266 
DEVELOPMENT OF BEES 
this species might he obtained which would 
yield nectar freely over a wide area. 
There are several species of dandelion 
which, like the honeybee, possess the power 
of reproduction by parthenogenesis. The 
upper half of the unopened heads of T. 
vulgare, T. intermedium, T. obovatum, and 
of several other species, has been cut off 
with a razor, and all the anthers and stig¬ 
mas removed before they had ripened, so 
that fertilization was impossible, yet the 
plants developed perfect fruits. 
The dandelion has both beauty and util¬ 
ity, and an attempt to exterminate it, even 
if this were possible, would be a grave mis¬ 
take. “Of the attractiveness of the bloom 
there can be no doubt. Attentively consid¬ 
ered it will be seen that it is a model of 
symmetry.” It is of no injury in the hay 
fields, and as a pasture feed it increases the 
flow of milk and improves its quality. 
Tons of the leaves, both wild and culti¬ 
vated, are boiled as “greens” and afford a 
most palatable and wholesome food—to be 
had for the gathering. Large quantities 
are also salted for winter use. The roots 
serve as a tolerable substitute for coffee, 
and are reputed to be of medicinal value 
in cases of disordered liver. The seeds 
are eaten by poultry, and even the flowers 
are occasionally utilized. 
But more than one futile crusade has 
been organized against the dandelion based 
on the complaint that it is a pestiferous 
weed in lawns. However, a rich soil 
and a dense turf wull do much to eradicate 
or exclude it; but happily nature has made 
its wholesale extermination difficult. Con¬ 
trary to general belief, it can be killed in 
most cases if it be cut off level with the 
ground. If this is not effective a drop of 
kerosene applied with a spring-top oil-can 
will do it. If the dandelion is not invul¬ 
nerable, it is invincible. Says A. I. Root: 
“This plant has been called only a pest, 
but it is one of God’s greatest and most 
precious gifts in making our northern 
Ohio clay soil ‘a land flowing with milk 
and honey,’ and both at the same time.” 
DAISY. —See Asters. 
DEMAREE PLAN OF SWARM CON¬ 
TROL. —See Swarming. 
DEXTRIN.— See Honey. 
DEVELOPMENT OF BEES.— The lit¬ 
erature on the development of the honeybee 
available to the beekeeper is scant. This is 
especially true as regards the development 
in the egg (embryology) and the metamor¬ 
phosis. The origin of drones 'from unfer¬ 
tilized eggs has been much discussed in the 
journals devoted to beekeeping, but such 
discussion has, as a rule, contributed but 
little to our knowledge of the facts. This 
condition of affairs is somewhat surprising, 
considering the attention which has been 
given to the anatomy of the honeybee, and 
also to the development in the egg. The 
facts concerning this development are well 
known, having been decribed by the fol¬ 
lowing investigators: Butschli (Germany) 
in 1870, Ivowalevsky (Russia) in 1871, and 
Fig. I.—Group of tissue cells from the skin of 
a young salamander (greatly magnified). N, nu¬ 
cleus. Two cells are shown in process of division, 
and are indicated by their lighter shade. 
Grassi (Italy) in 1884. The metamorphosis 
was described in detail by Anglas (France) 
in 1900. 
Before taking up a description of the 
development of the bee, a few words should 
be said in regard to what the student of 
plant or animal life knows as a cell. This 
word has several meanings, but is used here 
in a restricted and special sense. All plants 
and animals are, without exception, com¬ 
posed of one or more cells. The cell is the 
unit of structure, as the brick is the unit 
of structure of the chimney, or the soldier 
of the army. Cells are commonly micro¬ 
scopic in size, so that it requires many 
millions of them to make up even so small 
an animal as a bee. A group of typical 
