Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-08-08
NO. 30.


sugar hhu 4AANhNy IN CNVAs
It may have been because II was in for
oign land, or perhaps il was because Of the
distressed poverty Of the planters, but the
picturesqueness Of plantation life was missing
from what witnessed in Cuba. On the road
side, rising in snow-white columns from q
bowery park Of tropic trees, was the magniH-
cent hacienda Of the planter-but II was
empty, he was bankrupt, and those who
had loaned money that he could not repay
wore harvesting his cane. The very sight of
the waving cane was saddening, for sugar had
been a drug in the market, and is grown at q
loss. Germany and Spain had combinedly
wrecked the business, and with II the entire
island. Germany by an overproduotion Of
cheap beet sugar and Spain by o thousand
extrayagances Of stupidity, one OF which, the
exaction Of an export tax Of nearly three
quarters Of cent pound on sugar, was suf-
fcent to put Cuba at disadvantage in the
market.
The plantations must be kept up, or they
will go instantly to ruin, and 30 Cuba has
been selling her sugar for less than II cost.
Twelve dollars a hogshead was the loss one
planter said he was suffering. There was an
other reason for selling IT, The usuers who
had assisted the planters took the crops and
sold them for what they would bring In the
mean time Spain asks this year Of the tax.
payers more money than the entire sugar crop
will bring. There are one or two English
and American planters who are rich enough
to hold their sugar for a rise, and these are
instituting reform which will, IL generally
carried out, put Cuba beyond the line at
which competition can hurt her. They are
going to irrigate their fields. Cane needs a
great deal more water than nature supplies
BY irrigation the Sandwich islands fields are
made to produce seven TO nine hogshead an
acre, whereas Cuban fields with vastly supe-
rior soil bring forth, without extra water, only
about four hogsheads TO the acre. Then, too
labor costs too much, and new machinery,
which greatly reduces the present waste, is
needed all over the island.
But for the slaves. A turn of the main
road, which ran between the cane fields, sud.
denly brought to view 100 iot black men,
women and children hard at work cutting the
stalks, Kidding them of leaves, and loading
them on wagons. The men wore straw hats,
hickory shirts and cloth trousers The women
seemed to have on nothing more than a tur-
ban or straw hat and a calico dress with no
skirts under il. The white orbed picaninnies
wore every sort of attire. Some of the boys
were clad only in trousers and hats, other
smaller ones only in shirts. There was not a
| pair Of shoes in the crowd. They were all
| robust, but did not seem happy. They neith-
energy and persistence than one would sup
pose the climate permitted or the slave sys-
tenn produced. 1t was wonderful to see the
| dexterity Of the men with their machetes
Swinging the long, bright blades in graceful
| curves, with one blow they severed the leaves
from the top of the stalk, with another they
cut the stalk off near the ground, and then,
after hinging it on its pile and while It was
in air, they struck it in the middle 90 that it
fell in two pieces. The machete is q wonder
full implement and does more work in Cuba
than any other tool. 1t is nothing but g big
| blade, "a to 30 inches long and one to two
inches broad, with one edge and a straight
| handle. The Cubans fell trees with II, cut the
wood for their houses with it, fight with it,
| kill cattle with 1t, and use II in more ways
than there is room TO enumerate here. It is
q sword, m axe, q scythe and q knife.
Another group of slaves made black patch
before the open end of the mill. They un-
loaded the cane from the carts, ripped of
leaves that had been passed by the first hand
lers, and fed the big trough, down which the
stalks were swept into the enormous crusher
which at the other end sent the Juice pour
| ing like water fall into tank, and cast out
the mangled cane in broken, dry heap.
The administrator, or overseer, as he was
| called in the South, stalked about, now among
| the negroes at the carts, now in the fields, and
| now in the mill His beautiful little dwelling
| its clump of palms, bananas and cocoanuts its
| blazing oleanders and heavy scented magno-
| lias, and the shaded verandas on its sides,
formed cool oasis in the hot scene. How
| different a home it was from that of the
| slaves Theirs was a barracks square,
one-story building, enclosing a great open
central court. A hallway led from without
into this court, and at the doorway stood q
| guard who seem also to have charge of the
| store room-a combination boot and shoe,
| clothing and drug emporium, containing slave
supplies. Beyond was the open court, its
sides marked with a double tier of doors, the
upper tier being skirted by balcony. Every
thing was plain and barn-like. Not O copper
had been wasted for ornament. Worse than
all, the whole place was filthy. Each door
| opened into hot closet, the home of a fami-
ly or two men. Mulberry street contains no
| such squalid homes. The cells in the tombs
are delightful by comparison. Upstairs, one
big room was a nursery and another was the
hospital.
There were many babies and several women
lying-in. 1t is said to be q fact, sinifcant as
well as curious, that the slave women who
used to be Averse to bringing forth children
| are now equally eager to be mothers Child
rem born to them now will be free men and
free women. few years ago to bring ba-
by into the world was simply making hand
some present to the master, a fine addition TO
his capital. NelO York Sun.