1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



303 



Association, without further expense. The fee is 

 one dollar per year, but it is hoped that enough bee- 

 keepers will join so that the dollar will cover the 

 cost of two years' reports, in which case you will re- 

 ceive the same for that length of time. Three or 

 four hundred new members are yet needed to 

 bring about this result. Each member will also re- 

 ceive, with the report sent out May 10th, a list giv- 

 ing the names and address of all the members and 

 reporters. These statistics will not be furnished to 

 the journals for publication, but will be sent to 

 members only. We could not meet our expenses 

 were we to make public our reports. 



The " Exchange" has the indorsement and sup- 

 port of such well-known men as Dr. Miller, Dadant, 

 Grimm, Mauum, Crane, Cushman, Vandervort, Ma- 

 son, Tinker, Pond, Cary, Root, Hetherington, Cook, 

 Martin, Barber, Isham, Doolittle, Clark, Aspinwall, 

 Van Deusen, Heddon, Taylor, Hilton, Cutting, Val- 

 entine, Demaree, Shuck, Foster, Secor, VVilkins, 

 Muth-Kasmussen, and others equally well known. 

 P. H. Elwood, Prcs., 

 I. L. Scofibld, Vice-Prcs., 

 C. G. Dickinson, Treas., 

 G. H. Knickerbocker, .Sec 



We gladly give place to the above, and 

 hope the bee-keepers will not be slow to 

 give it their indorsement by way of sub- 

 scriptions. 



m — 



CAPT. HETHERINGTON 



AS A BEE-KEEPER AND AS A SOLDIER. 



gm APT. HETHERINGTON was one of the found- 

 Ir, ers of the Northeastern Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 Kjjm ciation (now the New York State Associa- 

 *■* tion), one of the oldest if not the oldest or- 

 ganization of its kind in the country, and, 

 after the death of Mr. Quinby, its president. He 

 was also present at the organization of the Nation- 

 al society, and, later, elected president, but declin- 

 ed this honor on account of poor health. At one 

 time he was associated with Mr. Quinby in giving 

 addresses on bee-keeping before farmers' clubs in 

 some of the principal towns of Central New York. 

 He has a good command of language, and is a clear, 

 forcible writer and speaker; and it is to be regret- 

 ted that time and strength do not permit bim to 

 make a more free use of his gifts in this direction. 



Socially, and as a host, he has no superior and 

 very few equals in the fraternity; and many who 

 read this will testify to the excellent treatment re- 

 ceived at the hands of himself and his accomplish- 

 ed wife. The captain enjoys his home life and as- 

 sociations better than the most of men; and while 

 he takes great pleasure in entertaining his bee- 

 keeping friends, he does not always feel reconciled 

 in having the privacy of his home invaded by the 

 professional tramp, who, as soon as he purchases a 

 swarm of bees, must hie away to the most celebrat- 

 ed authority for instruction instead of consulting 

 some ABC book of bee culture, written for his 

 benefit. Of late years Capt. Hetherington has 

 sought to remain unknown, and to avoid notoriety; 

 not, as he says, because he has nothing to com- 

 municate, but because it was necessary to econo- 

 mize in time and strength. 



The captain is a regular attendant of the Presby- 

 terian church, of which his wife is a member. He 

 is also an officer and worker in the Sunday-school, 

 which his three children, two boys and a girl, at- 



tend. He likes a religion of a practical, working 

 kind, that bears immediate fruit; that raises the 

 fallen, feeds the hungry, cares for the sick. At the 

 same time he believes there is a divine side to re- 

 ligion, with duties beyond those to our fellow-man, 

 and with privileges and enjoyments and helps not 

 found elsewhere. Capt. H. is an active temper- 

 ance worker, and has been for many years a mem- 

 ber of the Good Templar order. He also ranks well 

 up in the Masonic order, and has been several 

 times Master of Cherry Valley Lodge. 



We must not fail to mention his splendid military 

 record. October 12, 1861, he enlisted in Company 

 D, 1st Regiment (J. S. Sharpshooters, Col. Berdan 

 commanding. It was from no boyish freak, but 

 from a deliberate sense of duty, that he left the 

 then most extensive bee-business in the land, and 

 entered the service of his country. The spare 

 time of the summer before had been spent in tar- 

 get-rifle practice, and his mother had made his un- 

 derclothing previous to enlistment. But war is an 

 easy thing to write about, but a terrible thing to 

 deal with. Before one year had expired, of nine 

 intimate friends from Cherry Valley who had en- 

 tered the army, four were dead, four discharged 

 for disability, and Captain Hetherington alone re- 

 mained in the service. General Sheridan says, 

 "Courage measures the power the mind has over 

 the body." The captain stood at his post in a most 

 dangerous branch of the service, when most men 

 would have been in the hospital, or discharged for 

 disability. His army surgeon has left on record 

 the following tribute to his bravery : " On the 12th 

 day of May, 1864, at Spottsylvania, he became very 

 much exhausted by reason of chronic diarrhea, but 

 declined being relieved from duty; and although 

 wounded in the head he heroically remained in 

 command of his company." And again, "On the 

 22d day of June, 1864, in action before Petersburg, 

 Va., he received a serious wound in the hand, which 

 disabled him from duty. At the time of receiving 

 said wound he was suffering from chronic diarrhea, 

 and was so weak and debilitated by it that he was 

 abetter subject for the hospital than the battle- 

 field." This was the wound received when his 

 sword was shattered by a bullet, and a piece of the 

 weapon was driven through his hand. The engrav- 

 ing shows this piece lying by the broken sword. 



THE SWORD WHICH SAVED THE CAPTAIN'S LIFE. 



The portrait shows the position of the sword and 

 hand. He had for the moment thrown his rubber 

 blanket* across the hilt of his sword, and that over 

 his shoulder, very much as a tramp would carry 



*Before an engagement, an officer transfers^ to 

 his darkey or servant all luggage— retaining only 

 his rubber blanket and haversack, for use in case 

 the aforesaid gentleman fails to put in an appear- 

 ance after the fight. His blanket is made into a 

 small roll and tied at the ends, then carried across 

 his shoulder and breast as a sash is worn. In hot 

 weather this is oppressive; and for temporary relief, 

 although in the midst of a hard fight, the captain 

 had thrown his rubber across the hilt of his sword, 

 and that across his shoulder. 



