1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



85 



CLIMBING THE ROYAL PALMS IN CUBA. 



The cuts accompanying this article were 

 made two years ago when I passed the win- 

 ter in Cuba. I examined the apparatus at 

 the time, and thought when I got home I 

 "would instruct the grandchildren how to 

 •climb telegraph-poles with a similar arrange- 

 ment ; but I found myself unable to do it. 

 Perhaps some of the Cuban bee-keepers, 

 when they see this, will be kind enough to 

 send us instructions. My impression is, 

 however, there is just one single piece of 

 rope with a stirrup on one end, very much 

 like the stirrups used in ordinary saddles. 

 With that single piece of rope the man 

 would go up a royal palm with very good 

 speed. There are two loops around the tree, 

 as you will notice, with quite a piece of rope 

 •dangling several feet below the man. He 

 puts one foot in the stirrup, as you will 

 notice, and the other leg is placed across the 

 loop of the rope. While pulling up the stir- 

 rup he holds himself by this loop, which 

 comes just under his thigh. After the stir- 

 rup is drawn up he rests on the foot in the 

 stirrup, raising the knee, which permits him 

 to lift up the loop up near his head ; then 

 resting on this loop he pulls up the stirrup 

 again. I saw him do this, and took his rope 

 In my hands, and looked it all over and 

 thought it very simple; but when I got home 

 I had forgotten how to do the trick. It is 



A CLOSER VIEW SO THE ARTIST COULD SEE 

 HOW THE APPARATUS IS MANAGED. 



CLIMBLVG THE ROYAL PALMS IN CUBA. 



not hard work at all, for the experts such 

 as you see on the tree will climb the tallest 

 trees, cut off enough of the bunches of fruit 

 or berries to make a very fair wheelbarrow- 

 load, and let them down on the ground at 

 only five cents a tree, and they make very 

 good wages at that. Unless one is careful, 

 and understands the trade, there is some 

 danger that he may tip over, head down and 

 feet up. I think he steadies himself by his 

 toes when his hands are not clasped around 

 the tree. 



You will notice something dangling by the 

 side of both men. It looks like the scab- 

 bard of a sword. Well, that is a Spanish 

 machete— a tool that always accompanies 

 every workman. But you need not be 

 alarmed. It is not often used as a weapon 

 of warfare or defense. The Cuban uses his 

 machete much as we Americans use a 

 pocket-knife or a hatchet. As a tool it is 

 used to a very great extent for almost every 

 thing, whether he cuts brush, weeds, or digs 

 in the ground, and ever so many other things 

 that you would have to stay in Cuba a while 

 to understand. 



One of our American bee-keepers bor- 

 rowed the rope and undertook to climb. He 

 not only made hard work of it, but our 

 Cuban friend said it was dangerous business 



