The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-05-21
A GLANCE AT CUBA.
THIS BEAUTIFUL ISLAND RAvAcEo BY
CIVIL WAR.
Its Sugar Plantations the Chief Source OF
Wealth 80. Other Products undressing
Features OF the City of Havana

Cuba Is larger IN aAed anu fNf
don and richer In natural resources
than is generally supposed. 1t mas
total area Of 1880 square miles ana
population of one and one half million
souls. The distance from its eastern
to its western extremity is nearly equal
to the distance from New York to chi
caro. To a soil OF unusual fertility ma
ture has added a climate which Is Pc
culiarly favorable to the growth OF GER
tain special crops Of great value. Inc
country may be broadly divided into
the region Of plains. the rolling up
lands and the forest lands. The low
lands form a practically continuous
belt around the island. and in them are
TO be found the great sugar plantations.
Above these. and on the lower slopes of
the hills. are found the grazing and
farm lands. upon which among other
things. is raised the famous Havana
tobacco. The balance of the island,
especially the eastern portion, is Gov
cred with 4 dense forest growth.
The sugar plantations form the chief
source Of wealth in Cuba. The cane
grows best in the level bottom lands,
which are cleared of all shrub and tim
Der growth for this purpose. Some OF
the plantations are of vast extent. in
Guiding as many as 10000 acres. and
they stretch away in unbroken monOt-
ony on all sides of the batey. which is
the name by which the collection OF
sugar mills. dwellings stables. etc. in
the centre of the plantation is known.
Roads or driyeways are cut through
the cane and radiate in all directions,
and along these the teams drag the
heavily laden carretas TO the mills. The
Cuban does not place a heavy yoke
upon the shoulders of the oxen. as we
do, but uses a lighter yoke, which he
lashes across the horns of each pair.
so that an OK pushes its load with
the head. At the mill the cane is un-
loaded on 10 an endless belt, which
carries it into the crusherS.
The crushed cane. which is known as
bagaSse, is used for fuel. and the ex-
tracted Juice is conveyed to large watts
where it is boiled At a certain stage
of the boiling it is transferred to pans
where it crystalliZes TO a brown sugar.
which is then placed in long cylindrical
moulds where the molaSSes is allowed
10 run off The sugar is now of a light
yellow color. and. to further cleanse it.
it is placed in centrifugal separators,
where the molaSses that still remains
is removed. and the sugar. which is
now fairly white in appearance. is
ready for export The average pro-
duction is about 1000 pounds to one
acre. In former days. when the work
was done by slaves. they We're housed
in quarters known as the barracon,
which We're located within the in
closure of the batey Although in some
parts of the island the laborers occupy
the old slave quarters. it is now com
mon thing for the laborers TO live in
separate homes. scattered in the neigh
borhood of the plantations. They are
| very primitive dwellings. and consist
of square frame of posts. upon which
| is nailed Il layer of boards. the inter
| stices being plastered up with adobe
| clay. The roofs are matched with
! palm leaf, the wood of this tree. which
| grows in great abundance. being used
for the posts and frame of the house
The celebrated Havana tobacco is
grown on the western end of the island
and the choicest quality is raised a
little 10 the west of Havana. chiefly on
the banks of the San Sebastian. 1t is
known as the ''vuelta abajo" tobacco.
and nearly the whole of it finds its way
to the royal courts of Europe. whose
agents have for long time past been
in the habit Of buying the whole crop
many years in advance. Genuine
vuelta abajo cigars will cost S125 a.
piece.
Although there is a certain monotony
about the appearance of the lowlands,
with their miles of sugar plantation,
there is no lack of beauty in the rolling
uplands of the interior. The grasses
are rich, and cattle raising forms one
of the staple industries of the country.
Coffee is raised in considerable GUAM
titles, and the land produces annually
two crops of Indian corn. which is the
chief cereal of Cuba. The principal
fruits are oranges. pineapples, plan
tainS, bananas and melons. The gem
eral agricultural industry. however,
whether it takes the form of fruit or
general farming, is in an undeyeloped
condition.
The forests of Cuba form one of its
most striking natural features. They
are estimated to cover fully two-thirds
of the total unreclaimed land. or some
12.000000 acres in all: and they are
so dense as TO be almost impenetrable
They are made up largely of hard
woods, such as mahogany and. the
Cuban ebony. and certain amount is
cut down for export The most valua-
BILE growth in the Cuban forests is the
palm of which the most common
species. the Palma real. is found
throughout the whole island. but more
particularly in the western half.
The cities of Cuba are fully as pic
turesque in their way as the surround
ing country, BY far the most important
of these is Havana. which is the CAPT
tai and the chief seaport of the island.