The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-26
a HONEY VENTURE IN CUBA.
ATTEMPT or AN AMERICAN. TO
WORK our 4 BRILLIANT IDEA.

There Were Acres of Flowers All the
Year Round, and He CaIcuAated
Upon Getting Two Crops of Honey
Year From His Bees, But Nature
Had Something to say About II and
said 1t.
From the New York Sun
me Havana steamer was so near to sail
,os mat the last whistle was blowing, and
those of the passengers who had friends
nervous.
Now you will be carried away if you
don't hurry one of the women said to a
eood-natured looking old gentleman who
had been wishing her pleasant voyage,
and apparently paid no attention to the
! whistle.
so much the better~ he exclaimed.
Then it will only be taking this steamer
&instead of the next one. I've no business
& up here in this cold weather anyhow
8They have driven me out Of Cuba once,
HUT I don't stay out, and you will see me
8there in ten days or two weeks
The old gentleman was off in good time,
Halter the way of such leisurely people, and
A as the vessel drew out from her dock he
n stood looking at her regretfully, as if he
wished himself back on her deck.
I'm half sorry didn't let her carry me
#away," he said, turning to the Sun man,
who was still close beside him.
Did you say that you had been driven
Tout of Cuba?'' he was asked
4 oh yesY' he laugheds driven clean
Tout. At least my business failed, and /
& bad to get out for want Of funds. No, the
4Spaniards had nothing to do with It, nor
q the Cubans either. 1t failed-well, 1 may
4say 1t failed through natural causes,
Il was in business up here in Orange
1county several years ago land still am, for
3that matter) when 1 discovered that had
&that grand American complaint, weak
hung. So 1 went to a doctor to save my
self from going further But 1 had to go
&further after ALL"
You must get-out of this climate the
Edoctor said, and go far enough south to
lind hot weather-not warm, but hot And
fdon't you come back here, before next
June t 81
That came like what is 1t they say?
Mike thunder clap out of. clear sky.
How could l go away for months and
leave my, business and all my employees?
Everything would go to smash
How many employees have your" the
Sun man asked.
Well" he answered, thoughtfully, ''it's
B hard matter to say exactly. But never
less than 10000"
Twenty thousand The man must be
either disguised railway company or an
accomplished fabricator.
81 You see,'' he went on, 81 am in the
honey business, and my employees are all
bees; all but two or three, who are men
and boys. Well, 1 got out the map and
found that couldn't find warm weather,
br hot weather. nearer than the West In
dies. So 1 decided on the south side of
Cuba. Not for any particular reason; I
Just decided on it.
We'll, I left a good man in charge of
by bees, and off / started in the steamer
Tor the south side of Cuba, for that place
that has so many names;.s st. Jago, or
Santiago, or Santiago de Cuba, or what
ever you like toscall it, The town that
was once the capital, you know. Fine old
town., too, oily A.sHtele &f9Sty. When
landed there l knew L struck hot enough
weather for If it had been any hotter
ID should have shrivelled. Then did just
las had been told / hunted up a good
doctor who spoke English, and asked his
advise.
. Don't stay down here on the coast,
said he; and don't take any medicine.
Get up in the highlands, and in month
pr two you won't know you ever had a
lung. Ten dollars
That sounded natural and sensible, and
ID followed his adviees. Cuba is good
fountry to travel In, you know, If you are
handy with a horse. or a mule, and 1
Raven't been a farmers boy for nothing.
got a mule and was soon up in the noun
ains You can't go a mile out of SANTA
10 in any direction without striking either
fountain or salt water. | found banana
anter's family who took me to board,
IND soon learned enough of their lingo to
ak a little, and had good time with
Hhem.
Sure enough. what the doctor told me
Mas true Ia few weeks / didn't know
whether I had any lungs or not, for, they
have me no trouble l was out doors all
Day, but always in at night, and began
40 turn brown from the sun and strong
*offee. They live on coffee down there, and
bananas and jerked beef. l was a great
band for prowling around on my mule,
Bud 1 struck son@ queer places, mostly
Abandoned-not on account of the war. but
tld coffee estates given up years ago.
I'VE were ON a plateau eight or ten miles
Back; but most of the old plantations were
Ight on the edge of the mountain, running
ways down the side. There was one In
"a rticular that / took a great shine TO;
be old stone house, partly in ruins;
mounds so big you couldn't tell where they
6egan or ended and asView. View? Why
friend, you could sit on the front porch
q that old, house and look across the wa
m and on clear day see the mountains u
Bmalea. Every day is clear, down there
nostly, so you could see them all the time;
FUSED to sit there by the hour looking az
n lem. so that if anybody asked me when
"A home whether I'd been to Jamaica,
nuld say No; but I've seen il.
81 As I was saying, the grounds OF that
b ace were very large. There were acres
4hd acres so full of flowers you could
tck bouquet anywhere. / suppose there
/ u a good flower garden to begin with,
fd when the people left the wind scat
#red the seeds, and they spread, there
ping no cold ever TO kill thin. While
was looking at the flowers one day
"a eat idea came to me. Just like flash.
This Is great lung country I said
myself; nothing like it. But what's
~ matter With it for bees Why it's the
#eatest honey country in the world Look
all these flowers in bloom every month
a the year! Look at these orange bios
pms, banana buds, gdava blossoms, hon
81 slckles, and a Thousand more things.
home the flowers bloom only six
4pnths in the year, and the other six
little rascals lie idle and eat up half
honey they've made. But they're in
q trious by nature. and down here they'll