1884 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



303 



Western Michigan could tell some sorry tales of his 

 dealings with them. 



Knowing what I do of this man Beek, I feel it 

 nothing short of duty to warn all shippers against 

 having any deal with any firm with which this Beek 

 is connected. I do not know his initials. 



Medina, O., March 36, 1881. Walter B. House. 

 On page 2(33 of our last number, friend 

 Stewart gave us an article in regard to send- 

 ing honey to commission men. That article 

 should have followed the above. It seems 

 to me yet, that there should be some way to 

 get hold of a man who changes the name of 

 his firm in order to get out of settling his 

 accounts, and i am glad of the opportunity 

 of warning bee-keepers against a man who 

 has been up to that sort of business. 



THE ISIi.VIND OF CUBA AND HER CAPA- 

 BILITIES. 



no BEES GET L,AZY IX WARM CLIMATES? 



fAM not the owner of this enterprise. The api- 

 ary is owned by J. & P. Casanova. The Casa- 

 — ' nova brothers own large estates in Cuba, as 

 well as in the United States. They are American- 

 ized Cubans; though born in Cuba, they were edu- 

 cated in the United States, and are enterprising and 

 go-ahead men. Not only are they the tirst to try 

 the experiment of keeping bees in their native coun- 

 try upon the most improved plan, but the first in al- 

 most all enterprises that have for their aim the im- 

 provement, the advancement, and general welfare 

 of their country. With this last enterprise (bee- 

 keeping) they are bound to succeed. After a two 

 months' experience here I am more than ever im- 

 pressed with Cuba as a home for the honey-bee. 

 For 60 days there has been no holding up — to-day 

 only repeating itself to-morrow; sunshine and flow- 

 ers and honey, and the end is not yet ; for if we are 

 to judge by appearances, there seems to be no fall- 

 ing off of bloom in this great hot-house of nature's 

 own building, where the desert winds that sweep the 

 plains and foot-hills of California, carrying death in 

 their very breath, never come; where a six-months' 

 imprisonment within their ice and snow bound walls 

 is not necessary ; but basking in God's own sunlight, 

 365 days in the year, the Cuban bee works on, giving 

 the lie to foul calumny's polluted touch, that " bees 

 get lazy in a warm climate, and will not work." 

 They do not. Let any who have such foolish ideas 

 as the above in their heads, come to our apiary now 

 in mid-winter, and note with what energy they hur- 

 ry to and from their hives. Place a sheet of founda- 

 tion in a brood-chamber, the next day finds it drawn 

 out and filled with eggs and honey, tells but too 

 plainly that they have lost none of their ambition 

 by being transplanted from the North to this climate 

 beneath a tropical sun. Never have I, in any coun- 

 try or climate, seen better prospects for success 

 than I see here. 



HOW MUCH HONEY HAVE WE TAKEN? 



We are not running for honey this year, it being 

 the intention of the owners to increase this home 

 apiary to 500 colonies, then establish branch apiaries 

 at different points on this vast estate, till thousands 

 of polonjes contribute to the grand result. We take 

 but little heed to the exact amount of honey coming 

 in; but to get it out of the way so thequeeqapan 

 l»Yi ap4 thf^t wg JPP7 feaye broQ4 fo (iivlde, }e ?l?oiat 



all the note we take of it; but it is honey, honey, all 

 the time — too much honey. Bee-keeping is no ex- 

 periment in Cuba. For many long years before the 

 movable-frame hive was invented, have these busy 

 little workers contributed their mile, in the shape of 

 tons of honey and wax, to enrich the pockets of 

 man, and they were kept (and are to-day) in the most 

 primitive way— hollow logs, and boxes about Ave 

 or six feet long, laid horizontally, being all the hive 

 the native ambition has ever aspired to provide as 

 homes for those th it work so incessantly and un- 

 complainingly for their benedt. Their mode of tak- 

 ing the honey is as primitive as the hives. The boxes 

 being opon at cither end, they smoke the bees back 

 to the center, and, with long knives, cut the honey 

 out, in as far as they cnn reach; then go to the other 

 end and go through the same process, not being 

 very particular whether Ihcy get hU honey or part 

 pollen; and if there are a few sheets of brood mixed 

 in, it does not hurt. The whole mass is mashed up 

 together, and the honey strained out, and the rest 

 made into wax. They tell u^, that during this De- 

 cember, or winter flow, they cut the honey out as 

 often as evei-y 15 d;iys, and, of course, the bees have 

 the comb to bull 1 anew every time, and they get as 

 high as V) gallons (every thing here being reckoned 

 by the gallon). If you wanted to buy feathers for a 

 pillow, you would have to buy them by the gallon; 

 if you want a turkey for Christmas, or a roasted 

 swine for the Fourth of July, it's all by the gallon. 



A. W. OSBURN, 



San Miguel de Jaruco, Cuba, W. I. 



Thanks for the interesting facts you give 

 us, friend O. We are very glad indeed to 

 know that energy and enterprise are to be 

 brought to bear in developing this land of 

 sunshine and tlower^. 



REGARDINO THE REPORT OF THE 

 TORONTO CONVENTION. 



FBIE>'D MUTH OFFERS SOME SUGGESTIONS IN RE- 

 GARD TO THE MATTER. 



fj RIEND ROOT: —Unable to read for some time, 

 I just had read to me the article of March 19, 

 — 1881, of A. B. J., headed, "The Vice-Presidents 

 of the National Convention." There appears to be 

 something wrong, which should be corrected with' 

 out delay. 



When at the convention at Toronto, I was under 

 the impression, and some one told me, that the sten- 

 ographer was employed by some journal, and we 

 could get from him the report of our meeting for 

 $100. which seemed, to some of our friends, an ex- 

 travagant charge. Not having charge of the matter, 

 I dropped it and heard nothing of it until by the 

 above-named article. I had not supposed that any- 

 body had been hurt, and was only sorry that our 

 members should do without the report of the con- 

 vention. 1 had stated to our friends the amoijnt of 

 money in the treasury at the time. The amount 

 now is .'SKJTOo— ample means to defray the expenses. 

 Having been asked by very many friends Jor the rcr 

 port of the convention, and feeling safe in saying 

 that it will yet bo a matter of great interest to all, I 

 for one am in favor of having the report of our Na- 

 tional Convention ac Toronto printed in pamphlet 

 form, and a copy presented to e\'ery member of the 

 association, as we agreed at the convention. This 

 you wllf Pipage communjcate to t}je pj-Prps}denti 



