2xG 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



of it afterwards, what a capital picture 

 E. R. Root might have gotten with his 

 camera if he had been there. There 

 would have been only one drawback — 

 the lack of light — the stars had come out 

 while we were talking. 



The doctor asks me to try some ex- 

 periments and see if the bees really do 

 choose larvae more than three days old. 

 Doctor, I don't know the size of a larvie 

 that is three days old. Let me tell you 

 just what I do know about this matter. 

 I know from a great number of trials that 

 when bees are given larvie of all ages 

 from which to rear queens that some of 

 the queens are very poor; while if given 

 only eggs, or ju.st hatched larva:-, all of 

 the queens are good. 



I did think that Bros. Taylor and Miller 

 would finally wear out this sic (kening) 

 controversy, but it seems that I shall be 

 compelled to do something that I have 

 never done before, that isarbitrarially cut 

 off a discussion. 



There, it is done; and it was not such a 

 difficult job as I had supposed it would 

 be.— Kd.] 



CUBA. 



The Prol)al)k' Reason why Mr. Popjileton 



Secured so Lhtle Honey from Ko\aI 



Palm. 



o. o. POPPLETOX. 



\N page 202 of the Review for July Mr. 

 Snyder draws attention to what seems 

 like a difference of opinion between Mr. 

 Somerford and myself as to the value of 

 the Royal Palm as a honey yielder. This 

 difference is more seeming than real; and 

 arises from the fact that what I said 

 about the Royal Palm was not as full and 

 detailed as it might have been. 



My two years of bee-keeping in Cuba 

 were in what I think was a largely over- 

 stocked locality; we having from 400 to 



5(X) colonies in our own apiarv; besides, 

 there was at least one native apiary close 

 by. There were large numbers of the 

 Royal Palms near us, but they were not 

 a source of surplus honey. About 15 

 colonies, sav three per cent., did store 

 more honey than they used from May 

 1st to Oct. 1st; but not to exceed 5 lbs. per 

 month by any one of them. About one- 

 third of the apiary held its own with- 

 out feeding; while the remaining two- 

 thirds had to be fed for months. Both 

 of the seasons, while I was there, were 

 nearly alike so far as honey yield was con- 

 cerned. My experience was exactly as 

 slated in the article referred to by Mr. Sny- 

 der; viz., that a Royal Palm w-as not a 

 yielder of surplus honey. 



Mr. Somerford 's experience was proba- 

 bly with localities not so badly over- 

 stocked as mine; and I have no doubt but 

 what he told his experience just as cor- 

 rectly as I told mine; in fact, judging from 

 thecr}', I should think that bees not in 

 an overstocked locality would get surplus 

 hone}' from the Royal Palm. 



The bulk of. the surplus honey, aside 

 from that from Bellflower, comes mostly 

 in March and April; and most of it is from 

 a flowering tree, that grows along the 

 roafls and fences; I do not remember the 

 name of the tree, so omitted to mention 

 it. The honey is not, in my opinion, 

 equal in either flavor or body to buck- 

 wheat honey; while it is very nearly as 

 dark. 



No, I purposely said nothing about 

 foul brood in Cuba, because I knew noth- 

 ing about it personally; and I try to fol- 

 low the rule of writing about such things 

 only as I have a personal knowledge. I 

 only heard through Mr. Somerford, either 

 just befor^', or just after, leaving Cuba, 

 that the disease was in the Cassanova 

 apiary. Those who had personal know- 

 ledge of the facts could give them better 

 than I could. 



Stuart, P'la., July 24, 1899. 



