THE BEE-KEEPERS- REVIEW 251 



In the western part of Cuba, where the fine tobacco is grown, 

 thev have been unfortunate in the way of wind storms which have 

 at times done much damage; the eastern end, however, has escaped 

 these, the geography of the country being a protection against such 

 calamities. 



SCHEMES OF THE I.AND SHARPS. 



]\Iany land companies have circulated booklets and other liter- 

 ature to help sell their land at falmlous prices to inexperienced peo- 

 ple in the north, who in many cases know nothing about agriculture, 

 even at home, and that kind of people don't belong here, but they 

 make good easy picking for the land sharks, who care only for the 

 cash they can get ; one's success here being of little concern to them. 

 The writers of this misleading and false literattire are tisually those 

 who have spent a very short time here, and their knowledge of Cuba 

 is usually what some smooth individual has told them for the pur- 

 pose best suited to himself. There is much poor land here as well 

 as good, and it is hard sometimes to distinguish, so that a stranger 

 should go very slow and be very careful, as I know- of no Canadian 

 or English colonies where they would not take advantage, in order 

 to sell land, of your lack of knowledge of conditions and values; 

 probably not so much in the way of actually lying about what can 

 be done, but in being very careful not to tell what cannot be done, 

 and leaving a stranger in ignorance as to difficulties and objects to 

 be overcome with only plenty of time and capital. 



Any English colony with an honest management and the right 

 kind of settlers (who could and would do something) could be run 

 so that there would be profit to all, provided each colony or several 

 could be formed into a co-operative body that would pull together, 

 but through the greediness and crookedness of the promoters or 

 their pensioners many good places have been seriously handicapped, 

 otherwise their population would have been increasing yearly more 

 rapidly. 



SETTI.EMENTS ABE IMFBOVINCf. 



However, it is a pleasure today to see most of this class of the 

 old heads of these settlements down and out. and tlie settlers re- 

 maining are now going ahead and will, without doubt, come out all 

 right. In the beginning most Americans were fruit crazy and could 

 not think of anything else, consequently many have had to drop out 

 and those who have now pulled through to success have -earned it. 

 Today other crops are being grown so that something will be com- 

 ing in to help along while the trees are developing. Many are tak- 

 ing to bees, which are very profitable (and it has to be acknowledged 

 that a grove of fruit trees, of any kind, will yield much more and:: 

 better fruit if the pollen has been distributed l^y bees while gather- 



