Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-08-12

eainly q relief rom both OF THESE oughc
to compensate to a greater or less degree
for tho competition of the beet.2 All
One thing 10 oertain-sugar must be
produced on q large scale, with the most
improved machinery and under intelA-
gent, energetic management to Yield
good returns. Old methods we're waste
full to q degree, but had given way in
good part to new ones more appropriate
to the last decade Of the nineteenth CEN
tury. Scientific machinery was imported
from Germany and the United States.
All the best mills had electric light
plants, so that they could be kept run
ming night and day. Various economies
were introduced which In large atab-
lishments made q considerable difference
in the receipts Of year. ~ ~; = .s's.,
Native farmers customarily supply
the cane, the business Of extracting q
low grade of sugar Being in the hands
Of both foreign and domestic capitalists.
These improvements had not been car
ried far in all the mills The big CON
Germs found it cheap to pay German
or other chemist %, 900 year to super
intend the process. Some Of the Cuban
manufacturers had not reached this stage
Of enlightenment and continued TO en-.
ploy ignorant men as overseers. They
were likely to get q quarter less sugar
out Of the cane than their more skillful
and intelligent competitors e.
Men familiar with the situation warn
Americans who are going into the sugar
business in Cuba to do so with all pos
sible circumspection and only under the
most favorable conditions Many fac
tories are now in the hands Of extremely
able men, native and foreign, who get
the best possible returns out Of them. #
there is rush into this industry, only
those who can turn out the product
most economically will make money.
The soil seems capable Of growing many
additional acres Of cane, and unless beet
sugar proves too formidable a rival
there will be q great stimulus to the
trade in Cuba. The tendency has been
there, when sugar yielded the heaviest
returns to capital, to give up everything
else for it, just az In the southern part
Of the United States farmers raised lit
tie but cotton. This singleness Of crops
has its obvious disadvantages, and bust
ness men here who know the circum-
stances advise caution in putting up new
sugar mills. At the same time they are
confident that, run on first class business
and scientific principles, such ventures
will prove successful. -.
Valuable woods grow on the noun
tain sides Of Santiago province. At pres
ent, for all commercial purposes, they
might as we'll be situated on the noun
tains Of the moon. All the mahogany,
cedar, ebony and other trees that COM
mand good prices have been cut from
the lands that are near the avenues Of
transportation. The rivers are not more
than creeks. After unusually heavy
rains they become torrents, but the
pitch Of the watershed is so great that
they soon subside. OF course the heavy
woods could not be f1oated even If the
waterways were Of adequate depth. All
the mahogany has been stripped from
the hills near the coast or, near the few
small lines Of railroad. Any thst ID 80,
cured now has to be hauled five or six
days over bad roads by bullooka Natu-
rally the expense makes this wood too
costly for export. L. =" ,'.F ~ ~
Mahogany and similar woods grow 90
slowlys that it is hardly worth while
talking about the new forests Of them
which may spring mp to replace the old.
Railroads and good highways will make
available large supplies Of these prod.
ucts, which now bring high prices.
There are plans for railroad along the
length If the island, and the extension
Of the mining industry will involve the
building of spurs. -, - s
Beef has come to be such rarity in
Santiago that cattle raising will COM
mand the attention Of men with money
as soon as peaceful possession of stock is
assured. Although most Of the country
is thickly overgrown, there are stretches
and fields of good grazing land: Much
of this had been fenced in with barbed
wire The grass grows rich and tall;
there is a good deal Of guinea grass,
which the horses and mules Of the
army found exceedingly palatable.
While Cuba can raise sufficient beef for
home consumption, the industry will
hardly prove profitable enough to wa
rant competition with the United States
and Mexico in export trade n ~
Rice may be raised in Santiago prov
ince, but is less important than several
other staples, Coffee grows back on the
highlands, but has not been produced
in sufficient quantities to supply the
consumption here. There are large i'm
ports of i: from Porto Rico. and even
New York. One may hear confident as
sertions of the possibilities Of this crop,
but the several years required to bring
the plant to maturity will always be an
important factor. Sugar and other crops
may be gathered the first, year, and in
vestors will prefer ouch to coffee, with
its long deferred returna, & u
Fruit should be one Of the most i'm
portant and permanent Of the exports
rom Cuba to the United Statea Bara.
Goa, ias already said, has been d center
Of this traffic.. Santiago city is more
distant but not sufficiently SO to be ro-
= q :