Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-08-25
PROVINCE OF SANTIAGO,
THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE
CONQUERED TERRITORY
Sugar Cane, Tobacco, Iron and Lumber
Its Richest Products Once Land of
Cofloe PIautations-Prod IA
High Grade of Coffee.

Core spondcncc of the Associated Press)
Santiago De cuba. July 31.-The province
OF Santiago de Cuba and especially that
part of it cast of II line drawn between
Saugua dc Tanamo, San Luis and SANTA
go H. to-day of vital interest to thousands
in the tnitod States.
The natural resources of the country
and its fertility its products and its in
dustrics are of paramount Importance.
The richness of the soil here. us elsewhere
I'm the island entities it to consideration
from an agricultural standpoint. The
raising of cane and the manufacture of
sugar are the chief sources of wealth in
H. province. In the immediate neighbour
hood of Santiago are the following sugar
estates:
Santa Ana-owned by Francisco Auza,
an American citizen, whose average an
ual output is 10000 bags, leach 3.0pounds).
Hatillo-owned by j. Bueno & Co.. Gu
bans; annual output, $1,000 bags.
Union--owned by Santiago Rousseau,
French citizen, G0,00O bags.
Sahanllla--owncd by Limo Salozar, a Gu
ban $4,000 bags.
san Scbastian-owned by Brooks & Co.,
British subjects, 10000 bags
Triumfo-owncd by Mr.. Whiting, an
American citizen; 5000 bags.
| Mcjorana-Burned and destroyed by the
| insurgents.
! san Luis-owned by Angel Norma, a
| Spaniard; now abandoned.
| In the vicinity of Guantanamo the prin-
| cipal estates are
/ San Miguel Santa Ysabcl. Connuente,
Los Canos aud Solcdad. The average an
nual crop of these estates is estimated at
/ % Go bags each. There are many smaller
estates
/ These estates are all on the South coast,
on this side of the Sierra Maestro cnain
of mountains. No sugar cane Is grown on
the North coast in Santiago Province.
/ Man2anllo. further westward on the
South coast, boasts of many large Cen
/ tralcs," or central sugar estates, where
the cane grown on neghboring fields is
! brought and ground. SO many carloads of
cane being delivered against so many
pounds of manufactured sugar, the grind
Ct, or owner. of the estate making his
|proiit out of the immense amount of cane
brought MIN of which he keeps percent
age or royalty. the "ColoEo." or small
planter, finding II to his advantage to
have his cane ground on Il royalty basis
instead of laying out "A large sum of
money for machinery, etc, unwarrantcd
10y the smallnoss of his holding or cane
crop. Ten years ago every sugar estate
planted and ground its own cane but to-
day almost the entire crop of the island
Is planted by the "Colonos" (colonistS' and
ground by the "Centrales" The largest
'Ccntracs" at Mlnzanilo arc Nadia Lu-
ma, San Ramon, Tronquilidad and Santa
Teresa.
Guantanamo, Santiago and Manzanillc
are the three important sugar shipping
lports of Eastern Cuba,
Next in Importance, agriCulturally, come
the coffee and cocoa plantations with
which Santiago Province IL thickly cover.
ed. Coffee ana cocoa plants are generally
grown on the same "hncas," or planta
trt
its growth the shade offered by the tai
and ovcrhanging cocoa tree. The coffe,
shrub yields one crop year. in tn,
month of October. The cocoa tree yields
, is crop IN November hut. as il is not reg
ular and uniform, three harvestS ar,
made annually. the first i'm November. tn,
ccond in January and the third in March
This triple harvest is further rendere,
imperative by the presence of rats, which
, destroy the fruit as soon "a IL ripcns OF
the trees. Large quantities of cocoa hav'
been shipped annually 20 Spain an,
France, at prices varying between SIS an'
sl7 per hundred weight. free on board
but, for many years no coffee has been eX
, ported from the Island of cuba. Hardl!
enough Is now raised for home consump
zion, much coffee being imported at diff
fercnt ports, especially Havana, MAINTAIN
zas and CicnfucGos. The reason for thi
les In the fact that Cuba coffee, like Gu
ban tobacco is of a rare quality and arc
ma, raised and selected by experts an
Of necessity, bringing price which wou
not easily find a market for the produc
abroad On the fields Cuban coffee sell
. for from 81 to S25 per hundred pounds.
THE OLD COFFEE PLANTATIONS.
In by gone days those "Cafetales" (cof
, fee plantations), used to he the pride O
the Spanish grandees. their original own
N.ho no. MI nj m
style. with their suites and retinues. 81
months in the year the plantations woul
tee the scenes of feasting and mcrrymak
ling, ncighboring grandees coming owe
from miles around in their "volantes" an
on horse back. staying in one "hnea'
= fortnight at a time, then pushing on t
the next plantation, carrying their las
f hos. with them, until the complete roun
of the "catctales' was made.
- The spanish owners therefore sper
: their lives in Gayety and debauch, payin
< little attention to the management of the
y states while they yielded handsome liz
ng. But gradually their plantations cea'
ed to produce these kngly incomes an
heir fortunes began to dwindle.
Thrifty and shrewd Frenchmen, drive
h over from Havt.. formed c strong colon
e IN Santiago in those early days and the
Il tonk advantage of the lax and shortSigh
q ed llidalgos. They loaned their none
y on 1ne pldntdllOHS, ndu tHtIHSeINtS Ill
r pointed oversccrs, forecloSed their NOR
q cages and became the owners of the ric
d "cafetales." most of which to this day al
n owned by their descendants OF fift
$ "cafetales" it will lbe found that fort
n are owned by Frenchmen
= \ very common parasite crecper whic
d clings to the tough and sturdy mahoSau
| trees. choking and killing them inch b
l. inch until after twenty years the tree
4. are dead and decayed, is still called I'll
e French Overseer."
- Maize, vans. sweet potatoes and oth'
" vegetables grow everywhere with HIT
care or supervision In six months the
bear Coffee shrubs need the shade, an
l. these plants offer II. The result is that c
most coffee plantations these vegetable
are grown, which amply feed and susta
the planter, who, after six months. is c
s. a solf-sustaining basis. with n goodly co
rs fee crop ahead as clean profit.
S Tobacco is grown extensively at Palm
~ Sorano. San Luis, Barre, Jiguany ar
n Guea, most of which has hitherto bee
n shipped to Germany. the balance to Il
Spanish Reggie. Guiea produces the be
10 eat, although, of course, of an inferi'