The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-06-21
NOTES ON CUBA,

;ihd n'3-azin"S nave leon nIl II Cuben
literature. N article containing - CON
Is" and e.uratc 4 description &c Cuba.
coupled with the dearest. bricfcst ald
most convincing indictment Of the Span
iards. for their misrulc of tho island.
- is contained III tie following a~ti-
&c written ~ Prof. j. \. Holmes. state
Gcolo=ist:
"Cuha has IN area, including it, loo
adjacent islands. Of nearly I5.WBl
%Gaafc miles. about equal to that cf the
STATE OF New York, and nearly one
fourth the size OF Spain. and about 8
600 square miles less than the area IF
North Carolina. With the exception Of
I strip on the southern side Of central
Cuba the island rs Il whole stands well
above the sea: it is thoroughly drained
ana presents Il rugged aspect when view
cd from the sea. About oGc-fourth Of
the total area IS said to lie mountainous:
about thrcc-fourtGs Of the area may lc
described rs a rolling or undulatiu. plain
With valleys and gentle cultiyatablc
Slopes, somewhat like Piedmont. y. c.
Inc remainder Of the island, especially
along the southern shore of central and
western Cuba IS sWampy.
The island is about $50 miles Iong: its
width varies from 90 miles across Sauti-
ago To less than 20 miles in the vicinity
Of havana; the eastern end Of the island
lies directly south of New York. while
the western end lies south Of Cincinnati.
lhe coast line is very extensive, mcasur-
Ing, without following the minor indcn-
%tatlonS, nearly 200 miles. On al sides.
except the southern shore Of central and
western Cuba the coast is abrupt NJ
elevated. In many places the Immediate
coast line is Il narrow beach or shelf Of
elevated coral reef rock. only i few
yards in width and some twenty feet
above the sea. Back Of this coast the
higher bluffs rise hy Il succession Of old
sea beaches, which reach III places to
from one thousand to two thousand feet
elevation.
The mountains Of Cuba do not form.
rs has been stated, q backbone extend
ing the entire length Of the island. but
are arranged III three distinct and indie
pendent groups: one in the western pro-
vince of Pinar del Rio between Havana
and Cape Antonio, the higher hills of
which ris" TO an altitude of 1000 fcet.
and the slopes OF which are covered with
4 growth of pine and tiankcd with many
beautiful valleys. The central group
IS Il short II extending from Cicnfue-
COS some fifty miles eastward on the
south side of the central portion Of the
island, reaching Il maximum height Of
nearly 5000 feet. The third group lies
on the southern sid Of Santiago pro-
vince i'll eastern Cuba. the crest Of the
mountains lying parallel to the adjacent
sea towards which the slopes descend
prcclnitou$ly. The mountains of this east
ern group reach II maximum height Of
1900 fcct-S0me 1000 feet higher than
Mt. MITCHELL. in western North Carolina.
Near Santiago harhor, the scene Of hostil-
tiles at present. there are some peaks
more than 5000 feet high: the scenery
IS fine and the climate is delightful.
The last great range OF mountains be
longs geographically with the Blue
mountains Of .Jamaica which reach IN
elevation Of 1000 feet. and the higher
mountains III IIayti which reach an cle-
vati@n Of i 1000 feet. The larger part Of
the area Of Cuba Cat least thrcc-tifthsl is
made UP Of the elevated limestone plains
with an elevation of from 800 to 1000
feet. Much of this region is cut by
streams into hills and valleys; and Il
considerable portion. especially in San
tiago province. is exceedingly wild and
rugged. In Cuba the great sugar planta-
tons are IN these elevate plains and
rot. as i'll Louisiana. on the low river
flats. Tho fine tobacco IS also grown on
the slopes of these hills and low noun
tains. On the mountain slopes Of west
ern Cuba and on the hills and mountains
of the eastern provinces there are said to
be 13.00O.0OO acres OF unhroken forests,
never penetrated by Spaniards.
The fora of Cuha is said to be quite
varied. more that 5000 species
Of native plants having bcen collected
and catalogued. The beauty Il ahund-
ancc of the vegetation first caused tn"
island to he called the Pearl of the An
tiles. This Includes over thirty species
of palm while associated with these are
pines. which are so characteristic of the
Southern United States. the mahogany,
the Iignum vitae. and the cocoa wood.
Among the more valuable fruits that
grow very abtndantly may be mention
ed the lime. the orange, the lemon, the
banana, and the pineapple. The last Of
these together with the nlanioc, the
sweet potato and the Indian corn are
said to be Indigenous to the island.
Concerning the climate of uba but
few reliable records are obtainablc; on
the whole. however. the climate IS much
more salubriouS than most descriptions
would lead us to believe. \ gentleman
who has travelled il great deal III differ
ent parts of Cuba III Il recent article
says:
The winter months are delightful
in fact ideal-while the summer months
are more endurahle than in most Of our
own territory. The current impressions
Of insaluhrity have arisen from IN cr-
roneouS confusion of bad sanitation with
the weather. While it is true that sick
ness follows the seasons. the former
would be greatly allayed-almost abated
if public hygiene received proper Of
fetal consideration
In July and August the mean temper
allure is 50 degrees t., the maximum
temperature beinG IS. the minimum -.
At Charlotte the maximum temperature
for August is %. the minimum % with
mean 76: at Raleigh for the same month
the maximum IS %, the minimum o6.
and the mean -. The annual rainfall at
Havana is a. inches. Of which IS inches