72 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Sept., 



[For the American Bee Jourual.] 



Death of James T. Langstroth. 



Mr. Editor : — 1 desire to offer, through the 

 medium of the American Bee Journal, a slight 

 tribute of respect to the memory of James T. 

 Langstroth, the only son of Rev. L. L. Lang- 

 strothj whose death was announced in the July 

 number of tlie Journal. 



Mr. James T. Langstroth was well known to 

 most of the leading bee-keepers of the country, 

 either personally, or through business correspond- 

 ence relating to bee-culture, during the last ten 

 years ; and certainly no yovnig man could have 

 more completely won the confidence of all with 

 whom lie came in contact, tlian he has done, by 

 his intelligence, modesty, strict integrity, prompt- 

 ness, candor, and perfect manliness in all his 

 transactions. Aside from bee-culture, he took 

 an active interest in, and was generally at the 

 head of, all patriotic, charitable, or social or- 

 ganizations in his immediate neighborhood. 

 In fact, he was the leading young man in the 

 town in which he lived. But above all his other 

 excellent qualities, stands, in my estimation, his 

 unselfish and untiring devotion to his aged, 

 infirm, and dependent parents. Next to the 

 care of his own little family, his father's, 

 mother's, and sister's comfort, wants, and 

 wishes, were uppermost in his mind. Althougli 

 suffering many months from the insidious ap- 

 proach of consumption, yet fraternal and filial 

 devotion nerved his wearied sj^irits to active 

 labor, almost to the last day of his life. I saw 

 him on his return home from his office for the 

 last time, with glazed eye and haggard cheek, 

 yet full of hope and plans for the future, after 

 a few days of rest and recreation. — But his 

 earthly career is ended, and that father's only 

 support is taken away. Who will take that son' s 

 place ■? Who should take his place, unless it be 

 the bee-keepers of America? Brother bee- 

 keepers, laying aside all prejudice, and all minor 

 points of diti'erence, and detracting nothing from 

 any man's merits, are we not indebted to tlie 

 Rev. Mr. Langstroth, more than to any other 

 person for a part of our success in our noble 

 Ijursuit or pastime? 



There is one point, I believe on which the bee- 

 keepers of the c(mntry, and even all patentees 

 of bee hives, of loliatemr kind, agree — namely, 

 that Mr. Langstroth introduced movable frame 

 hives into this country. Admitting for a moment, 

 that that was all he ever did for the benefit of 

 bee-keepers, does not even that act deserve some 

 compensation from our hands? I think it does. 

 Again, Mr. Langstroth was among the very first, 

 and but for an accident would have been the 

 first to introduce into this country the Italian 

 bee. He has imported them every year since, 

 and has every year furnished the leading queen 

 breeders of this country with their choicest 

 queens to breed from. Do we owe him nothing 

 for this? Again, he was the first to introduce 

 into this country the Egyptian bee, the merits of 

 which are not yet fully developed, but the im- 

 portance of which will in time come to be duly 

 appreciated. And, lastly Mr. Langstroth, was 

 among the first to introduce to the notice of the 



bee-keepers of America, the invaluable Honey 

 Extractor. Does he deserve nothing at our 

 hands for this? Gentlemen, talk as you will, 

 Mr. Langstroth has been the pioneer bee-keeper 

 of this country for the last quarter of a century ; 

 and there is a fearful account against us, and in 

 his favor, that I fear we shall not be able fully 

 to pay. But we can do something. We can 

 make him comfortable for the balance of his 

 days, and still be vastly enriched ourselves 

 through his labors. 



If we are so indebted can we not, in part, 

 liquidate that indebtedness noic f Can we not 

 make up our minds to send him, at once, some 

 substantial token of our appreciation of his 

 labors of a lifetime for the advancement of bee- 

 culture? He and his family, and his son's family 

 now dependent on him, need all th;it is rightfully 

 due to them. If you feel that you owe him five, 

 ten, twenty, or a hundred dollars, don't wait lor 

 somebody else to begin or to join with you ; but 

 send a check or a post-office order for the amount 

 directly to his address. If you have honestly 

 paid him his price for the right to use his in- 

 vention, don't let that entirely satisfy you. Ask 

 yoitrself whether you have not made too good a 

 bargain, and whether you ought not to restore 

 to him, to-day, a part of your profits? Don't 

 stop to inquire whether Mr. Langstroth owns 

 territory where you live, send him a five dollar 

 or a ten dollar bill at once, and i)tvy the rightful 

 or legal owner of the territory, as soon as you 

 find him out. You could better aflbrd to pay 

 five dollars royalty on every movable frame 

 hive you use, than use the old box hive. This 

 deferred payment, let us call it, made now Avill do 

 much good, and will give you a clear conscience, 

 no matter whose patent you are using, for they 

 are all modifications of the Langstroth hive, 

 although they are not all infringements. Brother 

 bee-keepers, don't wait ibr each other to respond, 

 but send at once to this address — Rev. L. L. 

 Langstroth, Oxford, Butler, County, Ohio ; and 

 may heaven prosper you for so doing. 



R. BiCKFORD. 



Seneca Falls, iV". Y. Aug. 1, 1870. 



P. S. — I have written this without the consent 

 or knowledge of Mr. Langstroth, or his family, 

 simply because, kiiov/ing the circumstances, I 

 felt it a duty and a i)rivilege to speak — R. B. 



The Egyptian beehives are made of coal dust 

 and clay, which being well blended together, the 

 mixture is formed into a hollow cylinder about a 

 span in diameter and from four to six feet high. 

 This is dried in the sun, and becomes so hard 

 that it may be handled at pleasure. — Domestic 

 Encyclopedia. 



AVhoever intends to erect an apiary should 

 purchase colonies towards the close of the year, 

 and only such as are full of combs and stocked 

 with a sufficient number of bees should be chosen. 

 To ascertain the age of the hives, it should be 

 remarked that the combs of the last season are 

 white, while those of former years are dark 

 yellow. Where the combs are black, the hive 

 should be rejected, as too old and liable to Itie 

 attack of vermin.— Dr. Willich. 



