THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



157 



mper 



Everv l>ee-kecper who has had (.•xperience with 

 several strains of bees knows thai some are far 

 siiijerior to others — that there is scrub stock 

 among bees, just as there are scrnb horses, cat- 

 tle, sheep and poultry. IvCt me give my own 

 experience. Years ago, while living at Rogers- 

 ville, I made a specialty of rearing queens for 

 sale. Before engaging in this work I bought 

 Italian queens and Italianized, not only m%- own 

 bees, but all within three miles of my apiary. 

 In buying those queens I think that I patronized 

 nearly everj- breeder in the I'nited States; and 

 even in those years of inexperience I was not 

 long in noting the great difference in the differ- 

 ent .strains of bees. The queens from one partic- 

 ular breeder produced bees that delighted me 

 greatly. They were just plain, dark, three band- 

 ed Italians, but as workers I have never seen 

 them equaled. They .seemed i>os.sessed of a 

 steady, quiet determination that enabled them 

 to lay up surplus ahead of the others. Easier 

 bees to handle I have never seen. It sometimes 

 seemed as though they were too bu.sy attending 

 to their own business to bother with anj-thing 

 el.se. Their honey was capped with a snowy 

 whiteness rivaling that of the blacks. In addi- 

 tion to these desirable traits must be added that 

 of wintering well. If any bees came through 

 the winter it was the colonies of this strain. 

 They came as near l)eing ideal t)ees as any I have 

 ever ix)s.se.ssed. All this was twenty yeary ago; 

 and several times since then I have Iwught queens 

 of this same breeder, and I have always found 

 this strain of l)ees po.sses.sed of tho.se .same good 

 qualities— industry, gentleness, and hardiness. 

 In addition to this they cap their honey as the 

 blacks do theirs. I have frequently correspond- 

 ed with this breeder, and with lho.se who have 

 bought fiueens of him, and I am thoroughly con- 

 vinced that he has a strain of bees that are far 

 .superior to the general run of stock. If I were 

 starting an apiary, for the production of honey, 

 I should unhesitatingly stock il with this strain 

 of bees. 



This breeder has always advertised in a mod- 

 est, quiet, unassuming sort of way, nothing in 

 proportion" to what the quality >>f his stock would 

 have warranted, and at last I have decided that I 

 can help him, and l>enefit my rLa<lers, at a prof- 



it to myself, by advertising these bees in a man 

 ner befittingly energetic. 



The price of these queens will be Si. 50 each. 

 This may .seem like a high price, but the man 

 who pays it will make dollars where this breed- 

 er and myself make cents; and when you corne 

 to read the conditions under which Ihey are sold, 

 il will not seem so high. The queens sent out 

 will all be young queens, just beginning to lay, 

 but, as there are no black bees in the vicinity, il 

 is not likely that any will prove imijurely mated. 

 If any ([ueen should prove to be impurely mat- 

 ed, another will be sent free of charge. Safe 

 arrival in first-class condition will be guaranteed. 

 Instructions for introducing will be sent to each 

 purchaser, and if the.se instructions are followed, 

 and the queen is lost, another will be sent free 

 of charge. This is not all; if, at any time within 

 two j-ears, a purchaser, for any rea.son WH.\r- 

 EVER, is not satisfied with his bargain, he can 

 return the queen, and his money will be refund- 

 ed, and 50 cents e.xtra .sent to pay him for his 

 trouble. It will be .seen that the purchaser runs 

 NO RISK WHATEVER. If a quecu does not arrive 

 in good condition, another is .sent. If he loses her 

 in introducing, another is sent. If she should 

 prove impurely- mated, another is sent. If the 

 queen proves a poor layer, or the stock does not 

 come up to the expectations, or there is .-ynv rea- 

 son why the bargain is not satisfactory, the 

 queen can be returned and the money will be re- 

 funded, and the customer fairly well paid for his 

 trouble. I could not make this la.st promi.se if I did 

 not KNOW that the stock is really .sim-icriou 



I .said that the price would be $i.,So each. 'I'ht re 

 is only one condition under which a queen will 

 be sold for a less price, and that is in connection 

 with an advance subscription to the Review. 

 Any one who has already paid me, or who will 

 pay me, 51. (Xi for the Review for 1S99, can have a 

 queen for Ji. 00. Of course, all arrearages pre- 

 vious to 1899 must be paid up l)efore this offer 

 will hold good. This special offer is made with a 

 view to the getting of new sub.scribers, and as 

 an inducement to old subscribers to pay up all 

 arrearages and to pay in advance to the end of 

 the year. 



Orders for the.se queens will he filled strictly 

 in rotation— first come, first served. 



W. Z. HUTCHINSON, FLINT, MICHIGAN. 



