156 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



aspirations and inspirations fortlie 

 sake of gain ; and wlien we realize 

 that the large majority of beekeep- 

 ers are so dependent on the counsel 

 and advice which come to them 

 through our journals, from those 

 who have had more experience, 

 we realize the importance of the 

 enterprise in which we have en- 

 gaged. 



In truth, if the mere accumula- 

 tion of wealth were all or even the 

 grand aim of life, then we might 

 foi'get all else ; but when we real- 

 ize that upon each one of us there 

 rests the duty of doing all in our 

 power to elevate the standard of 

 manhood and womanhood, and de- 

 velop the talents inherent within 

 us for the good of humanity, 

 then we shall always have the 

 approbation of the noble and bet- 

 ter in society, and b}' and by will 

 receive the just reward from the 

 hands of the Creator. 



Apiculture in every age and 

 from the earliest history of man 

 has received the attention of many 

 of the world's gi-eatest scholars and 

 noblest men ; and while many of 

 the greatest and most valuable dis- 

 coveries connected with apiculture 

 have been due to the untiring and 

 persistent research of some of the 

 masters among European scien- 

 tists, America has justly earned 

 the proud title of the leading na- 

 tion in practical bee culture. 



It is a noteworthy fact that while 

 manj'^ of our most successful apia- 

 rists and best teachers, those whose 

 experience and studies have helped 

 to give to the beekeeping frater- 

 nity much that is valuable and im- 



portant, have been talented, but 

 practical and unlettered men, j'et 

 a large proportion of the great 

 discoveries in apiculture have been 

 made by the scientific student. 

 We might mention the names of 

 Swammerdam, Bonnet, Huber, 

 Dzierzon, Berlepsch, Schirach, 

 Leuwenhoek, and a host of others, 

 many of whom are living to-da^^ 



\i may be well to consider why 

 this is so, and what lessons we 

 ma}' glean from it for our benefit. 

 First, the true scientific man is 

 one whose very soul hungers and 

 thirsts for a knowledge of the Cre- 

 ator's handiwork, and tlfe laws 

 which govern it, and while the ar- 

 tisan, the farmer and the business 

 man are engaged in utilizing the 

 resources taken from mother earth 

 and applying them to the wants 

 of mankind, the true scientific stu- 

 dent is energetically and untiringly 

 devoting himselfto bringing to light 

 the hidden laws and truths of na- 

 ture's vast storehouse, inaccessible 

 to those who are uneducated. And, 

 when we realize of how much worth 

 and importance true science is to 

 the world, we regret that the masses 

 who reap the benefit of tlie labors 

 of these men, seem so unwilling to 

 aid in supporting such studies and 

 extending such researches. 



Agriculture as a study has re- 

 ceived the attention of scholars, 

 even from the earliest ages, and 

 this because it holds so important 

 a relation to'the interests of man, 

 and we find colleges and scientific 

 laboratories devoted to the proper 

 study and development of every 

 study connected with agriculture ; 



