The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1898-04-21
ABOUT CUBA.
The Remarkable Natural Re
sources of the Island.

Now that Cuba is assured OF her
freedom it may be interesting to in
CURE into the resources OF the couC-
try and ask what may be her pros
poets for prosperity when she Is no
longer restrained and overtaxed by
the greedy government of Spain
The area of Cuba IS about $4,000
square miles. It's greatest length
is 7G0 miles and its breadth ranges
from 20 TO 1876 miles. Perhaps there
is no space Of earth in the equal in
size to Cuba that can begin to com
pare with her in the production OF
those things that are useful to man.
Antonio Morales, noted auth GRITTY,
has prepared a table showing the
variety and quantities OF the staples
that can be raised on tract of 50
acres in Cuba. A farm OF that size
produces in one year thou sands of
pounds of sugar, coffee, tobacco,
coca (chocolate). cotton, indigo,
corn, rice, sage, bananas and yucca.
The choicest lands in California
noted for the variety and quantity
of their products-can not approach
the soil of Cuba in this respect.
With it's mild climate, its exhuber
ant vegetation and the eagerness Of
The earth to respond to the slightest
efforts in the way of culture, Cuba
offers an ideal home for the man in
love with the agricultural life.
The commerce of Cuba, even un
der the blighting rule of the Span
lard, has been great. In 1898, be
fore the curse Of war fell on the
island, Cuta exported IT'S, 204 tons
OF sugar and produced 815, 1914 tons.
It's exports of molasses to the United
States alone in that year were 1854
hogsheads. OF rum the exports were
9308 pipes In 1898 the Cuban ex.
ports of leaf tobacco were 227, 1865
bales. OF manufactured cigars 147,-
365,O0O wers exported and of cigar
cites 39,591,493 packages. These
are only the main exports. They
show what may be done with the ex-
haustless soil and climate of the
island when its people were in con-
dition of virtual slavery at time
when chattel slavery had been abol
ished only seven years It is an
axiom of economic science that free
labor is indefinitely mere productive
than elave labor, and the industrial
growth of the United States is an
example Of the expansion of indus
try when enterprise is unhampered
by the curse OF slavery and by for
eign political interference. Cuba's
chief industries we've growing in
spite of the drain upon her before
the present war began, for in 1894
her total production OF sugar was
1,054, 214 tons, an increase of $685.
800 tons over the preceding year.
The natural resources of Cuba are
infinite, one May say, in variety. OF
her area only 10 per cent is under
cultivation, per cent is not reclaim
ed, and 4 per cent is under forests.
Great tracts of the island are practi-
cally unexplored. She had in 1894
a population of a little more than
100000. OF these nearly one third
have been starved to death during
the present war. Cuba could sup.
port in plenty population OF TO-.
100000 Her forests are stocked
with the finest wood in the world
wood, several species of which are
as hard as iron, turning the edge of
the ak and remaining imperishable
under water. There are found woods
invaluable for the dye industry, ebo-
ny, cedar, fustic, Lakewood, mahog-
envy, rosewood, jocuma, acana and
many others. There are so varieties
OF palm. Her fruits are valuable |
and little cultivated. The climate |
is admirably suited for the olive; and |
the orange, the lemon, the pineap
pie and the banana are indigenous
The mineral resources of the |
island are great, yet the mineral in.
dustries are in their infancy. Almost |
all the metals are found In Cuba |
There are gold. silYar. marcnry- com