]}K)(Jl{Al'inE8 OP^ NOTED J]EE-KEF:PERS. 



the centuries of bee-keeping up to the time when, to 

 take out every comb and return ag-ain to the hive 

 without injury to the colony, was made possible by 

 the inventive genius of Mr. Langstroth. It is no 

 small compliment to the far-seeing inventive powers 

 of Mr. Langstroth, that, although frames of different 

 sizes have been devised and tried, and improve- 

 ments, so-called, upon his hive have been made by 

 the hundred, yet to-day no other size of frame is 

 more popular than that settled ui>on by him, and in 

 general the so-called improvements are one after 

 another dropped into oblivion, and thousands of 

 hives are to-daj' in use among the best bee-keepers, 

 scarcely varying, if varying at all, from the Lang- 

 stroth hive as first sent out. 



As a writer, Mr. Langstroth takes a high place. 

 " Langstroth on the Hive and Honey-Bee," published 

 in May, IS.'iS, is considered a classic; and any contri- 

 bution from the pen of its author to the columns of 

 the bee-journals is read with eagerness. Instead of 

 amassing the fortune one would think he so richly 

 deserves, Mr. Langstroth is to-day not worth a dollar. 

 He sowed, others reaped. At the date of his inven- 

 tion he had al)out 'i'.) colonies of bees, and never 

 exceeded 13.5. 



In August, 1836, Mr. Langstroth was married to 

 Miss Anna M. Tucker, who died in Jan , 1873. He 

 has had three children. The oldest, a son, died of 

 consumption contracted in the army. Two daugh- 

 ters still survive. 



Since his 30th year, Mr. Langstroth has suffered 

 from attacks of "head trouble" of a strange and 

 distressing character. During these attacks, which 

 have lasted from six months to more than a year 

 (in one case two years), he is una'de to write or even 

 converse, and he views with aver.-^iou any i-eference 

 to tho.se subjects which particularly delight him at 

 other times. Mr Langstroth is ;i man of fine pres- 

 ence, simple and unostentatious in manner, cheer- 

 ful, courteous, and a charm in. 'j;' conversatiaualist. 



In reply to a question, he writes, under date of 

 March 26, 188^: "I am now a minister in the Presby- 

 terian church. Although not a settled pastor, I 

 preach occasionally, and delight in nothing so much 

 as the Christian work. My parents were members 

 of Mr. Barnes' chui-ch, in Philadelphia, the mother 

 Presbyterian church in the United States." 



MOSES QUINBY. 



Moses Quinby was born April 16, 1810, in West- 

 chester Co., N. Y. While a boy he went to Greene 

 Co., and in 18,53 from thence to St. Johnsville, Mont- 

 gomery Co., N. Y., where he remained till the time 

 of his death. May 37, 1875. 



Mr. Quinby was reared among Quakers, and from 

 his earliest years was ever the same cordial, 

 straightforward, and earnest person. He had no 

 special advantages in the way of obtaining an ed- 

 ucation, but he was an original thinker, and of that 

 investigating turn of mind which is always sure 

 to educate itself, even without books or schools. 

 When about 3(1 years old he secured for the first 

 time, as his own individual possession, sutflcient 

 capital to invest in a stock of bees, and no doubt 

 felt enthusiastic in looking forward hopefully to a 

 good run of "luck" in the way of swarms, so that 

 he could soon "take up" some -by the aid of the 

 brimstone-pit. But " killing the'goose that laid the 

 golden egg" did not commend itself to his better 

 judgment, and ho was not slow to adopt the better 



way of placing boxes on the top of the hive, with 

 holes for the ascent of the bees, and these boxes he 

 improved by substituting glass for wood in the 

 sides, thus making a long stride in the matter of 

 the appearance of the marketable product. With 

 little outside help, but with plenty of unc.\i)lored 

 territory, his investigating mind had i)lcnty of 

 scope for operation, and he nuide a diligent study 

 of bees and their habits. All the books he could 

 obtain were earnestly studied, and every thing 

 taught thei-ein carefully tested. The many crudi- 

 ties and inaccuracies contained in them were sifted 

 out as chaff, and, after 17 years" practical experi- 

 ence in handling and studying the bees themselves 

 as well as the books, he was not merely a liee-keep- 

 er but a bee-master; and with that philanthropic 



MODI'S 1^1' IMn 



character which made him always willing to impart 

 to others, he decided to give them, at the expense 

 of a few hours' reading, what had cost him years to 

 obtain, and in 18.53 the first edition of "Mysteries 

 of Bee-Keeping Explained " made its ap|)earance. 

 Thoroughly practical in character and vigorous in 

 style, it at once won its way to popularity. From 

 the year 1853, excepting the interest he took in his 

 fruits and his trout-pond, his attention was wholly 

 given to bees, and he was owner or half-owner of 

 from 600 to 1300 colonies, raising large crops of 

 honey. On the advent of the movable frame and 

 Italian bees, they were at once adopted t)y him, and 

 in 1863 he reduced the luimber of his colonies, and 

 turned his attention more particularly to rearing 

 and selling Italian bees and queens. In 1865 he 

 published a revised edition of his book, giving 

 therein the added experience of 13 years. He wrote 

 much for agricultural and other papers, his writ- 

 ings being always of tlie same sensible and iiracti- 

 cal character. The Northeastern Bee-Keepers' As- 

 sociation, a body whose deliberations have always 

 been of importance, owed its origin to Mr. Quinby, 

 who was for years its honoi-ed president— perhaps 

 it is better to say its honoring president, for it was 



