Call no.: SF523 .C765

The colleges founded as a result of the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 exerted a strong influence on all aspects of agriculture, including beekeeping. Hired as an instructor at the Michigan Agricultural College in 1866 (later Michigan State University), A. J. Cook offered one of the first collegiate courses in bee culture and through his writing and teaching, influenced an entire generation of American apiculturists.

Based on his series of lectures, Cook published the first American beekeeping textbook, The Manual of the Apiary, in 1876. It was an instant success. A pamphlet of modest length based upon his lectures, the book went through ten editions in less than ten years, growing with each edition. Cook graciously acknowledges the work of predecessors such as Langstroth, Bevan, and King, but offering an attempt at a comprehensive course on everything from basic natural history to over-wintering.

[ American bee books ][ Bevan ][ Miner ][ Langstroth ][ King ] [ Cook ][ Root ]