260 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



April 25, 1901. 



GHEINNADJ KAIVDRATIEFF. 



As the present ambitious strides of Russia towards 

 aggrandizement are drawing tlie attention of the civilized 

 world, it may not be amiss to show what is being done by 

 some of its inhabitants in more peaceable lines. War is 

 surelj' not a sign of progress, but the quiet pursuit of 

 practical apiculture is one of the growing sciences, which 

 are followed only by civilized men. So on the first page 

 we give the photograph of a leading Russian apiarist. 



Mr. Ghennadj KandratiefF was born February S, 1834, 

 on his hereditary estate of Sazikino, ten versts (a verst 

 being 3,500 feet) from the city of Vrineschma, in the 

 province of Kostroma. His father, a retired colonel, was 

 then living at Sazikino and was the " nobility marshall " 

 of the province. Being an old soldier of the time of Sou- 

 voroff, he desired his son to embrace the same career, and 

 sent him, at the age of only seven, to the military Corps 

 Alexander, for children. From this, in 1884, little Kandra- 

 tieff was sent to the Corps Paul, of the Cadets. In 1853 he 

 was transferred to the regiment Model for the study of cav- 

 alry service, and lastly, in 1854, he obtained the epaulets of 

 an officer in the regiment of Cuirassiers of the Grand 

 Duchess Helen Pavlovna. 



During the Crimean campaign, Russia was short of 

 officers, and a call was made for volunteers; among these 

 Mr. KandratiefF was placed as a cavalry officer at Sebasto- 

 pol ; at the end of this campaign, after the close of the 

 war, when it became possible for him to quit the military 

 service, he obtained his discharge and gave himself up to 

 his favorite occupation — music. 



His talent, his exceptional ability, and his passion for 

 music, had shown during his earliest infancy, and during 

 his military education, while still a boy, he already led the 

 choirs of the cadets in the church. 



At length, after numerous difficulties, he succeeded in 

 leaving Russia to go to Italy, the country of music and 

 fine arts. There, during the first four years of his sojourn, 

 he studied with zeal the Italian language, the Italian song, 

 declamation, everything, in fact, which has any relation 

 with scenic art. In 1860 he made his first appearance on 

 the Italian stage, as first bass in the opera of Rossini — 

 Semiramis. This " debut " was very brilliant, and after 

 that he was for four years engaged in twelve of the lead- 

 ing Italian theaters, upon whose stages he filled with great 

 success several roles of his profuse repertoire. 



His artistic career was triumphal, and on the first of 

 September, 1864, he was called back to Russia, for an 

 engagement with the Imperial theater of St. Petersburg. 

 He remained there as a singer until 1872, after which time 

 he was appointed general manager of the Imperial Opera, 

 which he managed until September 1, 1900. While he was 

 occupying this position, which required great knowledge, 

 strength of character, coolness and presence of mind, these 

 occupations disturbed his nervous system to such an extent 

 that the doctors advised him to seek for a summer occupa- 

 tion that would compel him to remain all day in the air and 

 sunshine. He had become a member of the Free Economic 

 Imperial Society, and had made the acquaintance of the 

 celebrated professor of chemistry of the University of St. 

 Petersburg, the great apiarist, A. M. Boutlerofi". The latter 

 induced him to go into apiculture, and Kandratieff took 

 such a taste for this pursuit that now a life without bees 

 seems to him a life without aim and without interest. 



In 1878, Kandratieff and Prof. Boutleroff, who had thus 

 become quite intimate, being both members of the Apiar- 

 ian Commission of the above-named Imperial Society, were 

 put in possession of 200 dimes of land, on the shores of 

 the Black Sea, not far from Souhoum-Cale, for the rearing 

 and cultivation of bees after rational methods. They then 

 began regular visits to this distant apiary. Mr. Kandra- 

 tieff even now remembers with pleasure those trips which 

 they usually undertook during the fine season, in the 

 months of April and May, the best lime of the year in 

 Caucasus. They would go by rail to Sebastopol (still in 

 ruins since the Crimean War), from there in a carriage to 

 Salta, and thence on a steamer which stopt at all the ports 



on its wav to Batum, whence they took another steamer for 

 Souhoum-Cale. These voyages left with them interesting ' 

 reminiscences and happy impressions. 



Unhappily these pleasurable excursions soon ended. 

