34 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



was the one great factor which led to the 

 lony line of experiments resulting in the 

 production of the Bingham smoker. Thus 

 another of the drawbacks to these beautiful 

 bees was brought within the easy control of 

 the bee-keeper. 



It will now be seen that comb foundation 

 in the supers, by furnishing the starter lad- 

 ders, and designs for combs, has reudered 

 the comb-buikiing instinct subservient to the 

 desired end: while closed-end frames, in 

 small shallow hives, the honey extractor and 

 the smoke, have practically overcome the 

 objectionable features of this best and most 

 productive race of bees. 



It will be seen that Italian bees are better 

 workers than designers. The genius of the ' 

 keeper has been taxed to furnish designs 

 (foundation) and many other devices to 

 enable them to compete with the easy ways 

 of their brown, but more artistic sisters. 



Abbonia, Mich., March 1, 1889. 



Carno-Italians, Ahead of Everything. 



8. li. WATKINS. 



fTRIEP the Cyprians one season, but 

 gave them up on account of their vin- 

 dictive temper. They are no better 

 honey gatherers than the Italians. The 

 black bees do well, in certain locations, and 

 if forage is close at hand, they gather almost 

 as much honey as any race of bees. In the 

 mountains (Sierra Nevada), 14 miles above 

 Placerville. they do well as long as honeij 

 comes in jjleiitifulhf, but after the honey crop 

 ends they soon dwindle down and will not 

 protect themselves against robbers. A few 

 miles higher in the mountains, all bees do 

 well, there being continual bloom the entire 

 season, and all colonies keep strong in bees. 



My favorite, among all races of bees that 

 I have tried, is the Carniolan, crossed with 

 the Italian. For this location I want a bee 

 that will defend itself against robbers, yet, 

 not be to cross to handle, and I have found 

 it in the Carno-Italian. I prefer to raise 

 Carniolan queens and have them mated to 

 Italian drones. The Carno-Italian bees 

 are a trifle crosser than the pure race of 

 Carniolans. 



Pure Italians will not enter the surplus 

 boxes as readily as the mixed races. 



After comparing Carno-Italians and pure 

 Italians, colony for colony, as regards the 

 size of colonies, amount of brood, honey, 

 etc., I find the Carno-Italians far ahead. 

 Every colony of this kind is just boiling over 

 with bees. 



I have bought several Carniolan queens of 

 different eastern breeders and they have all 

 turned out well. The queens being very pro- 

 lific and the bees easy to handle. 



I examined a colony of Carno-Italian bees 

 yesterday, and found eight frames full of 

 brood. They had about fifty lbs. of honey. 



Mr. T. Eversult, a bee-keeper of this place, 

 thinks that the Carniolans and their crosses 

 are superior to all other bees that he has ever 

 tried. My colonies are in better condition, 

 as regards the number'of young bees at this 

 time of the year, than they have ever been 



since I have kept bees. This is probably 

 owing to the large number of Carniolan 

 colonies that I have at present. I have had 

 two years of exi)erience with Carniolans, and 

 I am fully convinced that they possess very 

 desirable characteristics as regards white 

 comb building, non-robbing dis])osition, 

 gentleness and prolificaess. I believe they 

 will play a prominent part in the near future 

 in apiaries where Italian bees are now the 

 favorite. 



Plaoebv.lle, Cal., 



Feb. 2S, 1889. 



Carniolans Work Even in Cold Weather; Can 

 be Handled Without Smoke. 



E. E. EWING. 



EXPERIENCE with the Carnio- 

 lans has not been extensive', but suf- 

 ficient to induce me to replace all 

 others with this variety. On cool 

 days, they are out and away as lively as 

 though the tempei-aturewereup to 70^. Early 

 in the morning and late in the evening they 

 are busy, while the blacks and Italians keep 

 close in the hive. They are equal in working 

 qualities to tlie best Italians, and can be 

 handled, I believe, at all times without 

 smoke — not a colony here and there, but the 

 whole yard. 

 Rising Sun, Md., Feb, 1.5, 1889, 



The Best Bees are a Cross Between the 

 German and Italian. 



JAMES HEDDON. 



I HEN IT is the best bees, is it, ttiis time? 

 ^p Uo you know, Mr. Editor, that you 

 make it V( ry hard for me to write upon 

 the different subjects you introduce? 

 Your "leader" just takes in all of my points 

 before I can get at them. I have nothing to 

 say upon this suV>ject except that every i)oint 

 you make, if I mistake not, is exactly what I 

 think about the best bees. Rut I wish to 

 further add that it is exactly what I have 

 been saying and practicing for the last dozen 

 years. 



Do you remember when I first came out 

 and declared in favor of crosses between the 

 best strain of German bees — the large brown 

 — and the long, leather-colored Italians; 

 and how half a dozen held up tlieir hands in 

 holy horror and cried, ''Hybrids?" 



You no doubt recollect that I opposed 

 wasting time trying to accomi)listi fertiliza- 

 tion in confinement; both because it was ap- 

 parently so far off, and because I could see 

 no great need for such accomplishment; as 

 the very system you mention, which I was 

 then practicing, worked so nicely. That is, 

 keeping my drone combs among my choice 

 colonies and rearing queens from equally 

 choice stock. Yes, you have been over all 

 the ground, and I will say nothing more 

 about it, except that, after ten years of care- 

 ful experimenting, no one can get me to 

 bring any Cyprian, Syrian or ('arniolan bees 

 into my apiary. I want none of them, I 

 remember Josh Billings' advice to travelers: 

 "When you lind a really good hotel never 



