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GI.EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1. 



ed by the weather. In early spring, linn is 

 especially susceptible to cold damp weather at 

 the time of budding out, at which time a few 

 days of unfavorable weather will ruin the 

 prospect for honey from that source, and about 

 one year in four it is entirely ruined, and one 

 year half ruined at this time of season ; later 

 on, at the time of flowering, if a little drouth 

 strikes it but half a crop can be expected. 



From this count, putting the two half-years 

 together to make a good year, striking out the 

 bad year entirely, we see there could not be 

 counted on more than two honey years in 

 every four. 



With these painful facts ever in mind I was 

 always ready to move when I thought by so 

 doing I could better my financial results. 

 Therefore, having heard a great deal of Cuba, 

 which was said to be, after the war, almost a 



THE BULI<-MAN ARRIVES. 



"field of vines and flowers with no bees to 

 gather the wasting nectar," further on you 

 will see to what extent I was able to verify the 

 above statement. 



Getting 200 strong four-frame nuclei in 

 shape with a frame of honey and three of 

 brood, and the amount of bees I thought 

 proper, I put on them some covers and bottom- 

 boards that lacked two inches on each edge of 

 being as wide as the hive, whereon both at 

 bottom and top on each edge, or four strips to 

 the hive, the wire cloth was put on, which I 

 thought would give plenty of ventilation, 

 which proved to be a mistake. I loaded into 



a stock-car. This kind was preferred, as it 

 seemed to give such nice ventilation, and the 

 weather not yet cool, as it was September, and 

 that month in the central part of Texas offers 

 usually but little change from the month pre- 

 ceding. 



The open stock-car gave entirely too much 

 light, as the result of my experience, though 

 with the thumping and jarring of the car they 

 crowded to the strips of wire cloth where the 

 light from the open car was strong, thus de- 

 serting their brood, and all that was unsealed 

 was lost en route. 



After a trip of 130 miles, which occupied 

 about 20 hours, lying on sidings, waiting for 

 connections, etc., upon arriving at the sea- 

 port I found that, owing to some misunder- 

 standing, the ship could not begin loading for 

 two days, notwithstanding . the fact the ship 

 agents had wired me they expect- 

 ed to be loading the day of my 

 arrival. 



In the meantime I took care of 

 the bees, which required consid- 

 erable attention, for I found quite 

 a few colonies had enough dead 

 bees below to prevent the circula- 

 tion of air from below, the strips 

 of cloth being literally closed or 

 clogged with them. I spent the 

 two days in tearing loose the wire 

 cloth, cleaning out dead bees, ty- 

 ing in broken-down combs, and 

 putting them as nearly in shape 

 as was possible, and in so doing 

 many bees were released or flew 

 out ; besides this, in the town 

 were many colonies of bees: the 

 few broken combs with the scetit 

 of wasting honey soon attracted 

 plenty of bees to intimidate pass- 

 ers-by. This did not amount to 

 so much, though, because this was 

 one of the outer wharves. The 

 boat was chartered for horses, cat- 

 tle, and jacks, this being the only 

 kind that plies between Galves- 

 ton and Havana direct. The pas- 

 senger-boats go round by New 

 Orleans. 



Dame Rumor, vile serpent that 

 she is, whose tongue seems to be 

 loose at both ends, soon had the 

 story stalking around town that 

 bees were to be shipped on the 

 steamer to Havana, Cuba. The 

 ever alert newspaper correspond- 

 ent soon scented a subject, and the next morn- 

 ing's paper stated in a rather cunning way 

 that a cargo of bulls and bees was being pre- 

 pared to sail — 700 of the wildest bulls of Tex- 

 as were to be shipped together with a carload 

 of bees, a carload of Texas bronchos, and 

 three cars of wild jacks and jinnies, and 

 with this beautiful combination of livestock 

 aboard the good ship the interesting journal- 

 ist thought if calm reigned without it would 

 be all that could be expected, and that peace 

 within would be impossible. That the lion 

 and lamb could lie down together was perfect- 

 ly feasible ; but for bulls, bees, jacks, jinnies, 



