as possible, we ought to use terms or 

 words in such a way as to correspond 

 with their usual or dictionary defini- 

 tions. 



This, I think, is right, and that it is 

 an important point to consider in es- 

 tablishing nomenclatures for apicul- 

 ture. When we have anytliing so 

 new that there is no convenient term 

 to express it, then it will be time to 

 coin a new name ; but do not let us 

 attempt to apply new definitions to 

 old words. If it is done, it seems to 

 me it would tend to confuse. 



While we are about it, is it not bet- 

 ter to adopt a vocabulary of bee-keep- 

 inCT terms, somewhat in harmony with 

 a standard dictionary rather than in 

 violation of it V With this idea in 

 mind, I wish to offer a little friendly 

 criticism on two of tlie terms put for- 

 ward bv the Editor. 



He says : "A colony of bees is an 

 organized body of bees,"' etc., ■'im- 

 properly called a swarm," etc. U eb- 

 ster defines colony thus : '■ A company 

 or body of people transplanted from 

 their mother country to a remote 

 province or country, remaining sub- 

 lect to the mother country."' This 

 definition of the word colony is fully 

 explained in .Johnson s cyclopedia. 

 It says • " The settlements of tlie bar- 

 barians who destroyed the Roman 

 Empire were not colonies, for the 

 tribes were not connected with any 

 parent State."' 



Xow in what one particular does a 

 body of bees which emigrates from a 

 parent hive, and becomes settled in 

 another hive, correspond with these 

 definitions of colony "r- Not one ; un- 

 less it be that bees may be called a 

 people. They are certainly under no 

 allegiance to, or protection by, and 

 have no connection with the parent 

 hive or body. The term colony, seems 

 to me, is about as inappropriate a 

 name as could well be applied to them 

 \<rain, he defines ■• swarm ot bees 

 thus : " Bees issuing from the par- 

 ent colony for the purpose of in- 

 crease." 1. Does the purpose for which 

 bees issue from a hive make a swarm 

 of them ; or would they be a swarm 

 all the same if they swarmed out for 

 some other reason than increase, as 

 they sometimes do V 2. Webster de- 

 fines swarm in this way : 1. " A large 

 number of small animals or insects, 

 especiallv when in motion. 2. Any 

 great number or multitude, b. A body 

 Sf bees that emigrate from a hive at 

 once; or alike body of bees united 

 and settled permanently in a hive. 



Here then, it seems, is a name that, 

 so far as dictionarv-meaning is con- 

 cerned, is perfectlv appropriate for a 

 body of bees whicli inhabit a hive ; 

 and one, too, that has long been m 



use. There may be reasons why some 

 other term may" be more convenient 

 for bee-keepers. The word being used 

 also as a verb may be thought to be 

 liable to confuse; but does not the 

 use of proper articles sufficiently indi- 

 cate when it is used as a noun V To 

 me, sicarm seems far preferable to 

 colony. 



What, then, shall bee-keepers adopt 

 as a convenient and appropriate name 

 for a family of bees V I do not know. 

 Let all bee-keepers suggest until we 

 find the right or best one. If our 

 language does not contain a word 

 more appropriate than colony, then 

 let us make one. As my suggestion, 

 I would say, family ; if there is no 

 better. What are the objections to 

 it y and who will offer a better ":' 



I wisli we had a truer name for the 

 mother of a family of bees, than 

 '■ queen." She is no queen in any 

 true sense of that word. She is 

 neither tlie wife of a king nor the 

 ruler of a people. She is simply the 

 mother-bee. and I wish that were her 

 usual appellation. 



Lake City, Minn. 



Mr. Boutelle's desire for tlie word 

 "mother" to supersede the word 

 "queen," is quite reasonable. The 

 mother bee is not a queen ; but a dif- 

 ficulty is encountered at the very 

 start, by the fact that two words are 

 needed instead of one. The word 

 " bee " is a necessary adjunct, making 

 the name " mother bee " which is 

 long and rather objectionable on that 

 account. The word " queen " is more 

 elegant as well as more ancient. 



