APKfL 1. 1915 



281 



1 read it tlirough from one to three times. 

 The book seems to become more interesting 

 every time it is read, in tliat it is a man's 

 real experience and not written mei'ely for 

 liay. I wish every beekeeper in the land 

 could have a copy, and I can guarantee that 

 they would be more than pleased with one. 

 In conclusion, let us all hope that another 

 man like Quinby will help beekeepers as 



much as he did. 1 know of only one mon- 

 strous invention yet to be thrust upon the 

 world — artificial comb honey. Let us hope 

 that some one will invent this and claim 

 the .$1000 reward now offered by the A. I. 

 Root Co. for the manufacture of a single 

 section of comb honey which so closely re- 

 sembles the original as to deceive the aver- 

 age person. 



Spring\alle, N. Y. 



MOSES QUINBY 



BY P. H. ELWOOD 



When Mr. Ehvood sent the photograph showinfc 

 copy of an address that he delivered in 1876, sayin; 

 As it was already late we feared that the article mi; 

 the address, to be on the safe side. The following a 

 Ed. 



Whoever finds it difficult to obey the 

 command '' Love thy neighbor as thyself '" 

 may turn to the life of ]\Ioses Quinby for 

 inspiration and example. The ruling pas- 

 sion of his life, inspired by a true brotherly 

 love, was the betterment of others; and no 

 estimate of his character can do him justice 

 that does not fully recognize his life-long 

 devotion to his fellow-man. He was pos- 

 sessed of the missionary spirit and was 

 found in the front rank of any undertaking 

 that promised to elevate mankind. In ma- 

 terial things beekeeping was his theme; and 

 for many years much of his time was spent 

 gratuitously for the instruction of beekeep- 

 ers, not only in the bee and agricultural 

 journals, but in his modest St. Johnsville 

 home, which might appropriately have been 

 named the Quinby School of Apiculture, 

 with classes for all grades. Captain Heth- 

 erington says, " Twice I was at his home in 

 June, when I found there thi-ee from a dis- 

 tance to whom he was imparting instruc- 

 tion ; in fact, liis house was quite a hotel 

 most of the time, with this difference — you 

 could get no grog, neither could you pay 

 a bill except by imparting to and helping 

 others in the same generous spirit. 



Not all, however, were willing to pay in 

 this way. One man who came and stayed, 

 and was particularly- anxious to get all in- 

 formation that would be of help to him, 

 said, when ready to go, " My neighbors 

 will want to find out all I learned down 

 here, but I won't tell them a thing. They 

 won't be willing to pay a cent for it." Here 

 the seed sown by a generous hand surely 

 fell upon stony ground. The man, how- 

 ever, represented only a few of his visitoi-s, 

 nearly all of whom were appreciative, and 



Ml-. Quinby and his family, page 274, he enclosed a 



that he would .send a further article in a few days. 



ht not reach us in time, therefore we decided to use 



rticle came just in time to be used in this number. — 



many of whom were leading men in bee cul- 

 ture, able and willing to give valuable ideas 

 in exchange for the ripened experience of 

 Mr. Quinby. 



When Mr. Quinby commenced beekeeping 

 bees were kept in box liives, and honey-get- 

 ting was by the brimstone-pit, a murderous 

 way unknown to many beekeepers of to- 

 day, but so well described by the poet that 

 it is given here. 



Ah I see where, robbed and murdered in that pit. 



Lies the stiU heaving hive, at evening snatched 



Beneath the cloud of guilt-concealing night; 



And, fixed o'er sulphur while not dreaming ill. 



The happy people in their waxen cells 



Sat tending public cares. 



Sudden the dark, oppressive steam ascends, 



And, used to milder scents, the tender race 



By thousands tumble from their honied dome 



Into a gulf of blue sulphurous flame. 



— Thomson. 



For the box hive he early substituted the 

 movable-comb hive and glass surplus boxes. 

 With these and the bellows smoker, which 

 he originated, there was no longer need of 

 the sulphur torch, for whatever honey was 

 wanted could be taken without destroying 

 or even angering the bees. Mr. Quinby un- 

 selfishly took no patent on his smoker, pre- 

 ferring to give his invention to his fellow- 

 beekeepers, taking the liigh moral stand 

 since taken by the medical profession, that 

 any valuable discovery or invention made 

 by any one belongs not to him alone who 

 made it, but to all alike for the benefit of 

 humanity. No invention is born perfect, 

 and some of the improvements on the Quin- 

 by smoker have been valuable. One in- 

 ventor took the Quinby smoker, and, cutting 

 off the connecting tube between the bellows 

 and fire-box half an inch or more, had this 

 missing half-ir.ch patented. Then, denying 



