AIMUt. 1. 19ir> 



271 



IliieiK-e was most in evidence, became tlie 

 largest honey-producing center in the world. 

 One of the lirst articles he ever wrote on 

 bees for publication was for a Philadelphia 

 paper, expressing doubts as to the possibil- 

 ity of a writer liaving secured a gain of 

 twenty pounds of honey from a swarm in 

 two weeks. In these later days he had seen 

 tliat amount gathered in Iavo days, and five 

 hundred pounds of extracted honey taken 

 from one colony in a season. Mr. Quinby 

 sent in these days from five thousand to 

 thirty thousand pounds of honey to the New 

 York market annually. 



While essentially a scientist and teacher, 

 his first object was to enable others as well 

 as himself to make beekeeping a commercial 

 success by knowing how to gather in quan- 

 tity this useful, natural food-stuff and deli- 

 cacy. As Mr. Quinby became well known 

 from his books and articles in agricultural 

 papers, his home was quite a. center for 

 those seeking (he infoi'mation he so gladly 

 imparted. Mr. Quinby was never so happy 

 as when passing on his knowledge and ex- 

 perience to others. Few people who were 

 not personally acquainted with him can 

 realize how devoted he was to his question- 

 ei*s, whether in person or bj' mail or 

 through the press. From the start to the 

 last evening of his earth life he never 

 proved a principle in bee culture the bene- 

 fit of which lie did not give to the public. 

 Two hours before he passed away he was at 

 his desk, where he left an unfinished article. 



CX 



Pruning and grafting tools used by Quinby. 



The late Captain J. E. Hetherington was 

 one of his most energetic pupils. It is 

 still a joy to me to recall his enthusiasm 

 during his frequent visits to Mr. Quinby's 

 home, and the eager way in which he asked 

 questions and j-eceived answers. He soon 

 became one of the large bee-owners, first of 

 box hives, but, as improvements followed, 

 always up to date. Of these early visitors, 

 almost the only one living is P. H. Elwood, 

 of Starkville. Xew York, then as now the 

 intelligent, thoughtful worker and genial 

 friend. 



In 1865 ^Ir. Quinby published a revised 

 edition of his book, and from the tone of 

 the preface it is gi-atifying to see his pleas- 

 ure in the success and popularity of this 

 first edition. 



In March. 1870, the Xortheastern Bee- 

 keepers' AssociatioTi was organized at Al- 



bany, wilh Mr. Quinby as its first president, 

 an olMce he held for five years, declining 

 re-election at the meeting preceding his 

 death. He was elected president of the 

 North American Beekeepers' Association, at 

 Cleveland, in 1871, and served one year. 



Thus with modest honors and much satis- 

 faction in his work and in the fruit-growing 

 on his place, a happy home life and wide 

 outside interests in the anti-slavci y cause, 

 temperance work, and all good and pro- 

 gressive endeavors, the years went by. 

 Death came suddenly on tlie night of May 

 27, 1875, and a life of usefulness was over. 

 To quote from obituaries printed soon 

 after: Mr. J. H. Nellis, of Canajoharie, 

 New York, said in the American Bee Jour- 

 nal, June, 1875 : 



Long may we remember the unassuming, pleasant, 

 hearty manner of the man whom we respected as a 

 father! Indeed, his cheerful service of time, money, 

 and hospitality to those who wrote to him or visited 

 him from curiosity or to learn all they could from 

 him, without returning even a word of thanks, was, 

 to others more selfish, a matter of much surprise. 



Our feeble words fail to express the deep apprecia- 

 tion which we had of Mr. Quinby. We consider him 

 the most successful founder of modern bee culture 

 in America, and a man of unswerving conscientious- 

 ness, truth, and purity. 



In short, we sum him up as a deep, progressive 

 thinker, a real philosopher, and a genuine philan- 

 thropist, who should long be held in grateful remem- 

 brance by the American people. 



Captain J. E. Hetherington, in his pres- 

 idential address before the Northeastern 

 Beekeepers' convention, at the meeting fol- 

 lowing Mr. Quinby's death, summed up his 

 character as follows: 



His life has been in every sense a life of useful- 

 ness, and not wholly devoted to the interests of bee 

 culture, for he took a living interest in any move- 

 ment he thought would benefit society; and as an 

 advocate and helper in the temperance work he did 

 no mean service. 



He possessed true kindness of heart, and regarded 

 it a religious duty to make all better and happier 

 with whom he came in contact, and regarded that 

 life a failure that did not leave the world the better 

 for having lived. 



I am writing this article Avith the extreme 

 desire to show Mr. Quinby's devotion to his 

 chosen calling. It would be impossible for 

 any one who did not come in daily contact 

 with him in his manipulations of bees, in 

 the beekeepers' conventions, and, most of 

 all, in his home, to have a full ai>preciatioii 

 of how completely his work filled his 

 thoi;ghts. How well I remember the em- 

 phasis he gave the Avords when he once said 

 to me. " I want it distinctly understood that 

 I cannot afford to s]ieiid my time making 

 money ! " 



He gave forty-seven years of constant 

 application in honest etfort to place l)ee- 

 keeping on a firm business basis. I am 



