. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. September, 1910. Amc*rican Hee Journal 293 developed. Now with all due respect, I wish to ask if the black bee is not worth somcthins more than the powder to blow it up? It would take but little powder, and the blacks have gathered a lot of honey. New York. Answer.—It is hard to say whether the black bee would have equaled the Italian if the same care had been given to the black in proper selection. But between you and me I don't believe there has been such a very great difference in that respect. Little or no care was given as to selection with the b
. American bee journal. Bee culture; Bees. September, 1910. Amc*rican Hee Journal 293 developed. Now with all due respect, I wish to ask if the black bee is not worth somcthins more than the powder to blow it up? It would take but little powder, and the blacks have gathered a lot of honey. New York. Answer.—It is hard to say whether the black bee would have equaled the Italian if the same care had been given to the black in proper selection. But between you and me I don't believe there has been such a very great difference in that respect. Little or no care was given as to selection with the blacks. Each colony was allowed to swarm at its own sweet will, without let or hindrance. In the great majority of cases, how much difference has there been with Italians? A man gets an Italian queen, and then pays little attention to anything unless it be to keep as much color as possible with little regard as to what goes with that color. There is no question that thereisa tendency to run toward black brood, and it is true that I have hybrids that are hustlers at storing, and so far I have not been able to find pure Italians that equal them as storers. If you think well of blacks there is no need for you to spend a lifetime developing them. You can get them from those who think they are better than the Italians in the British Islands. Or, you can get blacks from Switzerland where they have been carefully bred, with more care probably than Italiaiis have been bred in this country. There is probaly no set of bee-keepers in the world ahead of the Swiss in the matter of care- fully breeding queens, and it is the general opinion among them that the blacks are de- ccidedly ahead of the Italians. So if you choose vou can settle the matter to your own satisfaction by actual trial in place of reason- ing about it. Now, after having said all this, I suppose you will ask me what I have to say about the powder business. I began keeping bees with pure blacks, and I think I had kept bees
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