POINTS OF SUPERIORITY. Ill 



3d. In opening a hive, the Italians, when pure, are much more 

 peaceable than the black bees, and the queen is more readily found, not 

 so much on account of contrast in color as from the fact that with the 

 workers she usually remains undisturbed upon the combs. 



4th. Being more constant workers, the Italians are less inclined to rob 

 than the native bees. Being hardier, they are longer lived, winter more 

 safely, and are more inclined to supercede their queens when past their 

 prime. Hence, colonies are not so liable to become queenless, and 

 queenless stocks do not so rapidly become depopulated. 



5th. Their beauty of color and graceful form render them an object 

 of interest to every person of taste. Hence, they attract many visitors, 

 who admire the golden hues, so beautifully shown by the sun's rays, as 

 they pass swiftly to and from the hive. 



IMPORTANCE OF NEW BLOOD IN THE APIABY. 



Whilst we fully enderse the great benefits resulting from the intro- 

 duction of Italian bees, we doubt after years' of experience and obser- 

 ' vation whether the benefits result so much from the superiority of the 

 Italian bee itself, as from the admixture of foreign blood, thereby cor- 

 recting, to a great extent the mischief that has resulted from too long 

 in and in breeding. And this benefit has been due directly to the sup- 

 posed, and claimed, superiority of the Italian bee, to obtain, which 

 extra efforts were put forth. Many of our closest observing apiarists are 

 beginning to doubt whether Italians are really so much preferable to 

 hybrids, as is sometimes claimed. 



We are inclined to believe that there is great truth in the statements 

 of Rev. J. W. Shearer, in our "Bee-Keepebs Magazine," of January 

 last, from which we make some quotations : 



" Every farmer is well aware of the injury resulting from too close 



