462 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAi^. 



on bee-keeping, called " Goldinj^'s Shill- 

 ing Bee-Book," and invented an im- 

 proved form of Grecian hive, having 

 movable bars, so that with a little man- 

 agement the surplus could be taken. 

 These hives, which were not large, are 

 storified three and four high, and were 

 used by Mr. Hooker, who obtained large 

 quantities of honey of a superior quality 

 in the upper hives. 



Upon the introduction of frames, Mr. 

 John M. Hooker was amongst the ear- 

 liest of those who adopted them, and his 

 Grecian hives were given up. 



At the beginning of the Volunteer 

 movement, Mr. John M. Hooker took 

 great interest in the same, and with his 

 friend, George Tomkin, Esq., of Yald- 

 ing, raised a corps in four or five adjoin- 

 ing villages, of which he was appointed 

 Captain, his friend being Lieutenant. 

 He was a good rifle-shot, and having a 

 range of 400 yards on his own property, 

 he was, without trouble, able to practice 

 when he felt inclined. He won several 

 prizes, and, among others, the cup given 

 by the men of the battalion for competi- 

 tion among their officers. 



In 1861 he was married; sometime 

 after he left Brenchley, and gave up the 

 command of the corps, the 42nd Kent. 



In 1874 Mr. Hooker became ac- 

 quainted with Mr. C. N. Abbott and Mr. 

 Frank Cheshire, and attended a meeting 

 with those gentlemen (called by Mr. 

 Abbott in the British Bee Journal) at 

 Camden Town, for the purpose of revis- 

 ing a schedule of prizes for the first 

 Crystal Palace Exhibition, and to con- 

 slaer the best means of forming a Na- 

 tional Association. 



On this occasion the Hon. and Rev. H. 

 Bligh took the chair, and on his being 

 obliged to leave, Mr. Hooker was called 

 to the chair to finish the business, and 

 was one of the committee then chosen, 

 who afterwards carried out that memor- 

 able Show. At the general meeting of 

 bee-keepers then present at tbe Crystal 

 Palace, Mr. Hooker was chosen one of 

 the members of the committee of the 

 British Bee-Keepers' Association, which 

 had then been formed. 



From that time, 1874 up to 1889, 

 Mr. Hooker had been one of the acting 

 members of the committee of the asso- 

 ciation, being re-elected annually. In 

 1889, although asked by different mem- 

 bers of the old committee, he declined to 

 allow himself to be nominated for re- 

 election. From that time up to the 

 present, Mr. J. M. Hooker has been an 

 ex-officio member of the British Bee- 

 Keepers' Association, representing the 

 county of Kent at the meetings. 



Atthe second Crystal Palace Show in 

 1875, in Class 2, for the best movable 

 comb hive for depriving purposes, the 

 second prize and bronze medal were 

 awarded to Mr. Hooker. In speaking 

 of this class, the editor of the Bee Jour- 

 nal (Mr. Abbott) says: "We must, 

 however, give credit where it is due. We 

 may here remark that our first notion of 

 a movable dummy, the greatest improve- 

 ment until now introduced into frame 

 hives, came from Mr. Hooker." In Class 

 4, for the best hive on the collateral 

 principal, the first prize and silver medal 

 were awarded to Mr. Hooker. 



At the third show of the association 

 held, at the Alexandra Palace, in 1876, 

 Mr. Hooker was awarded a bronze 

 medal in Class 2, a bronze medal In 

 Class 3 for the best hive on the storifying 

 principle, and the silver medal for the 

 best collateral hive. In the editorial 

 giving an account of this show is the 

 following remark : " In all Mr. Hooker's 

 hives the 5 /'24 inch perforated zinc 

 plays an important part, as by its use 

 the entrance of the queen and drones 

 to the honey-comb in the super is pre- 

 vented." Since that time the use of ex- 

 cluder zinc has become very much used 

 both in England and America. 



Mr. Hookc]^ exhibited a super at the 

 Royal Show at Windsor, in 1889, weigh- 

 ing 75 pounds net, which was filled by 

 June 14th, through the Raynor pattern 

 of perforated zinc. Surely this is toler- 

 ably conclusive evidence that it does not 

 much interfere with the bees' working ; 

 there was no other super of nearly the 

 same weight taken from oue hive In the 

 exhibition. 



At the show at South Kensington in 

 1878, a bronze medal was awarded Mr. 

 Hooker in the class for the best movable- 

 comb hive. 



At the great show at Kilburn in 1879, 

 Mr. Hooker obtained a bronze medal for 

 his Alexandra hive, and the same year 

 at the exhibition at South Kensington, 

 the silver medal for the same hive. 



In 1880, at the South Kensington 

 show, Mr. Hooker obtained a bronze 

 medal for his hive, and another for his 

 super. 



In 1883, the first prize was awarded 

 him for the best movable-comb hive. 



Mr. Hooker was one of the judges at 

 the Royal Agricultural Society's exhibi- 

 tion at Reading, in 1882 ; York, 1883 

 Shrewsbury, 1884; Preston, 1885 

 Norwich, 1886 ; and Newcastle, 1887 

 also at several of the Bath and West of 

 England and Royal Counties Shows. In 

 the Bligh Competition of 1882-83, he 

 obtaijicd the first prize for largest 



