130 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 1 



three years old, leaving the training of 

 himself and two brothers on the mother. 



Distinguished as a soldier, he was not 

 less remarkable as a bee-keeper, for his 

 career was little short of marvelous. In- 

 telligent, progressive, he. probably handled 

 a larger number of colonies for a longer 

 period of time than anj- other man whoever 

 lived, or possibly ever may live. While it 

 is true that J. S. Harbison, of California, 



his death the most extensive bee-keeper in 

 the world is rot important; but certain it is 

 that Capt. Hetherington has been a vt ry 

 unique figure — not because his writings 

 appeared in the bee j 'urnals, nor because 

 he attended the conventions, for he has writ- 

 ten but rarely and attended but few meet- 

 ings, but because he managed successfully 

 30C0 colonies for over twenty years, and be- 

 cause he introduced many valuable im- 



^ 



CAPT. J. E. HETHERINGTON. 



at one time had 6000 colonies, it was for 

 only a short period. It was C ipt. J. E. 

 Hetherington w'ho enjoyed the distinction, 

 for a period of over twenty years, of being 

 the mjst extensive bee- keeper in the world, 

 owning and operating over 3000 colonies 

 during the greater portion of that time; but 

 of late years I believe he did not keep quite 

 so many. Whether he was at the time of 



provements — improvements which, after the 

 lapse of many years, were finally adopted 

 and put into current use by bee-keepers ail 

 over the United States. 



The captain did not follow in the beaten 

 track of supply manufacturers bj- any 

 means; but he acknowledged with consid- 

 erable pleasure that Father Quinby did 

 more to help him in his early bee-keeping 



