26 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



AMERICAN HOMES IN CL'UA. Rtsidence of Chas. E. Hall in La Gloria. Luilt of native 

 woods; palm thatched; twelve-foot porch on three sides; six rooms, kitchen and bathroom. Approx- 

 imate cost between $2,500 and $3,000. 



Cuban Beekeepers' Mistakes. 



"I would advise any American who 

 desires to settle in Cuba to locate in the 

 eastern pro^'inces, where there are many 

 Americans, and the people are very de- 

 cent." says Frank Reiman in Gleanings 

 in Bee Culture for Dec. 1. He says fur- 

 ther: 



"The greatest mistake the Cuban bee- 

 keepers make is to let the stock go too 

 long before introducing new cjueens. 

 Stock deteriorates very rapidly here, and 

 some new queens should be bought every 

 year. In Cuba it is impossible to raise 

 good stock, so we musi send to the 

 United States. Red-clover long-tongued 

 stock I find the best. Black bees we 

 can not use, as the moth-worms often 

 eat a super, honey and all, even when 

 the hive below is in good condition. I 

 think the great improvement in the 

 honey queens has been the cause of 

 overstocking the market more than any 

 thing else. With the black bees the 

 yield used to be from 5 to 10 lbs. a hive: 

 but now it is 50 to 100. In Cuba a good 

 hive of Italians can make a barrel of 

 money in a year when the natives make 

 only from one to five gallons a year. T 

 have since purchased and transferred 170 

 hives, and have now over 200 in work- 



ing order, and am waiting results in my 

 new district." 



Manzanillo, Cuba. 



To Make Bananas Grow. — The banana 

 needs a great deal of water, probably as 

 much as sugarcane, which was found in 

 Hawaii to be from 75 to 100 gallons per 

 pound of sugar. Bananas succeed well 

 under irrigation. 



The ideal banana soil is one contain- 

 ing an abundance of moisture without 

 being subject to periodical droughts, an 

 al)undance of humus and plant food, and 

 so situated that it is, or can be, drained. 

 Strong winds are ruinous to the banana 

 plantation. The large leaves of the ba- 

 nana plant are necessary for the making 

 of strong plants and first-class bunches 

 of fruit. Therefore, when cut into rib- 

 bons by the wind, vitality is lost and the 

 growth is checked. — Tropical Life, Lo.n- 

 don, England. 



The Cuban National Horticultural So- 

 ciety for 1909 officially announce an exhibit 

 of agricultural products, beginning Jan. 13 

 and ending Jan. 19, in the exhibition room 

 ofifered by J\Iessrs. Harris Bros., on O'Reilly 

 street. A large number of premiums and 

 ribbons will be ofifered. 



