514 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June IS 



gambles in Cuba 





■^^w^. 



■r - 



Dtilrf^ToborcoBarn fp Howe 6^ Beavers f/ome. 



RAMBLE 204. 



Spanish Money; Foul Brood; Overstocking in Cu= 



ba ; Selling Cuban Honey ; Somerford 



as a Talker. 



BY RAMBLER. 



As the old adage goes, "If you touch a 

 man in the pocket you touch him all over;" 

 so it comes to pass, soon after landing in 

 Cuba, there is a sort of all-overish feeling 

 in the region of your purse. If said purse 

 has any money in it there are three valua- 



tions to it. First, it is American and stand- 

 ard ; next, it is the Spanish centen ($5.30); 

 it can be bought with $4.82 American mon- 

 ey; and next in value is Spanish silver. A 

 peso, or dollar, is worth 60 cts. American. 

 It looks like a rapid way to make money to 

 step up to a "casa de cambio (house of ex- 

 change) and put down $5 American and get 

 $7, but every thing you buy is gauged ac- 

 cording to the money in which you pa3'-. 

 The $7 will buy no more than your stand- 

 ard $5. In the case of honey it is paid for 

 in Spanish gold. A few months ago, when 

 I arrived in Cuba, honey was worth from 

 34 to 37 cts. per gallon. At the present 

 writing it is only 30 to 32 cts. ; or, the bee- 

 keeper taking out his local freights, etc., is 

 getting less than 2% cts. per lb., American 

 money. The dealers say that this reduc- 

 tion in price is all owing to the unsettled 

 condition of the sugar market in Europe. 

 It is to be hoped that said market will get 

 settled. Outside of Havana, Spanish mon- 

 ey is in general use; and, arming m3'self 

 with the necessary pesos and pesetas, I 



FIG. 4. — A BUSH OF CALIFORNIA BUTTON SAGE. 



