280 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



has been known as the G. B. Lewis Company. Mr. 

 Parks proved a most valuable acquisition to the firm, 

 and remained actively interested until his death, in 

 1895. He was a man of great ambiaon, a mechanic of 

 the highest type, and by his inventive genius greatly 

 improved the methods of manufacture. He was also 

 the originator of many new niachines, and finally in- 

 vented what is now the well-known Parks pa ent 

 woven-wood and wire shipping ani packing b ^x. 

 Owing to his successful efforts in this latter venture, 

 he was sought by p-omoters throusihout the United 

 States, as well as England and France. 



The plant is situa e i in the garden spot of Wiscon- 

 sin. Surrounded ! y nature in its most beautiful form 

 it rests— peaceful without, though most active within 

 — on the west shore of the river, and, with its tall 

 smoke-vtackand piles upon piles of lunibe-, pre.sents 

 a most pic uresque s'ght. Adjacent to the factory the 

 beautiful Rock River dati rushes and rumble.s in sum- 

 mer-time to the aid of the great engine, until its rum- 



ble, growing fainter and fainter, Icses itself in 'the 

 dist^nt field>i beyond where it mingles with the hum 

 of the bees that profit by its toil. Conveniently locat- 

 ed is this la- ge industry, ea-ily accessible to the lum- 

 ber regions of Northern WisC' nsin and Minnesota. 

 In the year 1903, 800 cars of basswood, elm, poplar, 

 and pine were shipped into Watertown and switched 

 on to the G. B. Lewis Company's private tracks. To 

 the average layman this seems enough wood to supply 

 sufficiently the bre-ket pers of a continent. 



To arrive approximately at the bu-iness that is done 

 by this company in a fair season, the following facts 

 covering the year just past may be of interest : 50 car- 

 load order- alone, and 10 COO smaller orders as well 

 were entered and shipped: 10 tons of comb founda- 

 tion, thousands of hives, and 15.000,000 sections were 

 sold. The sections alone, if placed unfolded in a 

 straight line, would more than reach from Chirago to 

 San Franci co. 



This concern now occupies in the business world a 



