AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 255 



more courageous than the common kind, and yet naturally of so 

 mild and peaceable a disposition as rarely to use its sting. These 

 facts have only of late years been brought into general notice 

 through Capt. Badenstein, who remarked their superior industry 

 when in Italy, during the Napoleonic wars, procured a colony 

 thence, eight or ten years ago, and furnished some account of them 

 for the Bienen Zeitung. It was not, however, till the controversy 

 respecting the Dzierzon theory arose — in the course of which 

 Dzierzon procured a colony from Italy, by the aid of the Austrian 

 Agricultural society, for the purpose of demonstrating conclusively 

 certain pliysiological facts on which his theory is mainly based : 

 that the peculiar value aiid importance of this species of bee was 

 clearly ascertained. Nor would it have been practicable till then 

 to render this superiority available on a large scale in other coun- 

 tries. This is evident from the fact that Capt. Bardenstein, him- 

 self an experienced and enthusiastic bee-keeper, was unable under 

 the old system to multiply his stock of the pure race, even in the 

 course of seven years, having at the end of that period still only 

 one genuine colony. But when Dzierzon subjected them to his 

 system, he multiplied his colonies fifteen fold the first season, 

 and has since proceeded increasing his stock with almost similar 

 rapidity, preserving its purity the while, and diffusing the breed 

 far and wide through the land. Last year Mr. Edward Jessop of 

 this vicinity, and myself, made an effort to import two colonies 

 from the apiaries of Mr. Dzierzon. But thotigh we succeeded in 

 getting them in Bremen they perished on the voyage to Baltimore, 

 from sheer neglect on the part of those having them in charge. 

 The circumstances attending this failure have satisfied me that 

 there is little hope of success in such an effort, unless the colonies 

 be placed in charge of some careful and competent person during 

 the voyage.'' 



Mr. Waiiner asks that the Patent-Office should take charge of 

 this importation of a valuable "seed," and thinks that if Govern- 

 ment can import camels, that can only be used in one section, it 

 can import bees, that would be of universal use all over the Uni- 

 ted States by every family, 



ivy*. Wagner seems to forget that bees are for the North, while 

 camels are purely a Southern institution. 



Mons. Marie addressed a note to the Secretary expressing his 

 regret at not having yet, as was expected, received from Europe 

 the promised specimens of fresh and cooked meats, by his process, 

 put up in Constanti lie, Africa. He expects to exhibit to the Club 

 at the next meeting, on the 19th of August inst. : a leg of mutton, 



