Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-10-18

AcUBAN MACHErE FROM SANTIAGO.
ter Of Havana have been unoccupied for
years, except perhaps for occasional
rre visits made 90 them in winter.
Though the insurgents generally did
not discriminate. and doomed to destruc.
ton any plantations which did not Sc
cure immunity by paying for 1t, they
were less disposed to lenity in cases
where such were owned by absentee
proprietors. Numbers Of the sugar and
other plantations owned by them were
destroyed and those Of other parties
were compelled to pay tax to save
them from destruction. In some In
stances Spanish troops were stationed
at plantations to save them from the
rebels, and occasionally they were de-
stroyed by the Spanish themselves when
their protection was impossible 30 ~ to
prevent them from becoming sources OF
revenue to the insurgents. Profitable
cultivate a {. plantations under these
circurl tancts WAS out Of the question,
and tie consequence was that many
in f.ct, the majority-of them have not
been worke,i or several years past.
The disastr ous effect that this state Of
Affairs has had upon the sugar industry
Of the island will become apparent from
q comparison Of the production Of the
commodity during the last three years
Of which we have reliable statistics.
The quantity Of sugar manufactured in
Cuba in 1894 aggregated 1850, 600
tons. in 1895 l.004, 264 tons. and in
1896 the total product only amounted
to 225. eel tons The figures for ls9?
would probably show decline below
even the small output Of the year pre-
ceding. The value Of the sugar crop Of
the island in prosperous year before
the instruction has reached the enor-
nous sum Of $6s, 900. 600. The total
value Of the imports from Cuba to the
United States was in 1893 SIS, 706. 500,
and in 1897 but s1s, 400, sl5. The sugar
exported to this country from the island
in 1898 was worth $50. 6S7, 6Sl. Since
then il has suffered u steady decline.
During the last so years many Ameri-
cans established themselves in Cuba ~
planters. merchants and shopkeepers.
They came from all parts Of the Union,
and. though friendly with the Cubans,
they associated but rarely with the
Spaniards. by whom they were suspect
ed and disliked. The principal Ameri-
can settlements are at Cardenas, known
as 1.-THE American city" Havana. Glen.
fugos and Santiago. Some OF the large
sugar plantations are owned by them,
but the instruction had ruinous effect
upon their business and many OF them
ceased cultivating until cessation Of
the trouble would permit them to re-
sumo under more promising auspices.
The war between the United States and
Spain made matters still worse, and
most Americans engaged in sugar pro-
duction az well as in other enterprises
left the island.
As soon as peace between the two
countries was assured our countrymen
with business interests in Cuba began
to flock back to the island, and before
long they will resume business under
circumstances much more favorable
than before. American capital invested
there amounts to an immense sum, and
with the restoration Of peace and Sc
rurity to the products Of labor the in.
terests of the United States there will
before long assume very great proper.
tions.
A sugar cane field when green pre-
sents rather q pretty sight, but when
ripe is almost as unattractive as the
cane jungies one so frequently comes
across in the Genoese Riviera. There
are two sorts Of cane in Cuba, the
criolla, or native cane, which was first
imported from the Canaries by Oolum-
bus on his second voyage, and the
otahite, the superior kind, which is
very thick and grows to height OF
from 9 to 10 feet The sugar harvest
commences late in January and ends in
May. the planting being done during
the breaks in the rainy season. which
lasts from June to the end Of November
The cane is not grown from seed, as is
generally supposed, but from slips
taken from the top Of the plant, the
lower leaves Of which are stripped Oh.
When stuck in the ground ut regular
intervals to depth of few inches
the slips soon take root, ana IN ABOUT
six months grow to maturity, and Occa-
attain height of 20 feet.
Men cut the cane with small hatchets
or the famous machete, the Cuban
favorite weapon-and usual
ly women gather it together aud tie it
into bundles, while other negroes peel
of the leaves, which are good for fod-
der, and hoist the cane on high wheeled
Arts, each drawn by four oxen with
long horns. The carts take
tae cane to the mills, where the sap Is
pressed ont by huge wheels worked by
steam or electricity. While sugar max.
ing is going on the engine never ceases
It's evolutions night or day, and at this
season the negroes have been known to
work 20 hours at o stretch.
AS soon as the juice is expressed 1t
must be boiled, az it would otherwise
become acid in o very short time. After
It is boiled and clarified 1t Is filtered
vats filed with boneblack and
every six or eight hours The
and skill with which the
bone IL changed determine the quality
Of the sugar. This process, apparently
simple as it is, is one Of the chief ex-
penses Of sugar making, as it is also
ppe Of its greatest arta After being
clarified the sugar undergoes various
processes until it 10 finally
converted into moist sugar. When duly
for expectation. it 10 packed
in wooden cases, which are sealed up
and strapped with slips Of rawhide and
ID then ready for the market.
When the sugar industry In the Brit
ish West Indies was practically destroy
I'd BY the liberation Of the slaves, vast
,.... - ,..rs,nw -oxso anvo~to6 IN. Nuhan