But on the use of the words " col- 

 ony " and " swarm," we beg to differ 

 from him. Personally we do not like 

 the word "family " as a name for an 

 organized body of bees. The " mix- 

 ing up " which is so often occasioned 

 by using these w^ords interchangeably, 

 is apparent in the necessity of saying 

 the " old swarm, '1 the " new swarm," 

 the "parent swarm," or the "swarm 

 that gave off a swarm," etc. In the 

 foregoing, our correspondent realized 

 the difficulty, and in the 9th line of 

 the -jth paragraph, he used the words 

 "parent hive." The hive is the box 

 containing the bees— w-as the box the 

 parent or mother of the bees ? Such 

 an idea is too absurd for even a pass- 

 ing thought. 



We are hopeful that the new " Dic- 

 tionary of Apiculture," by Prof. Phin, 

 will greatly assist in the use of cor- 

 rect terms by apicidtural writers. 



The Season in England. 



A correspondent of a London paper 

 gives the following description of the 

 season in England, with reference to 

 the Bee and Honey interests : 



So far this year the bees have had a 

 hard sf niggle to exist. The year 

 opened favorably on them with less 

 mortality than " ever I experienced. 

 Large patches of brood were in every 

 hive during .January, and breeding 

 was unremittingly carried on through- 

 out the cold winds of that month. 

 Many young bees were flying in Feb- 

 ruary. Flowers and sunshine came 

 with" March, and good colonies col- 

 lected much pollen from the crocuses, 

 willows, tussilago, etc. Many colo- 

 nies were then advancing rapidly, 

 and were well forward, promising 

 early swarms. April we welcomed, 

 but it brought thunder, snow, and 

 frost of unusual severity— bleak cold 

 weather, with scarcely a ray of sun- 

 shine to gladden us. This lasted un- 

 til May 23. Flowers had almost dis- 

 appeared ; those not destroyed looked 

 sickly, and dead bees strewed on every 

 path! Colonies that looked like 

 swarming seveu weeks ago, have made 

 no progress, while many that by this 

 time, with mild weather, would have 

 been strong, are so reduced in bees 

 that they will be unable to do more 

 than keep themselves alive. Our 

 locality is, however, not a sheltered 

 one ; there is a paucity of trees in the 

 district, arising through proprietors 

 of small estates cutting down every 

 tree that can be turned into cash, and 

 the ground they occupied made avail- 

 able for cultivation. 



^g" We regret to announce that the 

 Rev. L. L. Langstroth is still suffer- 

 ing from his old malady, at his home 

 in Oxford, Ohio. The sympathy of 

 thousands of bee-keepers all over the 

 World are with him in his aftliction. 



Putting Honey on the Market. 



In one of our exchanges we notice 

 the following on marketing honey : 



Many bee-keepers err in putting 

 their honey upon tlie market too early 

 in tlie season and at too low a price. 

 After reading a few encouraging re- 

 ports in the bee-papers, they fear that 

 there will be a glut in tilie honey mar- 

 ket, and, in tlieu- efforts to secure the 

 higliest price by rushing their honey 

 into the market before there is a de- 

 mand for it, tliey often get the lowest 

 price and help to spoil the market for 

 others. Until the fruit season closes, 

 the demand for honey is light, and 

 bee-keepers should govern themselves 

 accordingly. Tlie honey should be 

 well graded, put up in the most at- 

 tractive packages possible, well taken 

 care of, and placed on the market 

 when there is a demand at a remuner- 

 ative price, and not before. 



This " advice is good and timely,'' 

 and we hope will be heeded by the in- 

 experienced, so as not to spoil the 

 market for their more experienced 

 neighljors. The markets are now bare 

 of comb honey, and the demand will 

 be good, and prices fair for the first 

 marketed. Do not rush too much ou 

 the early market to spoil it. 



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