1889 



GLKANING8 IN BEE CULTURE. 



585 



mencing beekeeping 20 years ago; but the result 

 has been far from satisfactory or up to expecta- 

 tions, as can readily be seen by referring to back 

 numbers of Gleanings, as follows: Page 744, 1883; 

 page 593, 1884; pages 192 and 381, 1885; pages 621 and 

 767, 1886, and pages 506 and 611, 1887. 



Now, what has caused this partial failure to se- 

 cure a paying honey crop this year? On the cor- 

 rect solutiou of this question depends the future of 

 bee-keeping in Cuba. Mr. Dussaq attributes the 

 failure largely to the abnormal season, which has 

 been as much so here in Cuba, as the past winter 

 was with you in the States. While that unques- 

 tionably accounts for a part of it, I am inclined to 

 think it is only a small part. There is no question 

 whatever in my mind, hut that we had fully twice 

 as many bees here this year as were necessary to 

 gather all the honey in our field. If Mr. Dussaq is 

 correct in his opinion, this will not ordinarily be 

 the case. I have watched the bees closely during 

 the past year; have studied the history of the Casa- 

 nova apiary for six honey seasons, and this one for 

 three; and it is difficult to resist the conclusion that 

 from 100 to 200 colonies of bees will store fully as 

 much honey in one location here as will 500 or 000. 

 There are probably locations in Cuba where this 

 rule doesn't apply; but 1 am afraid that it does in 

 this section of the island. Of course, a single sea- 

 son's experience doesn't positively prove this or 

 any other opinion to be correct, and we are now 

 working so as to have as many strong colonies as 

 possible in our 501) hives at commencement of next 

 honey harvest, and will give the matter a thorough 

 test. I hope the result will show that I am wrong, 

 as I shall be glad in this case at least, for the sake 

 of those who have invested so much money in the 

 business here, to part with some or all reputation I 

 may have for possessing a clear candid judgment 

 on bee-matters. 



Notwithstanding the very medium results so far 

 obtained, I find Cuba to be the most wonderful hon- 

 ey country I know any thing about, and have no 

 doubt that bee-keeping can and will be made a de- 

 cided success here, when undertaken under proper 

 conditions and in a proper manner. All of my ob- 

 servations, as well as all evidence I can get from 

 others, go to show conclusively, I think, that apia- 

 ries not too large for their location can be relied on 

 to yield from 200 to 400 lbs. of honey per annum each 

 colony, at a smaller relative expense than in the 

 States. All ideas of immense apiaries in one loca- 

 tion must be given up, and the same methods 

 adopted as respects scattering bees as has worked 

 so successfully with Messrs. Hetherington, Manum, 

 France, and others, in our own country. 



There are many things about our living here, 

 about details of management, etc., which I could 

 tell that would be of material value to any one in- 

 tending to handle bees in Cuba, and would be in- 

 teresting to many of your readers; but I hardly 

 think it would be of enough value to most of your 

 readers to 5pay for the space it* would occupy in 

 Gleanings. If you think differently, say so, and I 

 will try) to jot some.' of them down between this 

 and the busy season next fall. 



Havana, Cuba, June 1, 1889. O. O. Poppleton. 



After reading your first paper on bee- 

 keeping in Cuba (see last issue, page 53y), I 

 at once dictated an answer ; but Ernest, 

 overhearing me, remarked that the article 

 was to be concluded, so my answer was not 



put in last month; but with this explana- 

 tion I will give it now. Here it is: 



Now, friend P., you have, by your above 

 report, made me wonderfully inquisitive. 

 What do you do with a crop of honey 

 amounting to 50,000 pounds? What is the, 

 quality? Where do you sell it, and what do 

 you get for it? In your table I have not 

 noticed more than 7 pounds per colony in 

 a single apiary. A. E. Manum, away up in 

 Vermont, gets over HO pounds from a single 

 colony in a single day. Now, will he please 

 tell us how many bees were kept in the 

 same apiary, or in the same vicinity, when 

 he got that enormous product? Can't you 

 arrange by irrigation or something else, so 

 as to have honey every month in the year? 

 and, finally, is there a spot on the face of 

 the earth where Gleanings goes, where 

 bees make honey every month, winter and 

 summer? By all means let us have the de- 

 tails of management. 



FINISHING UP CELLS IN THE UPPER 

 STORIES OF FULL COLONIES. 



J. D. FOOSHE GIVES FURTHER PARTICULARS. 



RECEIVED Gleanings yesterday, and read 

 carefully your comments on my article on 

 queen-rearing. You express some doubt as to 

 its working, except under the swarming fever. 

 I will say, that, when 1 first found it out, my 

 bees had about passed the swarming fever. We 

 had some beautiful weather here in April, but very 

 few pretty warm days ia May, consequently we 

 had no swarming, or very little, in May. We had 

 almost all we had in April; so when I first found it 

 out there was no swarming; yet they worked out 

 as fine cells as any natural - swarm cells I have 

 ever seen. Any of mine will work out all I give 

 them after the cells are started, and will work only 

 those where the cells are started. I have not had a 

 single one refuse to work them out. Where cells have 

 been started I have had several built out since writ- 

 ing the article, and I must say that I have the ut- 

 most faith in the plan in any season of the year 

 where the upper story has bees enough in it. I 

 prefer placing a frame of brood of all stages in the 

 upper story by the side of the frame of cells. They 

 work only those cells out that are started, and no 

 more. They never pretend to start another. Un- 

 der the swarming impulse I don't know but that 

 they might start more cells, but up to the present 

 they have never done so. One main reason that I 

 prefer to give the colony a frame of brood is, that 

 we sometimes have sudden changes of weather; 

 and you know where there is no brood in the upper 

 story, bees are very apt to desert aud go below if 

 the weather is cool. With the frame of brood, the 

 bees will remain above, or sufficient to care for 

 cells and brood; and then, again, I think the frame 

 of brood attracts more nurse bees, and perhaps the 

 cells get better attention. It is a little strange to 

 place a lot of empty cells in the upper story one 

 morning, and go back the next morning to see 

 what advance they have made on every cell, not 

 leaving a single one untouched. So far as I can 

 discover, they seem to start on them immediately. 

 The cells that are started and transferred should 

 be started on eggs that are just emerging into a 



