The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-05-28
Cuba's Entombed Wealth.
The Future Possibilities of This Gem of the
Antilles.

Antilles.
The soil of Cuba has no rival, especial
ly for tobacco and sugar. One hundred
pounds of selected cigar wrappers will
sell for S400 or $500. Sugar cane yields
a larger percentage of SAGE harne matter
than that grown elsewhere. Thousands
of dollars worth of bananas are yearly
imported into this country, the planta-
lions having been greatly developed during
the last few years, still leaving millions
of acres of land adapted to the growth of
fruit, says a writer in the New York In
dependent. The plantain grows in
abundance, requires little cultivation,
and, as an article of food is alone suffi-
cient to nourish the human system. 1t
can be dried, ground and used as flour,
and should be as popular in this country
as oatmeal, and will be some day, when t
becomes better known. The cocoanut in
point of productiveness is next to tn e
banana. Cuban oranges will rank with
Florida fruit, and the finest pneapples are
raised, though the demand in this coun-
try seems to be for the cheaper qualities.
Among comparatively unknown fruit s
which could be cultivated as soon as a
market was opened for them are two va
rites Of the sopodilla, the brown and
green camito, the red Nancy, the yellow
Nancy, the former having been described
by some Europeans as "a fruit fit for the
GODS Then there are the mamon, two
species of guavas, The MANGO and several
species of fine berries to which no atten-
ton is paid on account of the plentiful
supply of the larger fruit The berries
al lodi Il IA rlc fr,i
The potatoes in Cuba are as fine as tie
Bermuda variety, and considerable guam
titles are imported into this country, sell
ing at s. and IS barrel. There are sew
eral varieties of the yam. They are sec
ond only to the plantain in it's nourshing
properties. The cassava, or manioc plant
is a wholesome and nourishing food. The
soil of the country is particularly good
for the growth of garden vegetables, and
the yield under new political conditions,
with capital, enterprise and scientific
methods Of cultivation, will be enormous.
The sugar crop, which now represents
over $40, 900, 600, could be increased ten
fold. The island contains about &, 900, 900
acres Of fine arabic land, about one-e eighth
of which is under cultivation, much of it
being worked in such primitive way
that it yields only about one half what it
would return under improved methods
A vast amount OF wealth is represented
III the forests of Cuba. The common ma
hogany of the island sells in Europe at
from $40 to $50 per 1000 feet; some of
very fine quality is worth from 800 to
5000 per 1000 feet, and one variety has
been sold for the remarkable price of
81, 250 per 1000 feet. There are millions
and millions of feet of this wood on the
island, Cedar is abundant and finds 4
ready market. There is a great need OF
better facilities for preparing and trans
porting these woods for shipment. The
lignum vitae has no superior in quality,
the ordinary selling from 50 to $50 a ton,
the choice from SD to $40, and the best
at about S45 per ton. There are 81 varie-
ties of the palm tree which is available in
the manufacture of hats and baskets, the
bark of the royal palm being used for
boards in the construction of the homes
OF the small farmers, the leaves of the
same tree being used for the roof. Among
other hard woods may be mentioned the
ebony, the acasa, used for rafters: the
sablna clmarons, something like cedar:
the jibui and caguiaran, for posts; the
noble blanca and roble amarillo, for win
dow and door frames carriages and ship
Quitting Tue SlanaulO, a CABINET wood.
and many other varieties, including the
majagua, from the tibrous bark of which
ropes are made almost as good as those Of
manila hemp. The area of the Cuban
forests is about s, 0O0 600 acres, and they
can furnish all the material for building
frame house without the use of a single
nail, strong and durable lianas being used
to fasten the heads Of beams. There is
also curious vine called the water vine,
about three inches in diameter which,
when cut in two will yield large guam
tlty OF pure, fresh water.
Within the past 80 years it has been
discovered that there are rich deposits Of
iron in the eastern and toward the central
part of the island. Some of this iron is
now being used by Pennsylvania smelters,
and an expert says that ''the whole east
ern part of the island is an iron mine. -
Manganese has also been discovered. and
there are millions of tons of this ore avail.
able An English syndicate has extracted
millions of dollars worth of copper from
the mines near Santiago. When intelli-
gent experts make a thorough explora-
ton, other mines and gold and silver will
doubtless be found