GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTtlRE. 



Sept. 1 



grown pig' between them with its feet tied 

 to a pole, and squealing- for dear life. Aft- 

 er the swinette band liad passed we finish- 

 ed our dinner in peace. 



This calzada from Havana to Guines is 

 even better than the one west from Havana. 



PALM-SHEDS AND HONEY-HOUSK OUT-APIARV 



There is not so much heavy travel upon it, 

 and we were happy in having- a stiff breeze 

 at our backs; and, just to see what we could 

 do, now and then we made a kilometer in 

 two minutes. This calzada is also shaded 

 by avenues of large trees. The laurel pre- 

 vails, and now and then a cebia, the larg- 

 est tree I have seen on this end of the is- 

 land. 



Every thing- went happily until we reach- 

 ed Guines and the end of the calzada. 

 Here we found nine miles of road, and the 

 contrast was almost great 

 enough to break your heart. 



We found Senior Frederico. 

 ns he is called here, living- in 

 the suburbs of the little town 

 of Catalina. Its chief features 

 are palin houses, tliatched 

 roofs, and a railroad. Senior 

 Fred lives in single blessed- 

 ness, and has a Cuban lad of 

 about 15 for a cook, and he 

 served our meals in g-ood style 

 — considering. Senior l^'red 

 owns a caballeria of land, and 

 leases several hundred acres 

 for cattle and hog pasturage. 

 At the time of our visit he had 

 700 colonies of bees in three 

 apiaries. He practically con- 

 trols all of the honey pastur- 

 age round about Catalina. 

 He thought he would increase 

 his c "lonies up to 1000 and 

 then stop. A g-reater num- 

 ber, with the attendant in- 

 crease of apiaries, would be 

 too much to attend to, and he 



would have to depend too much upon hired 

 help. 



I found there was a brotherly disag-ree- 

 ment upon this point as well as upon sever- 

 al others. While W. W. wishes to increase 

 to as grand a deg-ree as the heavens and 

 earth would allow. Senior Fred 

 set himself to a limit. 



While W. W. prefers the ten- 

 frame hive. Senior Fred prefers 

 and uses the eight-fraine. He 

 reasons that the honey comes 

 during the winter, during- the 

 coldest weather and shortest 

 days. An eight-frame hive holds 

 the heat, and the bees fill their 

 hives and ripen their honey 

 better. He has no place for 

 Jumbo hives; has one in his 

 home ajiiary on trial, and that 

 is one too manj^ 



When Senior Fred starts an 

 apiary, the first consideratio i 

 is a good palm shed for shade 

 and shelter. Such sheds as are 

 shown in the photos cost about 

 $1.00 a yard. Corrugated iron 

 costs one-third more, and not so 

 cool. During the rainy season 

 they protect the operator if he 

 desires to examine colonies. 

 They are a further benefit to 

 operator and bees during- the heated term. 

 These sheds are so thoroug-hly construct- 

 ed that no light enters except under the 

 eaves; and it is so shady behind the hives 

 that a veil is dispensed with in the manip- 

 ulation. 



W. W^. advocates and uses the Cowan 

 four-frame extractor. Senior Fred uses the 

 two-frame in all of his apiaries. He has 

 used the four and six frame extractor thor- 

 oughly during the past twelve years, and 

 has settled, to his own satisfaction, thattlie 



PALM SHED, INTERIOR. 



