1907. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 

 BIOGRAPHICAL. 



Four Veteran Bee-Keepers of Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Captain Charles Knight. 



Haverhill, Essex county, Mass. 



GEO. W. ADAMS. 



CAPTAIN CHARLES KNIGHT 

 can never appear as a veteran 

 in any sense except that of 

 experience, for he is one of whom we 

 say so many "years young," not so 

 many "years old." Genial, intensely 

 active, and of clear and analytic mind 

 he has few equals in practical know- 

 ledge of bee-keeping. 



Born in Gloucester, Mass., in 1834, 

 it was natural that while a mere boy 

 he should become one of the band of 

 intrepid sailors who have made that 

 old sea-port famous throughout the 

 world. In this stern school of toil 

 and danger he acqnitted himself so 

 well that before he had reached his 

 23rd year he had become one of the 

 "Captains Courageous," and for two 

 years was in command of the "Fear- 

 less." 



He married in 1854, and the gracious 

 hospitality of his most excellent wife 

 makes a visit to his apiary a double 

 pleasure. 



In 1857 our Captain made one of a 

 party of hardy adventurers who won 

 their way to Pike's Teak, :and with his 

 love iof hazard and danger by no 

 means quenched, he returned to 

 enlist for the war of the rebellion in 

 the 23rd Massachusetts, serving three 

 years, and until so crippled by rheuma- 

 tism that he was discharged and came 

 home to die. 



The writer can easily imagine that 

 as a helpless invalid the Captain was 

 not happy, at any rate a friend gave 

 him a swarm of bees to amuse him 

 and take up his attention. 



To look at those bees through the 

 window was not the Captain's idea of 

 amusement, so he dragged himself 

 partly on crutches and partly on his 

 hands and knees, to examine. He -car- 

 ried his investigations altogether too 

 far for his own comfort, .and being 

 practically helpless and not the kind 

 who call for help, he was very badly 

 stung. 



Now, to a man of his temperament, 

 thas was not a defeat but an invitation 

 to try again, and he was back at the 

 first opportunity receiving stings ab 

 libitum which soon began to show 

 their curative effect, and in a few 

 months the very serious rheumatism 

 was replaced by a chronic case of bee- 

 fever. His health restored, he built 

 his present residence in Haverhill, 

 and entered upon bee-keeping as a 

 business. 



In 1900 he harvested 1800 pounds 

 fancy comb-honey— hut living as he 

 does in the city, and having other calls 

 upon his time, he restricts the number 

 of colonies. 



This is the third in a series of four 

 biographical sketches, the first of which 

 appeared in March together with por- 

 traits of the gentlemen included. — 

 Editors. 



AN ODOR-MEMORY. 



A lilac odor today 

 Carried me miles away; 

 Hurried me back through years 

 To where a garden appears. 

 With blossoming apple trees 

 Alive with clamoring bees. 

 This is the garden I know 

 Where the lilac-bushes grow. 

 Where the timorous catbird's nest 

 Is built in the hiding leaves, 

 And the mother catbird grieves 

 Guessing my vandal quest; 

 Shaking the purple spray, 

 Chiding the thief away, 

 Frantic she threatens and begs 

 For her four blue, fragile eggs. 

 A lilac odor today 

 Made me a child at play. 

 —Thomas Lomax Hunter in Sat. 

 Evening Post. 



