THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



239 



ability to say good things of others while 

 they live, not waiting till they are dead. 

 It has been a sonrce of real enjoyment to 

 nie to read the kind words said of each 

 other by the editors of our bee journals. 

 I believe there are very few people who 

 do not like to be well spoken of. The 

 truthful words kintUy spoken of each 

 other, encourage to better efforts and bet- 

 ter living. Prof. Cook on page 819 of 

 American Bee Journal for 1898 refers to 

 the dawningof a new era, when " denun- 

 ciation " and " hard criticism " ceased to 

 be the rule, and gives much credit to A. 

 I. Root, and refers to Drs. Miller and 

 Mason as men whoes influence made it 

 hard for quarrels and bitterness to exist, 

 and to Mr. Hutchinson " who was too fair 

 in his judgment and feelings to brook 

 anything tainted with dissension." May 

 this new era continue to exist, and its in- 

 fluence widen till it covers the whole 

 earth. 



Toledo, Ohio, June 30, 1899. 



Notes From Foreign 

 ^^^Bee lournals. 



BY F. r.. THOMPSON. 



THE GERSTrxCr THEORY. 



In the Southland Queen for February 

 Mr. L. Stachelhausen says that I confess 

 myself that I never have read Gerstung's 

 books, and consequently American bee- 

 keepers do not know any more of Ger- 

 stung's theory than before. Probably he 

 has forgotten or does not know that in 

 the Review for 1896, I think in either the 

 August or September number, I gave a 

 fairly full account of the Grestung theory, 

 based on the summaries of two of Ger- 

 stung's most pronnnc-nt followers, Ilerren 

 Klein and Cremer. 



Mr. Stachelhausen shows by his writ- 

 ings in the German journals that he has 

 an intimate acquaintance with Gerstung's 

 theory and the principles on which it is 



based, as well as of related science, and 

 also with American apiculture; and pro- 

 bably no one in America is more com- 

 petent to pass judgement upon Gerstung's 

 ideas. In the Southland Queen from 

 January to April, inclusive, is a series of 

 articles by him which should be read by 

 all interested in further pursuing the sub- 

 ject. I note that he thinks Gerstung is 

 right in advising that empty combs, 

 where added, be placed between combs 

 containing the least number of capped 

 brood cells, and having young brood and 

 eggs in the center. 



On page 206 and 207 of the Review, all 

 the items should have been credited to 

 Gerstung's Deutsche Bienenzucht. 



EXCHANGE OF BROOD-COMBS. 



The editor of Bienen-\'ater gives the 

 following advice regarding the exchange 

 of combs of brood between weak and 

 strong colonies. 



"More to be reconmiended than the 

 taking away and giving of brood is the 

 exchange of brood-combs, /. i?., from the 

 weak colony is taken a comb with eggs 

 or quite young brood, and from the 

 strong colony a comb with sealed brood 

 nearly ready to hatch, and the latter is 

 given to the weak colony and the former 

 to the strong one. By so doing the weak 

 colony is prevented from being unable to 

 well cover and keep warm the brood - 

 comb, that, for it, represents a considera- 

 ble enlargement of its brood-nest; so that 

 the brood does not partly perish." 

 BEES DESTROYING CELLS. 



I'rom the Meheszeti Kozlony is quoted 

 the statement of M. Tukos, that he has 

 repeatedly observed that after a colony 

 swarms, a part of the queen-cells are des- 

 troyed while there are no queens in the 

 hive. In this case it is always the point 

 of the cell that is gnawed. Often when 

 two or more cells are close together one 

 will be left untouched. Frequently, good- 

 looking cells will be destroyed, while 

 more insignificant ones are left untouch- 

 ed. Since he has observed this, he uses 

 only those cells for queen-rearing that 



