What Bees to Keep. 195 



vour, and this, too, despite the smoker, while the far more 

 numerous Italians were safely handled, even •without smo ke. 

 The experiment at least satisfied a large class of students as to 

 superiority. Mr. Quinby speaks in his book of their being 

 cross, ■ and Captain Hetherington tells me that if not much 

 handled they are more cross than the blacks. From my own 

 experience, I cannot understand this. Hybrids are eyen more 

 cross than are the pure black bees, but otherwise are nearly , 

 as desirable as the pure Italians. 



1 have kept these two races side by side for years ; I have 

 studied them most carefully, and I feel sure that none of the 

 above eleven points of excellence are too strongly stated. 



The black bees will go into close boxes more readily than 

 Italians, but if we use the sections for comb honey and on other 

 grounds we can not afford to do otherwise, we shall find, with 

 the more ample connection between the brood-chamber and 

 sections, that even here, as Mr. Doolittle and many others 

 have shown, the Italians still give the best returns. 



There is no question but that the German bees produce 

 nicer, whiter comb honey than do the Italians. This supers 

 ority is due to thicker cappings. This, however, is too nice a 

 point to count very greatly in their favor. The comb honey 

 produced by Italians does not have to go begging -in the mar- 

 kets. 



I have some reason to think that the blacks are more 

 hardy, and have found many apiarists who agree with me. 

 Yet, others of wide experience think that there is no differ- 

 ence, while still others think that the Italians are more hardy. 



The Italian bees are said to dwindle worse in spring, which, 

 as they are more active, is quite probable. As I have never 

 had a case of serious spring dwindling, I cannot speak from 

 experience. If the bee-keeper prevents early spring flying, 

 which is verydetrimental to eit her black or Italian bees, this 

 point will have no weight, even if well taken. 



The advantages of the Italians, which have been considered 

 thus fully, are more than sufficient to warrant the exclusion 

 of the German bees from the apiary. Truly, no one needs to 

 be urged to a course that adds to the ease, profit, and agree- 

 ableness of his vocation. 



