590 



AMERICAN BEE JOURlSJAi_„ 



chased the apicultural assets of a Dr. 

 Coster, a noted bee-keeper who had died, 

 he became a bee-master on a more ex- 

 tensive scale than formerly, and thoughts 

 and aspirations arose in his mind as to 

 whether bee-keeping might not be an 

 industry of national attention. With 

 this idea in view he became a writer in 

 the English ]\Iech(mic, advocating mqst 

 warmly the frame-hive system. It was 

 as a writer to this paper that we first 

 became acquainted with Mr. Abbott by 

 name, and gladly welcomed his deter- 

 mination at a later period to provide a 

 special organ for bee-keepers, by the 

 establishment of the British Bee Journal. 



There was no special paper devoted to 

 the science of bee-keeping in this coun- 

 try, though a limited correspondence on 

 the subject appeared in some of the 

 gardening papers. There was, however, 

 no leader of the " party of progress," 

 and Mr. Abbott, in 1878, determined 

 to initiate a journal which would give 

 itself wholly to this object. As soon as 

 he made known his object all those de- 

 siring progress rallied round him, and 

 the realization of his project was made 

 certain in 1878. 



With the establishment of the Journal, 

 bee-keeping received a new impetus and 

 fresh developments. One of these was 

 the establishment of the British Bee- 

 Keepers' Association in 1874, in a great 

 degree due to the strenuous advocacy of 

 Mr. Abbott in the Journal. This led to 

 the exhibition of manipulations with live 

 bees, the Idea originating with Mr. Ab- 

 bott. The first exhibition which ever 

 took place in England at which the op- 

 erations and the mysteries of manage- 

 ment of bees were explained was organ- 

 ized by the British Bee-Keepers' Asso- 

 ciation, and took place at the Crystal 

 Palace in 1874. At this exhibition Mr. 

 Abbott was the chief operator, and took 

 the foremost place, delighting and as- 

 tonishing the vast multitudes who at- 

 tended to witness the operations, and it 

 was at this show that we became per- 

 sonally acquainted with him, having 

 previously only corresponded. 



Mr. Abbott continued to conduct the 

 British Bee Journal for a, period of nine 

 years, until December, 1882, when he 

 vacated the editorship and proprietor- 

 ship in favor of the Rev. Herbert R. 

 Peel. 



There is many a bee-keeper still who 

 owes his knowledge of bees to Mr. Ab- 

 bott's instruction, and who will recollect 

 with what courtesy and patience every 

 qiiestion was answered by him. Straight- 

 forward in character, he detested any- 



thing that was underhanded, preferred 

 to call a spade a spade, and did not 

 hesitate to expose imposition and deceit. 

 With a generous temperament such as 

 his, it is no wonder that he had very 

 many friends. During the whole time 

 that" we knew him, although we fre- 

 quently differed in opinion, wo always 

 experienced from him the greatest cour- 

 tesy. 



We must not forget the indebtedness 

 of bee-keepers to Mr. Abbott for his 

 varied improvements in hives and appli- 

 ances during the time he was editor of 

 the Bee Journal ; these form a history 

 in themselves, and amongst these inven- 

 tions the most ingenious and conspicu- 



31R. C. N. ABBOTT. 



ous are his Little Wonder extractor and 

 his Combination hive, both of which are 

 largely used. 



Since the British Bee Journal was 

 started many prominent bee-keepers 

 have passed away, but none whose 

 names will be so closely connected with 

 the progress of the industry in this 

 country as that of Mr. Abbott. 



We feel to have personally lost a 

 friend, and we are sure that we express 

 the feelings of thousands of bee-keepers 

 in offering our heartfelt sympathy with 

 the family in their bereavement. 



A Binder for holding a year's num- 

 bers of the Bee Journal we mail for 

 only 50 cents; or clubbed with the 

 Journal for $1.40. 



