f»38 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



keepers. His invention and discoveries were a 

 special gift to every progressive bee-keeper the 

 word over. He personally contributed to the 

 success and happiness of this entire class. No 

 wonder that they loved him with genuine sin- 

 cerity. No wonder that they mourn his loss 

 with sincere sorrow. It is good that he could 

 be present at the last meeting of the North 

 American Association at Toronto. It will re- 

 main with us a pleasant memory that he died 

 while administering the communion, and com- 

 mending the love of the blessed Master, whose 

 love came with such a rich effulgence in his 

 own life, and through him spoke as a blessed 

 benediction to all who knew him or came under 

 his beneficent influence. 

 Claremont, Cal. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF L. L. LANGSTROTH. 



AX INTEKESTING INCIDENT; L,ANGSTROTH AND 



HIS STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE 



HEDDON HIVE. 



By Thaddeus Smith. 



It was early in the sixties, or it may be a few 

 year.- before, thai I first heard of Langstroth's 

 book on the honey-bee, and of his moveable- 

 comb hive, and, being previously interested in 

 bees, I procured the book and the hive as soon 

 as possible. I was probably the first to intro- 

 duce the Langstroth hive in Kentucky, sending 

 to Cleveland. O., for them. I now have some of 

 those hives on Pelee Island, Canada, that I look 

 there with me. Hojvever, they are not in use. 



Since then the name of Langstroth and hive 

 have been familiar household words in my fam- 

 ily; but I never had the pleasure of meeting 

 him until at the late convention at Toronto. I 

 there made his acquaintance, and, being af- 

 flicted with deafness, like him, he seemed drawn 

 toward me, and one day at the hotel he invited 

 me into the parlor to have a talk with him. 

 When we had discussed our ailments and the 

 best aids for hearing, etc., the talk turned to 

 other subjects. He told me that he felt perfect- 

 ly well — strong in body, and clear in mind. 

 Talking about being able to hear some voices 

 much easier than others that might be of a 

 higher pitch, he told me of an incident of a deaf 

 woman he was once in his ministry called up- 

 on to pray with. He said he had a very strong 

 voice, and that he knelt down close by the side 

 of the woman, and spoke slowly and distinctly; 

 and when he was through, the woman declared 

 that it was the first prayer she had heard in 

 many years; that it was almost miraculous, 

 and she thought her hearing was returning. 

 But he told her no; it was only the way he 

 spoke. 



He spoke of bees and hives, and mentioned 

 the injustice done him by some because he ap- 

 proved and recommended the Heddon hive as 

 an improvement upon the original L. hive. He 



said he was even accused of being in his dotage, 

 or was bought by Heddon because Heddon paid 

 his traveling expenses to visit him, and was 

 indignant over the matter. After a pleasant 

 half-hour's chat we parted, and he wrote to me, 

 after he reached his home; and in a few days 

 after receiving his letter I saw the announce- 

 mentof his death. 

 Midway, Woodford Co., Ky.. Dec. 2. 



LANGSTROTH'S MESSAGE TO THE SUNDAY- 

 SCHOOL CHILDREN. 



By S. T. Pettit. 



The bee-keepers of America lost a good man 

 and a friend when dear old Father Langstroth 

 died. His influence was firm on the side of the 

 Holy Bible and Christianity. His noble lender 

 heart overflowed with love for the human race. 



When in his presence I always felt an inspi- 

 ration that I must be a better man in future. 

 At our last convention in Toronto it was my 

 privilege to have quite a long talk with 

 Father Langstroth on religious subjects; and 

 when we got on the subject of Sunday-schools 

 his face seemed to glow as we talked together. 

 And when he found that it was my official 

 duty to; visit all the Sunday-schools in the 

 township in which I live, he. with warm ani- 

 mation, said. " I have a message I want you to 

 take to the boys and girls as you visit your 

 schools: First of all, impress upon their tender 

 hearts that the Bible is the very word of God— 

 the infallible, immutable word of God; that it 

 is the very voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to 

 our hearts. Then you can show ihem the 

 necessity of committing largely of that word 

 to memory. Tell them that they can easily do 

 this when young, and that what they learn 

 when young will stay by them: but what is 

 learned when old is soon forgotten and lost." 



Then he recited some beautiful poetry, some 

 of which is of his own composition, composed 

 when he was young. He gave these with 

 great ease, accuracy, and beauty. " But," 

 said he, " what I learn when old just goes from' 

 me — is forgotten and lost." 



Belmont. Out. 



LINES ON THE DEATH OF FATHER LANG- 

 STROTH. 



The "Grand Old Man" of Apiculture Is no more: 

 Gone is the look of suffering he often wore;| 

 The weary aching head to trouble oft a prey. 

 Rests in the light and life of heaven's eternal day. 

 Grand was he in pliysique, but grander far in mind. 

 Grandest of all in love and service to mankind ; 

 Free from low aims, unselfish, bent on doing good. 

 Till, past fourscore, u pillar in God's house he stood. 

 We never grieve when we behold a shock of corn 

 That, fully ripe, is to its garner borne; 

 We raise the song and shout of gleeful "harvest 

 home," 



