BT5E3j BBE-HIVES, AND BEE CTJLTURE. 97 



the blossom tubes of the red clover being too deep for the proboscis 

 of the common bee, that flower is useless to them, although so 

 plentiful; but, says Mr. Langstroth, the American apiarian, the 

 Italian bee visits the red clover assiduously, and draws large 

 quantities of honey from it.* 



The introduction of this new variety of bee into England 

 was through our agency. M. Hermann, a bee cultivator at 

 Tamins-by-Chur, Canton Grison, Switzerland, wrote to us on the 

 5th July, 1859, offering to supply us with Italian Alp queen bees. 

 This letter, or an extract from it, appeared in the current number 

 of the Journal of Horticulture, (then called the Cottage Gardeiier,) 

 a periodical that regularly opens its columns to apiarian subjects. 

 Prior to this the Italian Alp, or as it has been named the 

 " Ligurian " bee, was unknown in this countey, except to a few 

 naturalists. The letter referred to attracted the attention of that 

 intelligent apiarian T. W. Woodbury, Esq., now so weU known as 

 the "Devonshire Bee-keeper." On the 19th of July, that is a 

 fortnight after Mr. Hermann's offer, we received a consignment of 

 Italian Alp bees, being the first imported into England. With these, 

 Mr. Woodbury also received one queen-bee and a few workers, which 

 he introduced into a hive of English bees from which the queen had 

 been taken. His efforts were very successful, and " the spring of 

 1860 found him in possession of four Ligurianized stocks." His 

 subsequent experience with the Italian Alp bee he has fully 

 described in a communication to The Bath and West of England 

 Agricultural Journal. 



Subsequently Mr. Hermann sent us a copy of his pamphlet 

 entitled " The Italian Alp Bee ; or, the Gold Mine of Husbandry" 

 with the request that we should have it translated from the German, 

 and that copies of it should be printed in the English language. 

 The pamphlet was speedily published by us, and although singular 

 as a literary production, it may be useful for the advanced apiarian. 



Certainly the bees are partially of an orange or golden colour, 

 and if one could believe the golden anticipations indulged in by 

 Mr. Hermann respecting them, it would be sufficient to identify 

 the Italian Alp bee as the species described by Hood in Miss 

 Kilmansegg ; — those which dwelt in 



* This opinion is not held by the closest observer of Italian bees in 

 England. 



H 