 Prof. Boutleroff died suddenly, and in the same year Kan- 

 dratieff lost his only son, who was feeble in health, and for 

 whom he had hoped to create at Souhoum an earthly para- 

 dise, for this section of country is celebrated for its climate. 

 After the boy's death the sale of the apiary was decided 

 upon. 



In 1886, Mr. A. Boutleroff founded the first Russian bee- 

 journal. After his death it was managed for some time by 

 the celebrated Russian apiarist Zoubareft', and later the 

 editor's chair was offered to Mr. Kandratieff, who was 

 unable to accept for want of leisure. 



In 1891 Kandratieff lost his only remaining child, a 

 daughter. This so deranged his health that he completely 

 lost his night's sleep, finding rest only towards morning 

 each day. To somewhat fill up the terrible vacancy in his 

 life, he undertook, with his friend Izerguine, the translation 

 into Russian of the French edition of "The Hive and 

 Honey-Bee," of Langstroth-Dadant. At the same time he 

 elaborated a program for a new bee-journal. During each 

 summer he took a trip to foreign countries and became 

 acquainted with Metelli, Dubini, Visconti, Paglia, Bar- 

 bieri, and Lambertenghi, in Italy ; and returning by way of 

 Switzerland he regularly visited Edward Bertrand, with 

 whom he always found a hearty reception and many new 

 ideas on bee-culture. Bertrand approved the idea of this 

 new Russian journal, and in 1892 they issued the first num- 

 ber of the "Messenger of Foreign Apiarian Literature" — 

 Wiestnik Inostrannoi Eiteratury Ptchelovodstiva. 



As is often the case when something new appears, the 

 Messenger met many ill-disposed people who affirmed that 

 foreign ideas are of no value to Russia, and that special 

 methods must be created for that country, as if the Russian 

 bees were not the same insect as the bees of other countries. 

 But time smoothed everything ; the plan of Kandratieff, of 

 publishing the paper at the low price of one rouble (about 51 

 cents) and of printing in it all things that were new and 

 worthy of notice in Europe in apiculture, proved to be excel- 

 lent. The journal had great success ; it is now very much 

 read, and its propaganda has had much influence on Russian 

 bee-culture. Many pleasant acknowledegments are received 

 from all parts of the Russian empire. Those letters writ- 

 ten mostly by persons who have followed the advice given 

 in that journal, express the hearty thanks of their writers 

 for their leader and guide. 



It is especially the Dadant hive and system which 

 Kandratieff recommends in his magazine, showing its 

 advantage over some other methods recommended by oppos- 

 ing apiarists who have their own systems. The result of 

 his constant and indefatigable propaganda concerning this 

 hive, and of the success obtained with it, has been its 

 establishment as the hive the best liked and the most in 

 vogue in Russia. 



Kandratieff has put into the hands of his devoted 

 friend, Izerguine, for three years past, the management of 

 the Messenger. He, however, continues to support the 

 journal with his contributions. He has also translated into 

 Russian the " Conduite Du Rucher " of Bertrand, and the 

 pamphlet entitled "The Modified Dadant Hive," also by 

 Bertrand, which is now in its third edition. He has in 

 addition translated the " Memorandum " of the Italian 

 Dubini, and the unedited " Letters of Huber." He has 

 also publisht the Dubini pamphlet " Honey as Food and 

 Medicine" (20,000 copies), and Prof. Zubarsky's, "The 

 Medicinal Properties of Honey," the latter to the 

 extent of 90,00(> copies. Owing to the moderate cost of 

 these two pamphlets they have been so scattered all 

 over Russia that some honey-dealers give them away with 

 the honey they sell. 



After all that has been said concerning this worthy 

 bee-master, it goes without saying that the name of Kan- 

 dratieff will remain connected with the transformation of 

 bee-culture in Russia and its development by rational 

 methods, so we may hope that bee-culture there will again 

 reach to the magnitude it used to have in ancient times 

 when that country exported its bee- products to all countries 

 of occidental Europe. 



Queenie Jeanette is the title of a pretty song in sheet 

 music size, written by J. C. Wallenmeyer, a musical bee- 

 keeper. The regular price is 40 cents, but to close out the 

 copies we have left, we will mail them at 20 cents each, as 

 long as they last. Better order at once, if you want a copy 

 of this song. 



