268 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 1. 



representative lot of his honey. He replied 

 that he had already sent his best sections to 

 Mr. Hutchinson, and that he presumed a view 

 of them would be given in the Reviczc. How- 

 ever, he would have a photo taken of some of 

 his next grade. This he did and sent it on, 

 and the engraving herewith shows what Mr. 

 Aspinwall calls second-quality honey in plain 

 sections. I suppose he called it "second 

 quality" because it had peek-holes in various 

 places. If that honey had been reproduced in 

 old-style bee-way sections we should have 

 called it "extra quality." At all events, I 



ASPINWALL'S SECOND-QUAI<lTY HONEV IN PLAIN SECTIONS 



think it would fill the bill for Fancy as per 

 specifications adopted at the Washington con- 

 vention. 



No wonder Mr. Aspinwall has sold off all his 

 first-quality, and had very little left of his sec- 

 ond. I am just Yankee enough to want to 

 know how much this comb honey netted him 

 for first and second quality. During the past 

 year, average comb honey in old sections 

 did not run, I think, over 10 cents on the av- 

 erage to the bee-keeper, and perhaps not that 

 after freight and other expenses were taken 

 out. Perhaps Mr. Aspinwall will tell us some- 

 thing further about it in the Review. 



W. F. MARKS, OF NEW YORK STATE ; THE 

 SPRAYING-BII.I, ; APIS DORSATA. 



Yesterday, March 24, we had the pleasure 

 of a visit from Mr. W. F. Marks, of Chapin- 

 ville, N. Y., a bee-keeper whom I called on 

 while making my last bicycle-trip through 

 that State. My visit to his place is described 

 on page 57 for last year. Ever since I met 

 Mr. Marks I have been impressed with the 

 fact that he is one of the leading and influen- 

 tial bee-keepers in his State ; in fact, he is a 

 born fighter. It was largely through his en- 

 gineering that needed legislation was secured 

 against spraying while fruit-trees were in 



bloom. Everybody opposed him except intel- 

 ligent bee-keepers ; but, with that indomitable 

 energy which is characteristic of the man, he 

 whipped bee-keepers' associations, farrners' 

 clubs, college professors, experiment stations, 

 Senators, and Representatives into line. Mr. 

 Marks has recently been made president of 

 an association that is about to combine all the 

 bee-keepers' societies of the State into one ef- 

 fective working organization, and I expect to 

 see things hum in that State soon. 



I have suggested that he look after needed 



foul-brood legislation in his State. If he takes 



hold of it he is 



bound to get what 



he wants. 



He is an enthu- 

 siastic bee-keeper ; 

 and, besides push- 

 ing measures cal- 

 culated to benefit 

 the whole fraterni- 

 ty of the State, he 

 has done some ex- 

 perimenting on his 

 own account. He 

 has been testing 

 sandpaper, sand- 

 wheels, etc. , for 

 cleaning propolis 

 from sections ; and 

 although he has 

 tried all grades of 

 paper, from fine to 

 coarse, he has come 

 to the conclusion, 

 after repeated tests, 

 that sandpaper will 

 fill up or gum up 

 with propolis too 

 soon to make it a 

 success. He does not claim that machine sec- 

 tion-cleaners can not be made to work, but 

 only says that /ir so far has not been able to 

 obtain satisfactory results. 



In talking with friend M. regarding T supers 

 and section-holders he expressed himself de- 

 cidedly in favor of the latter ; could not see 

 how Dr. Miller or any one else could prefer 

 the T super, and he has given both a thorough 

 trial if I am correct. 



Our readers will also remember Mr. Marks 

 as one of the ardent champions of Apis dorsa- 

 ia : and while I at first opposed any move- 

 ment on the part of the government, looking 

 toward the importation of these bees into this 

 country, believing it was an effort in the 

 wrong direction, yet friend Marks whipped 

 me into line — that is, to his own way of think- 

 ing. And he whipped, later on, the whole, or 

 nearly the whole, Buffalo convention into the 

 same channel. The result was, he secured a 

 resolution which was at least not unfavorable 

 to the big bees. 



He had with him, here at Medina, some of 

 the dorsata in a small vial of alcohol. If you 

 can imagine nice Italians soaked in alcohol, 

 one-third or one-half larger than usual, you 

 will have a fair idea how these bees look Of 

 course, there are minor structural differences ; 

 but the casual observer would almost call them 



