774 



GLEANl^•Cib 1^ BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



had been started, the rope broke and down 

 came the box, almost catching- him under 

 it and eradicating him. 



I was pleased to find all of these novel 

 devices, for it shows the doctor to be much 

 of an inventor, and resourceful. He has 

 another apiary of about 200 colonies within 

 a few miles of Artemisa, and near to Mr. 

 Hochstein. 



The doctor's helpers were very hospita- 

 ble; and when we left they proffered us 

 milk and coffee, arid we parted from them 

 with " muchas gracias" and the proper 

 number of adios. 



In Guines valley we found a few Ameri- 

 cans doing a prosperous business at winter 

 gardening. Their tomatoes and egg-plants 

 were shipped to the States. W. W. stopped 

 to interview every one of them. None of 

 these parties was up to bees, and I doubt 

 if the business would have been profitable 

 in their locations; for on this trip we found 

 places where appearances were against 

 honey production. But W. W. had a very 

 hopeful view of matters; and after we struck 

 the smooth calzada we fell to discussing, or 

 W. W. did, or, rather, gave a series of lec- 

 tures upon almost every known topic, from 

 the descent of Darwin to the ascent of Santos 

 Dumont. He had just changed oft' from the 

 planet Mars as a honey country to the prob- 

 able fate of the Sphynx of Egj'pt, when he 

 startled me with the energetic exclamation, 

 '"Why, hello. Rambler I here is an apiar}\ 



How in time did we miss that when we 

 came south?" 



"Don't know, Bro. W. W., unless it was 

 when we had that heated discussion about 



m 





KOA/rxAJ 



'cJ^cmc, yi^r^Tiy^ 





THE FIERCE CUBAN BEE-KEEPER. 



a flying-machine. That is a new apiary 

 too; two or three hundred colonies; shall 

 we stop and view it?" 



"Of course, we will," said W. W. "I 

 believe that apiary belongs to those aduana 

 men in Havana — just what I wanted to 

 find. Let's find out if they are getting 

 much honey? " 



"Why, yes," said I; "there 

 istheir top buggy under the shed. 

 One or both of them must be here, 

 sure." 



With happy — yes, almost joy- 

 ful — anticipations we hastened 

 to the cabin. Around it were 

 piles of new bee-hives. W. W. 

 shouted, and rattled a cover on 

 an empty hive, and made noise 

 enough to arouse the seven sleep- 

 ers. We were anticipating the 

 appearance of a person with a 

 smile on his face, the glad hand 

 extended, and a cordial welcome. 

 Our faces were wreathed with 

 our happiest smiles, when sud- 

 denly a stranger, a Cuban, came 

 around the corner of the cabin. 

 Well, you never saw smiles drop 

 quicker. I really thought W. 

 W.'s whole jaw was going to 

 fall. That savage Cuban, with 

 his ever ready machete, ordered 

 us oft' the place. 



' 'Noone allowed to look around. 

 Vamos, Americanos ; dogs and 

 every thing." 



"But can I take a photo? " 

 "Vamos, camera; vamos." 

 We did vamos; but I reflected 

 that the savage Cuban did not 

 own the whole country, and 

 mounted the stone fence across 

 the calzada and took a snap shot; 

 but, owing to the strain on my 

 nerves, the photo was N. G. 



