Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-04-25
A SUGAR ESTATE In CUBA.
Visit g Cuban Country Eoune Ne
srKl6ed-A sugar Man and How is
IL Worked.


9 large sugar estate in the interior Of
Cuba. The writer saws: This ssInoenio
Hormigueron Ingenio being tae Spanish
term for sugar estatel is little nrinci-
pality In itself. With its 3. 600 acres
nearly, Of sugar cane. its rich lands, its
great mill filled with the most expensive
new machinery, its more than comfort
able dwelling house, and its large num-
Der OF smaller dwellings for the work.
men, 1t Is one Of the finest sugar estates
IN Cuba. The Messrs. Pouvert, are. /
believe, both natives Of America, of
French descent, and they have given
their attention to this plantation for
many years. Here they live throughout
the grinding season, "from December TO
April, every year, sometimes spending
the remainder of the year in New York
or Paris, and sometimes staying here
throughout the entire year. Both the
gentlemen having families, there is plenty
OF company in the large house, and they
do not suffer from the lonesOmeness OF
the situation-for q sugar plantation is
necessarily isolated, and its owners are
compelled to rely upon their own re-
sources for amusement. The house, like
all Cuban country houses, is one-story
high, with broad, steep tiled roof,
and with the cool front veranda so shad-
cd with green vines that the house can
scarcely be seen. Such a dark, cool
and airy sitting room as the yeranda
thus becomes, is invaluable in a
hot place like the south side of Cuba;
even before 0 o'clock we began to feel
| that we were down In latitude Is. With
its cool brick floor and Its rows of COM
Portable rocking and easy chairs, it is
just such place as one would want to
find In the middle of hot day to doze
away the afternoon in. And that is
about all that any one cares to do in
Cuba, for the heat in the middle of the
day makes it not only uncomfortable but
unsafe to be long exposed to the sun.
The veranda in all these southern coun-
tries, is the best part of the house. 1t is
the parlor. the library, the general liy-
ing room. Without one, and good
one, house in tropical climate would
scarcely be habitable.
The mill stands Immediately opposite
the house, 200 or 800 feet away, and as
it is open throughout, without walls to
obstruct the view, the owners can sit on
the veranda and watch every motion of
the machinery. If anything goes wrong
they can be on the spot instantly and
help set it right. AS the machinery is
nearly noiseless, and there are none of
the Objectionable sounds or smells in
separable from most mills, this is an adj
mirable arrangement. Indeed, they carry
it even further than this, and tho ladies
make sort of sitting and sewing room
of one end of raised platform which
supports the evaporators, and keep
there table and collection of rocking
chairs to be used when wanted. From
this elevated position they can watch
every piece of cane that goes between the
rollers, see the entire interior of the
mill and at the same time keep an eye
upon every person who goes IN or out Of
the house. After breakfast Mr.. Ponvert
took US over to the mill, and explained
the whole process of sugar making. The
entire plantation is laid out In lots OF
three or four acres each, with many miles
of streets or roads between them, and
eight or ten miles of railroad track rum
ming from one end of the place to the
other, on which the cane Is brought to
the mill in cars There are so many Of
these lots that map is kept, on which
the condition OF each lot is indicated BY
| 4 different color. IF the cane on one
lot has Just been cut the fact is indi-
Gated by one color: If it is ready TO be
cut. by another color. The cane is
brought TO the mill and stored
in great heaps in convenient
place near the rollers that crush the
Juice out of it. There are three large
heavy iron rollers, and after the cane
poes between them it is squeezed dry.
| IL Is carried up to the rollers automati-
callv on q moving platform like that on
which the horses walk in thrashing
machine. and comes out crushed and
sapless. The juice is carried off in pipes
"a the boilers, ard is boiled down and
run through evaporators and other con-
trivances till ell the liquid part OF It be.
/ comes molasses and all the solid part
sugar. The cane now yields much
/ LARGER percentage Of juice than It did
few wears AGO, under the improved ma
! chinerv for extracting il, but this ma
| chinerv costs money 1t comes from New
work most of il, and the engines, boilers,
evannrators and all the other machines
necessary for setting up complete
modern sugar mill cannot be purchased
for less than $500, 600. About that
amount has been put il this mill at Hor.
mi0nero within the last year, and still
there are additions to be made. There
/ Il q locomotive to be purchased, Tor IN
stance. to take the place q oxen
| Is drawing cane to the mill, and
-l.ck~;r lishfs are % BE put in next sea-