878 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



November, 1917 



insti-uetors and many assistiants, and no 



courses in apiculfure will be given, but the 



apiaiy will be maintained and be lun for 



boney. 



* * * 



DEATH OF 0. 0. POPPLETON. 



Just as we go to press we are informed 

 of the death of another old pioneer, Mr. 

 0. 0. Poppleton, which occurred Oct. 4 at 

 the Soldiers' National Sanitarium. Hot 

 Springs, South Dakota. Mr. Poppleton 

 Avas one of the last of the old veterans who 

 helped to put beekeeping on a commercial 

 basis in the early 60's and 70's. 



He enlisted as a private in 1861 in the 

 Civil War. He was rapidly promoted 

 until he was made regimental adjutant. He 

 served his country faithfully for five years; 

 and altho he received no scar, yet he was 

 in many of the important battles. He was 

 taken prisoner once, but was later ex- 

 changed. He began beekeeping shortly 

 after the war in a small way and continu- 

 ed till he had some 150 colonies in Iowa. 

 This was along in the 70's. 



He was one of the early advocates of win- 

 ter packing outdoors, when every one else 

 was wintering indoors. He is also said to 

 have invented the solar wax-extractor, or 

 at least lie was one of the early users of 

 the principle of melting beeswax by means 

 of the sun's heat. 



He was one of the first to see the merits 

 of the Long Idea hive that has been ex- 

 ploited in these columns at various times. 

 It mattered not to him whether he was 

 following orthodoxy so long as he could get 

 j'esults. 



When he went to Florida he started out 

 in beekeeping anew with the same hive. 

 Notwithstanding he was advanced in years 

 lu's business increased until he was the 

 largest successful migratory beekeeper in 

 the world. Others have moved whole api- 

 aries of bees from time to time to catch 

 new pastures; but ultimately tliey gave it 

 up, either because it did not pay or be- 

 cause they lost interest. But Mr. Popple- 

 ton practiced migi'atory beekeeping among 

 '^he riorida keys for ten or fifteen years. 

 The Long Idea hive which he had adopted 

 he claimed was peculiarly adapted to mov- 

 ing about. It was never top - heavy in 

 moving, and would never be blown over b}' 

 liigh winds when put down iri place. 



He moved his apiaries on a gas^oline- 

 lauuch up and down the famous Indian 

 River. He would breed the bees in one 

 locality; then, when of the proper honey- 

 gathering strength, he would move tlicm 

 to palmetto and mangrove districts. 



In the early days he was a voluminous 



writer for the bee journals; and so far as 

 we know his copy was always accepted, 

 for no reader could help knowing that 

 he was an authority. The fact that his early 

 opinions are in exact harmony with later- 

 daj' practices is convincing proof of his 

 knowledge of the business at a time when 

 there were so many heresies afloat, 



Mr. Poi^pleton was of spare fignire, hardly 

 up to the medium in height, and a man who 

 was an invalid much of the time; but the 

 fact that he managed so many bees on the 

 migratory plan speaks volumes for the 

 man and for the hive that he used. He 



THE LATE 0. 0. POPPLETON. 



made it very plain that it would have been 

 impossible for him to handle the ordinai'y 

 liives on the tiering-up prineiiDle because 

 he could not lift heavy supers; and the 

 Long Idea hive had nothing heavier than 

 a cover or a brood-frame to lift. When he 

 came to move the bees he hired cheap color- 

 ed help to put the hives on the boat and 

 take them off again at the destination. In 

 view of the fact that the merits of the 

 long single-story brood-nests, capable of 

 holding 25 or 30 frames, are beginning to 

 create some interest of late it is regrettable 

 that the chief advocate of the hive and 

 system should have passed away at this 

 time. 



