1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



619 



The belt of trees and shrubbery on the left 

 of the picture — behind which is seen a portion 

 of Mr. Hooker's residence — divides the kitch- 

 en garden from the ornamental portion of the 

 grounds. 



The district of Sevenoaks is very favorable 

 for the production of honey, and Mr. Hooker 

 usually obtained a large quantity of comb 

 honey in sections of good quality, and found 

 no difficulty in disposing of it either in the 

 neighborhood or at Tunbridge Wells. In the 

 latter place he employed an old country 

 woman to take the sections round to the 

 houses of the resident gentry; and in this way, 

 after paying the old lady liberally, a market 

 was found for the honey at a good price. 

 Mr. Hooker is of opinion that a home market 

 can be found in this way in almost any dis- 

 trict for best honey, and that better prices will 

 be got than by putting on the market through 

 a middleman. On his leaving Sevenoaks the 

 apiary was disposed of; but, although living 

 so near London as Lewisham, Mr. H. has al- 

 ways kept f-everal hives, but, of course, the 

 jield of honey from so near town is always 

 small. — British Bee Journal. 



BEE-KEEPING IN THE DIFFERENT ISLANDS OF 

 THE SEA. 



Their Tropical Beauties and Special Attractions. 



BY W. K. MORRISON. 



People often write me letters, asking for 

 information in regard to the Bermudas and 

 West Indies as a country for bees and as a 

 place of residence. It is evident the writers 

 think that Bermuda forms a part of the great 

 West India chain, though it is much nearer to 

 Nova vScotia than to any Carribean island. 



Bermuda is just 19 3/ square miles in area, 

 hence there is no scope for bee-keeping. The 

 colony is, however, very healthy, and any one 

 with capital enough to buy a small place need 

 never want. In former times the Bernmda 

 oranges and lemons were famous for their 

 quality. The trade has disappeared, princi- 

 pally from neglect. The native peaches grow 

 well, have no diseases; but the plum curculio 

 destroys the fruit. This would be an excel- 

 lent place for a man who thoroughly under- 

 stands the culture of fruits. My own opinion 

 is that, for semi-tropical fruits, this island is 

 much superior to Florida. As nearly all food 

 is imported, the cost of living is high ; but an 

 American could and probably would grow a 

 great deal of his own supplies. 



What has been said of Bermuda applies 

 equally well to Barbadoes, except that the 

 living is cheap — very cheap — so that it would 

 be better to see that island. I would advise 

 Canadians to try Bermuda, and Americans 

 Barbadoes. This place (Bermuda) owes its 

 value (and its prosperity) to its military posi- 

 tion, being held to defend the great stream of 

 commerce that flows from the British Isles to 

 America. For these reasons persons who are 

 not subjects of Queen Victoria can not own 

 land. In other British colonies there are no 

 restrictions of any sort, and life and property 



are perfectly safe — safer than in London or 

 New York. 



Some of the islands are excellent fields for 

 bee-keeping, especially the "Wet" islands; 

 but it is difficult to get an exact idea of their 

 abilities in this respect. A live man would 

 hardly make a mistake in trying Grenada, 

 Trinidad, or Jamaica. Many things ought to 

 be thought of before making such a tremen- 

 dous jump, so to speak. He wouldn't bury 

 himself, either, as one might imagine, for the 

 people are fond of innocent sports, and with 

 the happy-go lucky African there is no end of 

 amusement and recreation. 



Most of the islands contain a public library 

 kept at public expense; also excellent botanic 

 gardens. Indeed, Jamaica and Trinidad both 

 have gardens superior to any thing of the 

 kind to be seen in the United States. St. 

 Vincent has one 150 years old. Most of the 

 islands have good churches, and all of them 

 good medical facilities. Barbadoes and Trini- 

 dad have good schools and colleges. 



In St. Kitts, St. Croix (Danish), Nevis, 

 Antigua, and Barbadoes the people, both col- 

 ored and white, speak excellent English. In 

 Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada, a French 

 patois is spoken, though eff'orts are being 

 made by the British government to change 

 this. 



Representative government has been given 

 up by most of the colonies, owing to the 

 heterogeneous character of the population. 

 Each island has some striking peculiarity to 

 distinguish it from the rest. 



Montserrat is famous for its healthfulness, 

 the Irish brogue of its inhabitants, and its 

 far-famed lime-juice plantations. Trinidad 

 has its Pitch Lake; St. Lucia has its Soufliere; 

 Dominica has its boiling lake ; Antigua its 

 duck -ponds, and St. Kitts its Mt. Misery. In 

 most of them the scenery is very fine. There 

 is nothing finer in the world than the scenery 

 of Jamaica as seen from the sea, with the 

 famous Blue Mountains in the hazy distance. 

 Nevis, the home of Alex. Hamilton, is a per- 

 fect gem of tropic beauty, but it saddens one's 

 heart to see so many fine ruins about the 

 island; for in the golden days of prosperity, 

 when Nevis was the Saratoga of the West 

 Indies, where wealth and fashion kept high 

 revel, it had 12,000 prosperous white inhabi- 

 tants. It now has 100. It would be a good 

 place for bee-keeping yet. If any one has the 

 money to spare he had better visit his would- 

 be home first. Most of the men who hanker 

 after Mexico or Cuba would succeed better in 

 a British colony, where the English language 

 prevails or is well understood, and where he 

 will enjoy most of the comforts of civilization, 

 and law and order well looked after. Most 

 of the islands are healthy enough. No in- 

 temperate man should ever move to the tropics. 

 He has no business there at all. Energetic 

 bee-men would probably do well ; but study 

 the situation well first. Such men ought not 

 to expect things to be the same as they are up 

 north, and it is well not to condemn things 

 till you are certain you understand the situ- 

 ation. 



Those who desire information at first hand 



