James Heddon was prominent in beekeeping circles for many years, but he appears to have been a good advertiser and business man rather than a discoverer or leader. He advocated divisible brood chamber hives and his followers overlooked the fundamental necessity of plenty of room for brood rearing. Honey production declined steadily during the years when his leadership was popular and the final result was disastrous.

W. Z. Hutchinson was on the stage at the same time and unfortunately was misled by Heddon's arguments. Hutchinson founded the "Beekeeper's Review, " and became a very popular editor. As an editor, he has had no superior and few equals in the beekeeping field. He wrote a book, "Advanced Bee Culture, " largely devoted to the production of comb honey, which had a good sale for a number of years. He became well known because he occupied a conspicuous position, rather than because he made any original contribution to the craft. There are those, even now, who contend that the early volumes of the "Beekeepers' Review, " contain some of the best beekeeping literature anywhere available. Samuel Wagner was his only equal as a beekeeping editor.

In 1883, Henry Alley published "Beekeeper's Handy Book, " or "Twenty-two Years' Experience in Queen Rearing. " Alley offered the first really practical method of commercial queen rearing. He cut strips of new comb containing eggs for use in starting cells. With a match, he destroyed the eggs in every other cell, thus providing room for building queen cells and allowing them to be cut apart when completed. For a time this method was generally used and it was a great step in advance of anything in use up to that time. Doolittle's method of grafting into artificial cells made possible a much greater output and Alley's system did not long survive. Here we find a good example of how impossible it is to measure the permanent value of a man's work until long after he has passed on. For a time it appeared that Alley had offered a fundamental improvement which would be of lasting value, but only five years later Doolittle published his "Scientific Queen Rearing, " with a revolutionary method. His work was so well done that the author never cared to revise any of the chapters, although the book ran through many editions and is still in the market. With its appearance, Alley's system was no longer of interest and we seldom hear his name mentioned among beemen of the present generation.

This short list of names does not include all the American beemen who attained a considerable reputation among their fellows, but few others hold important claims to lasting fame.

If, perchance, some student a hundred years hence should come across this record, it is probable that viewed from that distance he would marvel that we even took the work of this number so seriously. Most human effort bears so little fruit and the results are so transitory, that it is a rare individual who offers anything which remains of interest to posterity.

wagner's contribution

When we carefully examine the record, we find that Samuel Wagner was in some respects similar to Hutchinson. His greatest service was that of an editor in selecting and presenting the best work of others. He had this advantage, however, he was thrown into contact with things of much greater importance.

Wagner translated Dzierzon's "Theory and Practice of Bee Culture, " before he made the acquaintance of Langstroth. When he saw Langstroth's hives and learned the details of his management of bees, he decided that here was something better and instead of publishing the work which he had translated at the cost of so much labor, he laid it aside and urged Langstroth to write a new book giving his discoveries instead. Thus unselfishly Wagner pushed aside the opportunity to secure attention to himself and directed it to another. He later opened the pages of his magazine to the defense of the Langstroth invention and was largely responsible for establishing securely the fame of the minister who invented the frame hive.

Wagner, also, was one of a group interested in the introduction of the Italian bee which has become so popular and so widely distributed in America. Although keeping himself in the background, Wagner made a large contribution to establishing bee culture in America. When he started his magazine there were few serious students of the craft and they were little known. In laying the foundations for a prosperous industry, he rendered a much greater service than is generally recognized.