1898 



'fHE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



377 



tobacco business at Baltimore with a relative, but after a 

 short stay there concluded to go further west. His first situa- 

 tion in Cincinnati was with Henry Franck, the pioneer 

 grocer. With him he remained a year or two, then went to 

 the B"'ar West and tried mining and cattle raising. Not meet- 

 ing with success, he returned to Cincinnati again. In a short 

 time he was in business for himself as a dealer in honey and 

 bee-keepers' supplies. For many years he was one of the 

 largest dealers in the West in that line of trade, and did an 

 extensive business in the West and South. He was active in 

 extending it up to the time of his death, tho in the past year 

 or two he had suffered reverses. This fact, it is believed, 

 caused in part the melancholy that markt him for some 

 months past. The losses, however, were not serious, not more 

 than $12,000, it is said, but it appeared to wear on him. 



Mr. Muth was a Mason, and a member of Hanselmann 

 Lodge. He took an active interest in the German Orphan 

 Asylum, and served as President of its Board of Managers 

 for some years. 



He was prominent in politics at various times. At the 

 last election he was elected on the Fusion ticket as a member 

 of the Board of Control. 



Mr. Muth married Miss Caroline Muth, who was his 

 cousin, and there are six children surviving him with the 

 widow. 



The body was brought to the city last evening, and burial 

 will take place to-morrow. 



The letter which Mr. Muth wrote Sunday night was found 

 yesterday in the room in which he was found dead. It is as 

 follows : 



If I should die on my farm it is my wish that I be buried in the 

 same graveyard with August Muller, and in the same simple man- 

 ner. My family will respect my last wish. My honest debts must 

 be paid. Chas. F. Muth. 



It will thus be seen that he contemplated the act. August 

 Muller was an uncle, and was buried in a country graveyard 

 adjoining the Muth farm. 



In Gleanings for June 1 we find these paragraphs written 

 by Mr. A. I. Root, who knew Mr. Muth well : 



Oar friends may remember that, when I first became in- 

 terested in bee-culture, I very soon made inquiry in regard to 

 the various bee-journals publisht in the United States or 

 other parts of the world. I think my first acquaintance with 

 Mr. C. F Muth came through my desire to know something 

 of bee-keeping in Germany. He was very willing to give me 

 all the information in his power, and for many years we offered 

 the Bienenzeitung to our German readers through Friend 

 Muth's kind services. We had become quite well acquainted 

 through correspondence, and I had promist to make him a 

 call and see his apiary on the roof of his store. One day, 

 however, I was surprised to meet a tall, fine-looking man who 

 spoke English quite brokenly. He introduced himself as 

 " Mr. Moot, of Cincinnati." He told me we had had some 

 little correspondence, but somehow I did not quite catch on; 

 but when I saw his name on some circulars, " Muth," then I 

 knew him at once, and we shook hands over again, and took 

 another start. He brought along some of his famous honey- 

 cake. I took him over home and introduced him to Mrs. Root 

 and the children. Then he sent me a lot of his honey-jars 

 and tumblers in which he sold the honey in such immense 

 quantities. Many of our readers, especially the older ones, 

 remember how ably Friend Muth stood at the head and repre- 

 sented bee-culture in America among the German people. 

 AVhen I spoke of making him a visit, or putting the street- 

 number on his letters, he said everybody knew him in Cincin- 

 nati, and I guess this was pretty nearly true — at that time, 

 anyhow. 



Mr. Muth was one of the cleverest, most whole-souled and 

 generous men I ever knew. He tried to be right and fair; but 

 when he met somebody who wanted to be unfair, or even if 

 he got it into his head that somebody was trying to get more 

 than was just, he sometimes showed that his good nature 

 might give place to somelftiing quite different. Of late years I 

 have felt that our jolly, whole-souled friend had too much 

 business on his hands. I have heard him speak a good many 

 times about that farm, alluded to In the extract above; and I 

 fear, from what I have heard from those who had sent him 

 money, that of late his prompt, energetic business habits have 

 not been quite up to their former standard. 



In view of the injury by sunstroke, he should have been 

 careful about undertaking too much business. I fear our 

 poor friend brooded over his financial affairs, and imagined 

 they were worse than they really were. From the statement 

 given above I infer that, after everything is settle up, there is 

 a large property still for his wife and children. How gladly 



they would have borne his cares and troubles, and let him 

 take things easier had he permitted them so to do ! The bee- 

 keepers of our land can remember our departed friend with 

 grateful feelings for what he has done to bring about the 

 present advanced state of bee-culture, especially in the way 

 of selling, and getting it into the regular channels of trade. 

 Even if some of the friends have suffered somewhat by neg- 

 lect, they may learn by the above that our old friend had been 

 for years a sufferer ; and we can afford to let a broad charity 

 help us to forgive and forget whatever was not exactly as it 

 should have been. A. I. Root. 



We think we can scarcely add anything of interest to the 

 foregoing. We remember very distinctly meeting Mr. Muth 

 at the World's Fair convention, and the part he took in some 

 of the discussions. He was for years one of the American 

 Bee Journal's best friends, and in his death we feel that we 

 have lost not a little. 



Mr. L. W. Lighty, in American Gardening, says that 

 "the man who rides hobbies and runs after fads in bee-culture 

 will have a lean bank account." 



Mrs. Mate L. Williams, editor of the department of the 

 apiary in Farm, Stock and Home, reported, June 2, the severe 

 illness of her daughter who is her assistant in the apiary. We 

 trust she may speedily recover. 



Mr. J. E. Crane (in Review) thinks the swarming pro- 

 pensity can be bred out of bees with less labor and time than 

 it has taken to get non-sitting hens. The simple fact that bees 

 differ greatly as swarmers makes the case look hopeful. — 

 Gleanings. 



Mr. George Koenrumpf, of Kinney Co., Texas, wrote us 

 June 3 : 



"I am going to the Puillippine Islands as one of Uncle 

 Sam's boys. If the Phillippine Islands are a good place to 

 keep bees, I will likely take the fever." 



Mr. E. E. Hasty says, in the Review, that he won't have 

 his picture taken, because when he did the picture always 

 lookt sleepy. The idea of a man looking sleepy who;writes so 

 wide-awake ! Say, Hasty, you'll have to show us the picture 

 if you don't want your reputation for veracity shattered.— 

 Gleanings. 



Mr. Geo. W. Hufstedler, of Bee Co., Texas, the Presi- 

 dent of the National Queen-Breeders' Union, writing us June 

 4, said : 



"Bees are booming this season so far here. Mesquite is 

 just coming Into blossom now, and the prospect for a heavy 

 flow is fine." 



Dr. a. B. Mason, Secretary of the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Union, wrote us May 30 that he, as Secretary of the 

 Union, recently effected a settlement with a large city honey- 

 dealer for over three tons of honey that had been shipt him 

 last fall by a member of the Union. You see it pays to belong 

 to the new Union. 



The Alsike Clover Leaflet consists of 2 pages, 

 with illustrations, showing the value of Alsike clover, and 

 telling how to grow it. This Leaflet is just the thing to hand 

 to every farmer in your neighborhood. Send to the Bee Jour- 

 nal office for a quantity of them, and see that they are dis- 

 tributed where they will do the most good. Prices, postpaid, 

 are as follows : 50 for 20 cents ; 100 for 35 cents ; or 200 

 for 60 cents. 



