PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE. 
When the former edition of this work appeared, in 
1866, it marked a great advance in the literature of the 
Apiary, and at once became the standard authority. 
Very soon after its issue, the process of extracting honey — 
was introduced, and almost revolutionized the practice of 
bee-keeping ; this had hardly become an established suc- 
cess when comb-foundation demanded attention, and re- 
quired other modifications of former methods. These 
great improvements were tested, simplified, and adopted 
by Mr. Quinby, and with a view to present these and 
other new methods, he was planning a new edition, when 
his sudden death occurred, at the age of 65. Thus was 
arrested a career of nearly half a century, during which 
he had devoted himself to the improvement and devel- 
opment of bee-culture, all of the fruits of which, in dis- 
coveries and inventions, were freely given to his fellow- 
laborers and the public. 
Though Mr. Quinby was prevented from preparing his 
contemplated new edition, the results of his later years 
of labor are not lost. The work fell to the hands of Mr. 
L. CO. Root, his son-in-law, as well as his business associ- 
ate for many years. That Mr. Root is favorably known 
as an Apiarian, is shown by the fact that he was, for 
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