702 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



Bible, too, which he reads in English. On last Sab- 

 bath for the first time, he having asked to go to our 

 church with me, went up, and, kneeling at the altar, 

 commemorated with us the death and sufferings of 

 Christ. How my heart rejoiced to see it! I brought 

 the cup to him, and by faith I could see him, years 

 hence, preaching Christ to his people, and giving 

 the cup to them as I was then giving it to him. Let 

 all who pray, ask God to bless this dear boy, and 

 make him a blessing to his people. 



May 13, 1889. R. W. Munson. 



Singapore, Straits Settlement, East Indies. 



Friend M., we are exceedingly obliged to 

 you for the beautiful picture and the excel- 

 lent photograph from which our people 

 have succeeded in making so good an en- 

 graving. The picture and description fairly 

 make one's mouth water. I think I should 

 especially like that great big jack-fruit, for 

 I almost always like any thing that anybody 

 else does; and as they are God's gifts, I 

 think it is our duty to be careful how we 

 pass them by with careless indifference. If 

 you had the arranging of the display, I 

 don't quite see why you put in the bottle 

 and glasses. But very likely somebody else 

 who does not feel as you and I do did the 

 arranging. You did not tell us about the 

 beautiful ferns ; but I suppose they were 

 put in to set off the whole. I suppose it 

 would not be possible to have these fruits 

 shipped to us as they ship bananas, pine- 

 apples, and cocoanuts, else we should have 

 had them before this time. Aud now may 

 God bless you in the work yon allude to in 

 your closing remarks, t was especially 

 touched with the expression, " I have learn- 

 ed to love them dearly." Dear brother, 

 that is the kind of spirit that wins souls. 

 When we love humanity for Christ's sake, 

 we are on the right path ; yes, when we get 

 where we can love even our enemies, the 

 work is almost done ; for, in the majority 

 of cases, before we have loved them long they 

 are enemies no longer. "We say amen to 

 your concluding sentence. May God bless 

 not onlv that dear bov, but a thousand more, 

 and raise him up to do the work that needs 

 doing. 



CUBA AND ITS HONEY RESOURCES. 



OUR OLD FRIEND A. J. KING DISCUSSES SOME OF 



THE POSSIBILITIES OF DEVELOPMENT ON THIS 



ISLAND : AN INTERESTING LETTER. 



fCCA-SlGNAL letters of inquiry, and articles 

 from time to time in your columns, relating 

 to bee-keeping in Cuba, induce me to con- 

 tribute a paper for the information of any 

 who may be thinking of emigrating thither 

 in order to better their condition as honey-produc- 

 ers or otherwise. To premise, I have visited the 

 island three times, and, in the aggregate, 'spent 

 more than a year in founding and operating apia- 

 ries, so that what I have to say is derived from 

 experience rather than theory or secondhand in- 

 formation. 



The island of Cuba, from its most eastern point 

 to its western terminus, is about TOO miles long, and 

 has an average breadth of about 66 miles. A range 

 of mountains, occupying nearly a central position, 



traverses its entire length, in miniature much re- 

 sembling the backbone of a fish. In the eastern 

 portion they attain a height of from 50(0 to 6000 feet 

 above sea-level. As they approach the west, they 

 gradually diminish in height and abruptness, until 

 within 300 miles of their western terminus they will 

 average only from 1000 to 1500 feet high, and the 

 declivities are so gentle that in many portions they 

 admit of profitable cultivation over their entire 

 surface. Numerous small streams, originating in 

 these mountains, flow north and south to the sea, 

 being often diverted from their courses by solitary 

 peaks and ranges of hills, giving rise to numerous 

 beautiful and highly fertile valleys, capable of 

 supporting a dense population. While most of the 

 coast-line is undulating, yet there are in some por- 

 tions near the river-mouths quite extensive tracts 

 of level lands, sometimes marshy. Considerable 

 forests abound, especially on the eastern and south- 

 ern declivities, and are, or should be, valuable on 

 account of their fine hard woods. I obtained at 

 one mill 19 varieties, cut in the immediate vicinity, 

 embracing ebony, cedro, hookero, mahogany, and 

 others equally valuable, but of names not easily 

 pronounced. The proprietor was under contract to 

 f urnish a railroad company several hundred thou- 

 sand ties, 5x8 inches square, and mostly mahogany. 

 It seemed to me a pity that such magnificent tim- 

 ber, fit for the finest of cabinet work, should be 

 used for such a purpose. 



ITS VEGETATION. 



Nearly all vegetables raised in the United States 

 do fairly well here. Northern fruits are cultivated 

 to a very limited extent on the higher portions of 

 the island; but as a rule they are not well adapted 

 to the climate. Tropical and semi-tropical fruits in 

 great variety are plentiful in nearly all places, and 

 at all seasons of the year, so that one does not 

 greatly miss any thing in that line. Oranges, limes, 

 lemons, etc., which in our own Florida require for 

 their successful culture time, money, and knowl- 

 edge, grow here in profusion with little or no 

 attention. 



The production of sugar, tobacco, and coffee, are 

 the three leading industries depended on for money- 

 making. Yet with a little American sagacity there 

 are scores of other occupations which might be 

 made equally remunerative, both in the agricultu- 

 ral and manufacturing line. A field of sugar-cane, 

 once planted, is good for from 10 to 20 years with- 

 out replanting, and the enriching of the soil by 

 manuring is something I never yet have witnessed 

 in Cuba. To give your readers a more concrete 

 idea of the immense fertility of Cuba lands, it may 

 be stated that, in 1878, over one-third of all the 

 world's supply of sugar was produced on this island. 

 Couple this with the fact that only a little more 

 than one-fourth of the land is under cultivation, 

 and only a portion of this devoted to cane-fields, 

 and you begin to realize something of the future 

 possibilities of this neglected country, should it 

 ever come under the starry banner of Uncle Sam- 

 uel. 



I should like to speak of the romantic and beauti- 

 ful scenery of mountain and valley; the caves and 

 grottoes glistening in the torch light like millions 

 of diamonds; the hillsides covered with royal 

 palms (the queen of all trees); the splendid water, 

 the general healthfulness of the climate, and a 

 dozen other subjects of more or less importance; 

 but as I am writing for a bee-paper I must forbear, 



