iQ-2 



THE A3IERWAN nEK-KEEPER. 



Xo 



ihrr 



in full bloom at Christmas time). 

 Scientifically it is a convolvulus (not a 

 campanula as was figured in one of our. 

 periodicals several years ago), genus, 

 ipomoea; species, sidaefolia. The few 

 species of the genus found in the States 

 are the morning glories, only one of 

 which, ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) 

 is of materia] value to the human race. 



All the fc-pecies of the genus I know of 

 are vines with heart-shaped leaves and 

 bell-shaped flowers, the one which 

 furnishes so much honey in the West 

 India islands being the most profuse 

 bloomer of them all. At times the 

 bloom is so abundant that hedges and 

 stone fences look like snow banks 

 from a distance. It commences to 

 bloom late in November, continuing 

 until late in February, January being 

 the month of greatest bloom, with De- 

 cember a close second. The quality of 

 its honey is good; color, white, with 

 good body and rather mild and pleas- 

 ant flavor. It is the equal of white 

 clover honey in color and body, and in 

 flavor I would rank it as next to that 

 best of all honeys. Other plants and 

 trees furnish some honey, but the royal 

 palm is of the most value, I think, not 

 because it gives any surplus honey, but 

 because it yields every day in the year 

 and seems to be the only source of 

 honey from May to September. Many 

 colonies unless fed will starve to death 

 during the summer, and many more 

 would but for this tree. Large apiaries 

 have been the rule in Cuba, all move- 

 able comb apiaries I know of having 300 

 to 600 colonies in one locality. I think 

 this is a mistake, but had no chance to 

 learn whether smaller apiaries would 

 do better. 



I think it will readily be seen from 

 what I have said that the main points 

 one needs to look well to when decid- 

 ing on a location in those islands are, 

 first, a locality with plenty of agviinal- 

 do and royal palm; second, nearness to 

 a port from which honey may be shipped 

 to a market, and third, very close prox- 



imity to a railroad or a good macada- 

 mized road leading to a port. While 

 there are other desirable conditions 

 that should be secured in a location if 

 possible, these three I have given are 

 the most important. 



My personal experience was in the 

 country a few miles west of Havana, 

 but as well as I can learn, conditions 

 are very similar in the other parts of 

 Cuba, and also in Porto Rico. 



I have not attempted to go into de- 

 tails of bee-keeping in Cuba, as it 

 would be useless to attempt it in a pa- 

 per like this. Many of the details it 

 would be well for anyone who expects 

 to go there to know can be found on 

 page 539 of Gleanings for 1889. 



O. O. POPPLBTON. 



Advanced Methods of Comb Honey 

 Production. 



[Ileml lielbre tlic V. S. B. K. f. Convention at 

 Omaha, Neb.] 



The subject assigned me by your 

 worthy secretary is an important one. 



The greatest difficulty in dealing 

 with It consists in the large number of 

 supposed-to-be superior systems and 

 everyone wedded to his own. But for 

 all that the advancement recently 

 made in the fine art of taking comb 

 honey is marvelous indeed, and I often 

 admire men and methods. Presuming 

 the object your secretary had in view 

 was that this paper shall be helpful 

 rather than a delineation of many and 

 conflicting methods, I shall in the main 

 confine myself to my own system, be- 

 lieving it to be the best. 



First of all, quality and reputation 

 must be maintained, even if necessary 

 at the expense of quantity. The foun- 

 dation must be faultless. The filling of 

 the brood chamber at the approach of 

 the clover flow or main crop with su- 

 gar syrup I regard as a most pernicious 

 practice. 



I state this with due respect for the 

 views of others. Later on I will give a 

 better way. May I digress long enough 



