The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-24
RESOURCES OF CUBA.

Now that Cuba is assured Of her free
dom it may be interesting to inquire
into the resources of the country and
ask what may be her prospects for
prosperity when she is no longer re-
strained and overtaxed by the greedy
government of Spain. The area of Cupa
is about $4,000 square miles. Its great
est length is 100 miles, and its breadth
ranges from 20 to 135 miles. Perhaps
there is no space on earth 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
V Morales, a noted authority, has pre-
pared a table showing the variety and
quantities of the staples that can be
raised on a tract of SO acres in Cuba.
4 farm of that size in one year pro-
duces thousands of pounds of sugar,
coffee, tobacco, cacao (chocolate), cot
ton, indigo, corn, rice, sage, bananas
and yucca. The choicest lands in CAL
ifornia-noted for the variety and guam
tity of their products-cannot approach
the soil of Cuba in this respect With
its mild climate, its exuberant Vegeta-
ton 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 ag-
ricultural life.
The commerce of Cuba, even under
the blighting rule of the Spaniard, has
been great In 1898, before the curse of
war fell on the island, Cuba exported
71S,204 tons of sugar, and produced
1894 tons. Its exports of molasses TO
the United States alone in that year
were 1854 hogsheads. OF rum the ex-
ports were 9,30S pipes. In 1898 the Gu
ban exports of leaf tobacco were 227.S60
bales. OF manufactured cigars 14I.~
365. 900 were exported, and OF cigarettes
SO, 5S1, 1893 packages. These are only the
main exports. They show what may
be done with the exhaustless soil and
climate of the island when its people
were in a condition of virtual slavery
at a time when chattel slavery had been
abolished only seven years. 1t is an
axiom of economic science that free Ia
Dor is indefinitely more productive than
slave labor. and the industrial growth
of the United States is an example of
the expansion of industry when enter
prise is unhampered by the curse OF
slavery and by foreign political inter-
ference Cuba's chief industries were
growing. in spite of the drain upon her
before the present war began, Tor IN
1894 her total production of sugar was
| 1,054,214 tons, an increase of 23S,32O tons
over the preceding year.
! The natural resources of Cuba are in
| finite, one may say, in variety. OF her
/ area only 10 per cent is under cultiva-
/ ton, per cent is not reclaimed, and
4 per cent is under forests. Great
tracts of the island are practically un-
explored She had in 1894 a population
of a little more than 100000. OF thesa
nearly one-third have been starved &c
death during the present war. Cuba
could support in plenty a population
of 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 an az
and remaining imperishable under
water There are found woods invalu-
able for the dye industry. ebony. cedar
fustic, Lakewood. mahogany, rosewood
jocuma, acana and many others. There
are 80 varieties of palm. Her fruits art
valuable and little cultivated The eli
mate is admirably suited for the olive
and the orange. the lemon, the pine
apple and the banana are indigenous.
The mineral resources of the island
are great. yet the mineral industrie:
are in their infancy. Almost all sth'