310 THE TTAT.TATJ OK LIGUEIAN BEE. 



queens of this variety from most of the parties who had 

 imported them — from Mahan, Parsons, and Rose. 



I procured them, not because I expected to find them 

 as perfect as represented, hut because I wished to be able 

 to express an opinion of them based upon actual experi- 

 ence. I wished also to verify by ocular demonstration 

 many points in the natural history of the bee, with re- 

 gard to which some of us, it is true, were already suffici- 

 ently well satisfied, but which at the same time were not 

 so clear to the majority of bee-keepers ; and this object 

 the new variety would materially aid me to accomplish. 

 But I had become so accustomed to look upon the won- 

 ders told of patent hives as extravagant and fabulous, 

 and circulated only to victimize the ignorant, that when 

 I heard the seemingly extravagant praises of the Italians, 

 I very naturally put them in the category of humbugs 

 pertaining to the bee. When obtained, if I had any 

 bias, it was against them rather than otherwise. I was 

 satisfied that among the number of bees in my apiaries, 

 I would have greater opportunities for investigation and 

 comparison than most of those who had fewer colonies. 

 All of us who have had much experience know, that a- 

 mong colonies of the common bee, apparently equal in 

 all respects, there will sometimes be a difference of one- 

 half in results. This shows that nothing reliable can be 

 deduced, from the experience of one or two seasons in 

 small apiaries — say of a dozen stocks, half of them 

 Italians, even if the latter surpass the common bee by fifty 

 per cent., although one might very honestly conclude 

 that the greater thrift of the Italians in such case was 

 entirely owing to their superior qualities. We can hope 

 to arrive at a just conclusion, only, by comparing the re- 

 sults of numerous trials in large apiaries. 



