336 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



October 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



=a Established by Samuel Wagner In t86t C= 



The oldest Bee Journal in the English language. 

 Published Monthly at Hamilton, Illinois. 



Entered as second-class matter at the Postoffice at Hamilton. Illinois. 



Subscription Rates — In the United States and THE STAFF 



Mexico, $1.50 per year; five years, $0. ^ p ^^^^^^ ^^.^^^ 



Canadian postage 15 cents, and other foreign 



countries 25 cents extra, per year. Frank C. Pellett Associate Editor 



All subscriptions are stopped at expiration. Date r^ t>, t% • »r 



of expiration is printed on wrapper label. Maurice G. Dada'T Business Manager 



(Copyright 1920 by C. P. Dadant.) 



THE EDITOR'S VIEWPOINT 



The Nestor of 

 American Beekeeping 



It is with both sorrow and pride 



that we record the demise of the ven- 

 erable man whose features adorn our 

 front cover page this month, Dr. C. C. 

 Miller, who was probably the most 

 prominent figure in the apiarian 

 world. Sorrow, because we lose the 

 advice and help of a man of great 

 capacity and good judgment and a 

 good friend. Pride, because he left 

 behind him, with us, a reputation un- 

 tarnished by any blur. 



Dr. Miller had an international 

 fame, being known almost as well in 

 Canada, in Europe, in Australia, in 

 New Zealand, in any foreign country, 



Doctor Miller as a young man. 



as in the United States. His teach- 

 ings have been quoted in every coun- 

 try where progressive beekeeping has 

 made its way. He was the author of 

 four books: "A Year Among the 

 Bees," published in 1885; "Forty Years 

 Among the Bees," published in 1902; 

 "Fifty Years Among the Bees," pub- 

 lished in 1911, and "A Thousand 

 Answers to Beekeeping Questions," 

 compiled and pul)lished, in 1917, by 

 M. G. Dadant, from his answers to 

 questions in over 20 years 'of the 

 ■American Bee Journal. The first ar- 

 ticle from hi:, pen, on beekeeping, 

 published in this magazine, in Octo- 



ber, 1870, written on '"Introduction of 

 Queens," shows that he had already, 

 50 years ago, some experience with 

 bees, and indicates the careful meth- 

 ods in which he persevered for more 

 than 50 years. 



The great strength and influence of 

 Dr. Miller over the reading public 

 were due to his being always ready 

 to say: "I don't know," rather than 

 give a doubtful statement. He had a 

 witty manner in replying to absurd 

 questions that made his answers en- 

 tertaining, without in the least an- 

 gering the enquirer. Very few men 

 have such winning ways. His private 

 correspondence showed even more 

 wit and greater consideration than 

 his published statements and made 

 delightful reading. 



During the months of January to 

 March 1916, the American Bee Jour- 

 nal published Dr. Miller's personal 

 recollections, an autobiography. From 

 this contribution, we glean the fol- 

 lowing facts concerning his life: 



He was born July 10, 1831, at Ligon- 

 ier, Pennsylvania. His education was 

 acquired first in the public schools, 

 then successively at Jefferson College, 

 Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, and at 

 Union College, Schenectady, New 

 York, where he paid his way, board- 

 ing himself, so that at times his 

 board expense "did not exceed 35 

 cents per week." Those were not 

 profiteering times, it seems. 



He finally became a teacher and 

 afterwards studied medicine with a 

 Dr. Sheridan, at Johnstown. He went 

 west, was graduated an M. D. at Ann 

 Arbor, Michigan. Later he went to 

 Earlville, Illinois, then to Marengo, 

 where he began beekeeping and re- 

 mained the rest of his life. He was 

 married twice, his second wife, Sid- 

 ney Jane Wilson, survives hitn. He 

 leaves one son, who, however, takes 

 no interest in bees. 



Dr. Miller was a great musician, a 

 composer of both church and lay 

 tunes. We have from him several 

 beekeepers' songs, the stanzas of 

 which were written by the late poet- 

 beekeeper, Eugene Secor, of Iowa: 

 "Songs of Beedom," "The Beekeep- 

 er's Lullaby," "The Hum of the Bees 

 in the Apple-tree Bloom," 'Buck- 

 wheat Cakes and Honey." 

 Dr. Miller also wrote numerous 



articles for other magazines, such as 

 Gleanings in Bee Culture, and for 

 many years editorials for the Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal, when it was pub- 

 lished by Geo. W. York, in Chicago. 

 Mr. York was the man who first 

 called him "The Nestor of .'\merican 

 Beekeeping"; but he also was known 

 as "The Sage of Marengo," during 

 the later years of his life. 



Sick only a short time, our friend 

 retained his self-possession until the 

 last two da3 s, when he became delir- 

 ious and his face was much drawn 

 with pain. But just as he drew his 

 last breath, a change passed over his 

 face, a beautiful smile came to his 

 lips and his whole countenance was 

 changed. 



It is human to regret what we lose. 

 But in this case why should we 



Dr. Miller at 54. 



mourn? He was over 89 years at his 

 death and had had a span of life 

 given to very few men. He was 

 useful to the last, since some answers 

 to questions were found in his type- 

 writer after his death. He did his 

 duty to all, and after a short illness 

 left a beautiful memory. The good 

 wishes of the entire bee family, in 

 both hemispheres, will go to his wife, 

 his relatives and friends. 



Duration of Development 

 of Insects 



The "Bulletin de la Societe Ro- 

 Romande," of Switzegrjand, in its Au- 

 gust number, reports that Dr. Arnold 

 Pictet, of the University of Geneva, 

 made some 1,500 experiments and ob- 

 servations, upon the influence of at- 

 mospheric pressure upon the length 

 of development of insects, during 

 their metamorphoses, and especially 

 during their nymphal life. According 

 to these, the greater atmospheric 

 pressure increases the duration of de- 

 velopment, while a lesser pressure 

 hastens it. These experiments are 

 described in the Bulletin de I'lnstitut 

 Genevois of 1919. The influence of 

 atmospheric pressure upon bees 

 might he ascertained in similar 

 studies. 



