1917 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



409 



Obituary 



O. O. POPPLETON 



Colonel Oscar Ogdeii Poppleton's 

 death occurred at the National Sol- 

 diers' Sanitarium in Hot Springs, 

 South Dakota, on October 4, 1917. 



Colonel Poppleton was in failing 

 health when he left Florida last 

 spring, but hoped that he would re- 

 cover while with his daughter in New 

 Hampton, Iowa. Finding no improve- 

 ment, he went to tho Soldiers' Sani- 

 tarium in hopes that the rest would 

 cure him. Still finding no relief, he 

 telegraphed his son-in-law to come 

 for him that he might pass his last 

 days with his daughter, but 

 the end came before he could 

 undertake the trip. 



O. O. Poppleton was born in 

 Green Springs, Ohio, June 28, 

 1843. At the age of thirteen 

 he removed to Iowa, and when 

 eighteen entered the civil war 

 as a private. He soon rose to 

 first lieutenant and served 

 during Jie entire war as an 

 officer. After the war he was 

 placed for two years by the 

 government in charge of es- 

 tablishing - National Ceme- 

 teries throughout the country 



In 1886 he removed from 

 Iowa to Florida and engaged 

 in beekeeping there, being 

 first located at Hawk's Park 

 and later at Stuart, Florida. 



It was in 1869 that Mr. Pop- 

 pleton first heard of a bee pa- 

 per and thus learned that there 

 was a better way to keep bees 

 than in box hives. He began 

 at once to transfer and be- 

 came an up-to-date beekeeper. 



In 1875 he realized the ad- 

 vantages of chaff as packing 

 for northern latitudes and 

 from then on packed all colo- 

 nies thus, to avoid winter 

 losses, until his removal 

 south. 



About 1890 he had charge for two 

 years of the large Dussacq apiary in 

 Cuba, containing from 350 to SCO colo- 

 nies. During one year the apiary of 

 398 colonies yielded him 52,000 pounds, 

 or about 130 pounds to the colony. 

 This was his largest crop, though his 

 average per colony has many times 

 exceeded this. 



For four years Mr Poppleton prac- 

 ticed migratory beekeeping, moving 

 from one location in Florida to an- 

 other about ISO miles away, so as to 

 take advantage of the different flora. 



His moves were made with a launch. 

 He was successful, his per colony av- 

 erages for the four years being re- 

 spectively 273, 291, 82 and 300 pounds. 



In later years he was obliged to 

 give up extensive beekeeping on ac- 

 count of ill health. 



Colonel Poppleton was a deep- 

 thinking beekeeper. He studied out 

 his problems and laid his plans ac- 

 cordingly. He was America's fore- 

 most advocate of the long idea hives 

 about which so much has been writ- 

 ten in the bee journals in past years, 

 and his uniform success shows that 

 this type of hive was admirably suit- 

 ed to his methods. 



The late O. O. POPPLETON, 

 From a Photograph taken in 1901. 



In his different locations Mr. Pop- 

 pleton was often bothered with bee 

 paralysis among his apiaries. It was 

 he who first advised *he use of pow- 

 dered sulphur in checking the de- 

 population of colonies from this 

 disease. He was also the inventor of 

 the American sun wax extractor. 



Mr. Poppleton was married twice, 

 both of his wives preceding him in 

 death. He is survived by two daugh- 

 ters, Mrs. Pearl Babcock, of New 

 Hampton, la., and Mrs. G. A. Hatch, of 

 Shelton, Wash.; and a half-brother, 

 F. W. George, of Aberdeen, S. D. 



The older beekeepers will regret 

 the death of this pioneer, whose writ- 

 ings appeared so often and were so 

 instructive in the journals of the 

 earlier days of movable-frame bee- 

 keeping. 



Mr. Poppleton's experiences of mi- 

 gratory beekeeping are very interest- 

 ing to read and show the careful 

 preparations which he made to in- 

 sure success. 



As one of the old school, of the old 

 army, he will be missed; but the rec-' 

 ord of his achievements lives after 

 him as an example to future genera- 

 tions. 



Beekeeping for the 

 Crippled Soldiers 



A soldier's home for the 

 maimed and crippled soldiers 

 of the present war has been 

 established by the Italian Gov- 

 ernment at Palermo, Sicily. 

 Among other useful occupa- 

 tions for these men an apiary 

 has been established, a partial 

 photograph of which is given 

 in the October number ot 

 L'Apicoltore 



Why could not small apia- 

 .ies be established in some of 

 our Soldiers' Homes? The oc- 

 cupation is not strenuous, and 

 some profit may be derived 

 from it, besides the supplying 

 of such an establishment with 

 the honey that may be re- 

 quired for the use of its in- 

 mates. 



Kansas Meeting 



The 14th annual meeting of 

 the Kansas State Beekeepers' 

 Association will be held in the 

 Chamber of Commerce, To- 

 peka, Jan-uary 7 and 8, 1918. 



A splendid program is being 

 prepared and all persons in- 

 terested in bee culture are 

 urged to attend. 



A honey banquet will be served at 

 noon, January 8. 



O. A. KEENE, 

 Sec'y. 



Death of L. E. Mercer. — We are 

 sorry to report the death of one of 

 the largest of California's beekeep- 

 ers, L. E. Mercer, which occurred at 

 Ventura on October 21, 1917. Mr. 

 Mercer had for many years been one 

 of California's most prominent bee- 

 keepers. 



