TTHK ItMERICaJM BEU J©ltJStFS|MEr.. 



«:eo. e. hii.xoiv's apiary, 

 and biooraphv. 



This was iu the suriimer of 1877 ; the 2 were 

 hicreased to 4 colonies, but being ou odd 

 sized frames they were soon transferred to 



The illustration in the next column shows 

 the apiary of Mr. Geo. E. Hilton, of Fre- 

 mont, Mich., which contains about iJO coio- 

 nies of bees. The octagonal building in the 

 centre is the honey house and extracting 

 room. The little piece of walls at the right 

 leads to the dining-room door, and the walk 

 running to the honey-house runs close to 

 the dwelling, which is just cut off at the 

 right of the picture. 



The tallest person in the foreground is 

 Mr. Hilton with his favorite hiving basket 

 in his hand. The boy at his right is his 

 little nephew and namesake, Geo. D. Hilton, 

 while Mrs. Hilton stands on the walk 

 further back. A new factory now stands 

 to the right of the buildings, at the back of 

 the lot, and has been built since the picture 

 was taken. 



The hives are painted, and so arranged 

 that there is first a red, then a white, then a 

 blue one in every direction, the rows run- 

 ning straight east and west, and north and 

 south ; the hives facing the east. 



Mr. Geo. E. Hilton is an energetic and 

 progressive apiarist, and we present an 



GEORGE B. HILTON. 



Illustration to show his personal appear- 

 ance, and have secured a biographical 

 sketch from which we extract as follows : 



Mr. Geo. E. Hilton was born Aug. 2.5, 

 1846, in Bedfordshire, England, near the 

 spot where John Bunyan wrote the world- 

 Inspiring book, " The Pilgrim's Progress," 

 while incarcerated in Bedford jail. His 

 parents moved to America when he was be- 

 tween 5 and 6 years old. 



He says that he was always attracted to 

 bees, and was never afraid of them from his 

 earliest remembrances, and that he " lined" 

 a bee-tree from bees working near the 

 kitchen, when only 12 years of age, and the 

 cutting of that tree resulted in his having 

 all the honey he wanted for the first time in 

 his life. He often said that when he be- 

 came a man he would keep bees. He often 

 sat by the side of an old log-gum watching 

 the "tireless little workers," and enjoyed 

 it much better than the sports usually in- 

 dulged in by other boys. 



His first colony of bees was a present 

 from his wife ; the parties of whom she 

 bought it had another, and he bought that. 



the American frame, and increased to 

 colonies ; but finding too much honey along 

 the top-bars, and learning of the Lang- 



stroth frame, they were again transferred, 

 and from that time until the present, his 

 success has been very gratifying. His honey 

 crop was largely in the comb, and for the 

 past 8 years his average per colony has been 

 about 75 pounds. The past season was the 

 poorest one. 



Mr. Hilton has a good library of books by 

 the best autliors on bee-culture, and takes 

 nearly all the bee-periodicals. He put the 

 first sections of comb honey on his home 

 market which were ever seen there, and 

 now has a large trade with surrounding 

 towns, seldom having to ship to the large 

 cities. He has helped many to start in the 

 business, and Newaygo county is fast com- 

 ing to the front as a honey - producing 

 county. 



A local organization called " The Fre- 

 mont Progressive Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion " exists, of which Mr. Hilton is Presi- 

 dent. He has always taken great interest 

 in convention work, believing it to be one 

 of the best sources through which to receive 

 and impart knowledge. He has attended 

 the "North American" whenever it has 

 been within his reach, and has never 

 missed a meeting of the Michigan State 

 Convention since his first attendance in 

 1881. He was elected Presidentof that body 

 in 1S8C, and re-elected in 1887. 



Mr. Hilton, in the Fremont " Indicator," 

 remarks as follows concerning East Sagi- 

 naw, where the last Michigan State Conven- 

 tion was held : 



Space will not permit me to sneak of all 

 the favors shown us while there. For 

 cleanliness of streets East Saginaw is next 

 to Detroit. For modern architecture in 

 public and private buildings, taste and 

 ornamentation, certainly she stands at the 

 head. The newspapers, too, gave us every 

 attention, devoting nearly a column morn- 

 ing and evening to the proceedings, and 

 none but favorable comments appeared on 

 their pages, which showed their reporters to 

 be gentlemen in their profession, whether 

 we deserved it or not. 



The bee-keepers of Michigan will long 

 remember their visit to East Saginaw. The 

 address of welcome by Mayor H. M. Tou- 

 mans was enough to make every one happy 

 all through the session. But, not satisfied 

 with this, he invited us in a body to look 

 over the fire department. Here an alarm 

 ©f fire was sounded two and a half miles 

 away, and in the twinkling of an eye the 

 gas lighted, the horses attached to the hose 

 cart, the doors flew open, and away they 

 went— the whole thing, except the muscles 

 of the men and horses, being moved by 

 electricity. 



Xlie Earliest January number of a 

 bee-paper on our desk is the "Canadian 

 Honey Producer," edited by our friend, Mr. 

 R. F. Holtermann. Mentioning his visit to 

 Chicago, and the late convention, he says : 



It was pleasing to meet with so many bee- 

 keepers—some old and some new faces. 

 Thanks to Mr. Newman, the editor the 

 American Bee Journal, of Chicago, the 

 accommodation was all that could be de- 

 sired. The second morning of the conven- 

 tion a party of us paid a flying visit to the 

 office of the American Bee JorrRXAL, also 

 the Museum of bee-keepers' supplies and 

 curiosities, and went through the factory 

 and ware-rooms of Mr. Newman's supply 

 business. Time would not permit the party 

 to examine all of interest to the bee-keeper 

 and supply dealer, but we felt amply repaid 

 in the information we gained by the in- 

 spection of the Museum. Mr. Newman was 

 in very poor health at the time of the con- 

 vention. His numerous friends will be 

 pleased to hear that he is regaining strength. 



