The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1892-09-21
THE MARKETS OF HAVANA.
UNIQUE SIGHTS IN THE METRoP.
OILS OF CUBA.
Produce Carried to Market on Mule
Back--The Hucksters and Their
Wares-Milk Dealers.

bhCk-Ine buCksttFS anu lltAt
Wares-Milk Dealers.
" MONG the most interesting
N sights Of a unique and inter
~ esting city are the markets OF
Havana. A visit to them helps
the stranger to the better understanding
of the methods of life not only of the
city people but of the country dweller5
as we'll, and shows strikingly the curious
mixture of races that goes to make up
the population. There are three large
markets, each one occupying huge low
stone building plasterod on the outside,
the manner in which, most of the build
ings of Havana are constructed, and
constituting a block by itself. APP
preaching the market during the busy
hours of the morning we iud the streets
on every side almost blocked by heavily
ladened mules, just in from the country,
carrying produce of every sort. The
roads throughout the island are so bad
that almost all heavy loada, except sugar
cane and the huge casks of sugar and
molasses, are carried in this way.
Panniers made of very coarse bagging,
or woven from straw, or of palm fiber,
are fastened upon either side of the
mule, and then filled with merchandise
until the mule is almost hidden from
sight. In this way almost every sort of
fruit and vegetable is carried, also
cocoauuts, corn-fodder, live chickens,
live pigs, cans ofmilk an whatever else
the country may send to supply the
town. Corn-fodder is one of the prin-
cipal articles of this commerce, as it is
almost the only feed that is used for
the horses and COWS kept in the city. 1t
grows all the year through, rarely attains
a height of more than four feet, and is
cut when the grain if hardening. Then
it is tied IN bundles and bound on mules
until nothing but the nose aud tail of
the animal can be seen, and SO brought
in to market.
The hucksters and traffickers who
come with the mules are as varied and
curious as the wares they bring. There
are Cubans and Spaniards of the poorer
class, Indians, Coolies and GInjivos-
the native men of the mountains. They
are ragged, dirty, uncouth lot, shoeless
and hatless, sometimes tramplng along
beside their loads, and again mounted
upon the very apex of the crowded pan
niers. 1t may be seen at glance, not
only from their own roverty-strlcken
look but also from the leanness of their
beasts, that they are wretchedly poor.
A visit to their homes would still further
emphasize this fact, as there are few
poorer habitations known to civilized
man than the palm-bark cabins of these
Cuban small-farmers. But they are
good-natured and apparently happy. On
arriving at the market they are noisily
busy for an hour unloading their mules
and arranging their wares for sale. Or.
anges are poured from the panniers into
large, fiat baskets, until one wonders
that they could have held so many. The
baskets, holding perhaps bushel and
half, are lifted upon the head--the ia.
vorito way here of carrying all burdens -
and taken into the market. Then there
are pineapples and plantains and ban
anas, as plentiful'a as apples or potatoes
with us at home; these are all ridicu.
lously cheap, dozen fine oranges for q
dime, a good pineapple for five cents, OF
the very best for ten, and as many ban
anas as you care to carry for dime.
The potatoes here are quite as fine as
one would see in any Northern market.
There are also those other tropical fruits,
sapotas, sapodillas, and some whose
names | could not easily ascertain, curl
Gus looking, many of them with rough
brown coats, all of them sweet and, to
Northern palate, somewhat insipid. In
midwinter there is in the vegetable
booths everything that we have in mid
summer, new corn, celery, lettuce, ont
ons, tomatoes, artichokes, ETC., aud there
are some curious looking messes, ready
cooked, of which the odor is enough for
us. 1t goes without saying that there is
dirt everywhere, for these people are not
at all cleanly, when judged from the
American standpoint.
The interior of the market is given up
mainly to the sale ef things eatable. The
outer portions, fronting upon the streets,
are filled with booths of various sorts
where one may buy thousand things of
little value, and hardly anything of real
worth. One may buy poor candies, |
flowers made into gaudy bouquets, imi-
tation jewelry, cheap toys, brilliantly |
colored pictures and books with strik. |
ingly illustrated covers, decalcomania |
supplies-this seems to DO favorite
decorative art-cheap little wooden
statuettes of the saints, in fact anything
and everything that is calculated to catch |
the eye and the money of the ignorant
and unwary. There is much noise and
wherever two or more are
gathered together, or where even the
smallest commercial transaction is beng
The people, though most
Of them are dressed in rags, show some
bit of color that helps to enliyen the
scene. Old crones, perfect witches in
form and feature, hobblo about selling
herbs, charms aud lottery tickets. Chi
lamen sit stOlidly behind counters
whereon are shown delicately carved bits
Of ivory and finely worked boxes Of
scented woods.
Tne milk dealer is about the only
merchant of any sort who cannot be
found in the market. But he is Just
now going along the street outside,
irving his herd before him aud stopping
1t each door to draw, direct from the
ow such supply as may be wanted.
Most of the milk used in the city is
procured in this way, aud almost at any
lour herdsmau may be seen in the street
irving half dozen cows or asses be-
ore him from house 10 house. -Ameri-
IAN Agriculturist.