HYBRIDS 
525 
her predecessor. When this waxen wall is 
about one inch long and about two-thirds 
as high as one cell, they begin excavating it 
into cells one on one side, two on the other, 
the joining of the two being exactly oppo¬ 
site the center of the one. Only these first 
cells, however, are so excavated, all the 
others being built in their regular cell form. 
Huber’s work has been the foundation 
on which modern investigation has rested. 
Not only did he make countless valuable 
discoveries of his own, but by many patient 
and skillful experiments he verified and es¬ 
tablished beyond disproof many theories 
that had been advanced by others. And 
while a few minor errors have been cor¬ 
rected by the higher efficiency of later re¬ 
search, yet to an astonishing degree mod¬ 
ern investigators (outside of Dzierzon) 
have merely verified the work of the great 
blind master. 
Huber’s mind was strong and active. 
Like his father, he loved music. He had 
mastered counterpoint, and could build the 
harmonies of a musical composition when 
the bass was dictated to him. After one 
repetition it was his own. He invented 
a printing machine on which he corre¬ 
sponded with his friends. He loved to 
walk in the open air, and arranged to 
have knotted cords strung along the rural 
walks around his home, so that he could 
follow these paths without other assistance, 
and know his whereabouts by the knots. 
While he had every advantage that in¬ 
genuity and wealth could bring, coupled 
with the tenderest devotion and quickest 
sympathy with his work, all of which help¬ 
ed to bring light into the dark days, yet the 
real source of his serenity lay in his own 
strong unshrinking soul. To old age he re¬ 
tained a deep affection for his friends, 
boyish ardor, steady delight in nature, no¬ 
ble enthusiasm, and that sure sympathy 
for youth which keeps age young. His 
mental faculties remained strong and alert 
to the end of his long active life. One 
day in his eighty-second year, he wrote a 
letter to a friend and two days later, in 
the arms of his daughter, dropped quietly 
off in the last sleep—“the immortal in¬ 
communicable dream.” 
HUB AM. —See Sweet Clover, White 
Annual. 
HUMBLEBEES. —See Bumblebees. 
HYBRIDS. — A hybrid may be a cross 
between species or between varieties of a 
species. Bees mentioned under this head 
belong to the class last mentioned—a cross 
between varieties, and usually between 
Italian and common black bees. Every¬ 
body who has had Italians very long prob¬ 
ably knows what hybrids (a cross between 
Italians and common black bees) are ; es¬ 
pecially if he had kept bees when the 
honey crop was very suddenly cut short 
during a long and severe drouth in the fall. 
They are very much crosser than pure Ital¬ 
ians or blacks. Many of the old veterans 
in the business have concluded, even tho 
the hybrids will secure as much honey, and 
sometimes even more, that it pays to Ital¬ 
ianize. A good strain of leather-colored 
Italians* will be almost as gentle as flies, 
and will gather fully as much honey as 
hybrids. Generally the half-bloods can be 
handled, when weather conditions are 
right, nearly as easily as Italians; but as 
a rule they require more time in that the 
operator must proceed much more cau¬ 
tiously in order not to stir them up. 
While hybrids are by no means as hard 
to handle as pure Cyprian and Holy Land 
bees, they are bad enough. The very fact 
that hybrid queens, if sold at all, bring 
only about one-fourth the price of pure 
Italians, gives one some idea of their rela¬ 
tive value in the open market. 
But the most serious objections to hybrids 
and blacks is the fact that they are an easy 
prey to the ravages of European foul 
brood (see Foul Brood, sub-head “Euro¬ 
pean Foul Brood”). While hybrids are 
more immune than the blacks, the average 
pure Italians seem to be able to resist the 
disease much better than the average 
crosses. In some parts of the country the 
hybrids and the blacks are dying off for 
the simple reason that they cannot stand 
the ravages of European foul brood'as do 
the Italians. 
Not all Italians are immune; but good 
vigorous strains will resist the disease pro¬ 
vided other curative measures are applied. 
In many large apiaries thruout the coun¬ 
try hybrids are tolerated simply because 
* For test as to what constitutes a hybrid, see 
Italian Bees. 
