The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-08-18
ICHCOUNTRY.
Some Of the Natural Resources of the
Province of Santiago de Cuba.
Maize, Yams, Sweet Potatoes sad Other
Vegetables Grow Everywhere With
Little Cultivation-F Forests of
Valuable hard Woods.

SANTIAGO, Aug 16-The province Of
Santiago de Cuba, especially that part
east of line drawn between Sagua de
Tanamo, San Luis and Santiago, is
to-day of vital interest to thousands
in the United States.
The natural resources Of the country
and its fertility, its products and its
| industries are Of paramount import
ance The richness of the soil here, as
elsewhere in the island, entities it to
consideration from an agricultural
standpoint The raising Of cane and
the manufac ture of sugar are the chief
sources of wealth in the province. In
the immediate neighborhood of Santi.
ago are many sugar estates
| Manzanillo, further westward on the
south coast, boasts of many large
'centrales," or central sugar estates
where the cane grown on neigh boring
field is brought and grown, SO many
carloads of cane being delivered
against so many pounds of ma n
ufactured sugar, the grinder, or
owner. of the estate making his
profit out of the immense amount of
cane brought him, of which he keeps
percentage or royalty, the "Colono,"
or small planter, finding it to his ad.
vantage to have his cane ground on
royalty basis instead of laying out
large sum of money for machinery,
ETC. unwarranted by the smallness of
his holding or cane crop.
Guantanamo, Santiago and Manza-
milo are the three important sugar
shipping ports Of caste rn Cuba.
Next in Importance, agriculturally,
come the coffee and cocoa plantations,
with which santiago province is thick.
ly covered. Coffee and cocoa plants are
generally grown on the same ''fincas",
or plantation, the frail coffee plant re.
| quiring for its growth the shade Of.
fered by the tall and over.
hanging cocoa tree. The coffee
shrub yields its crop in November, but,
as it is not regular and uniform, three
harvests are made annually, the first
in November, the second in January
| and the third in March.
| Maize, yams, sweet potatoes and
other vegetables grow everywhere,
with little care or supervision. la six
months they bear Coffee shrubs need
the shade and these plants offer it.
The result is that on most coffee plan-
tations these vegetables are grown,
which amply feed and sustain the
planter, who after six mon tbs is on a
self-sustaining basis. with a goodly
coffee crop ahead as clean profit.
Tobacco is grown extensively at
Palma Soriano, San Luis, Paire, Jigu.
any and Guica, most of which has
balance to the Spanish regie. Guica
produces the best leaf, although, of
course, of an inferior grade as COM
pared with Vuelta and Partidos to-
bacco
The woods and forests of eastern
Cuba abound in every variety of hard
woods, the principal being mahogany,
cedar, rosewood and ''majagua," a
wood known the world over as the
strongest and most durable of all
woods. of . greenish ashy hue and an
exceedingly close grain. Most of them,
in fact nine.tenths of the woodlands
are virgin forests which it would take
years and years to deciminste and
which have SO far escaped the destruc.
tive hand OF man owing to the lack
Of transportation facilities TO the ses-
coast
The 'Ysya," or laneetshar, grows oy
the thousand acres, and SO does the
lignum vita, SO much sought after for
the man nufacture Of block sbeaves and
Of heavy balls used in bowling alleys.
Palm leaf in great quantities is ex.
ported to Europe and the United
States for the manufacture of hats.
and ''palmiche" finds ready market
abroad for the manufacture Of oil.
Honey and beeswax are other very
important articles of export, and mod.
ern hives on the plan of the French
and Dutch hives would amply repay
the investment
| NeA1 Al i"poFSoucc W iIe d8TAcu1'
tural products, Santiago de Cuba's iron
and manganese mines demand uni
versal sttent ton. As is well known
the Santiago ore, with its low percent
age of PHOSPHORUS ranks, together
with the Swedish and the Spanish De
merara mineral - the ''crack ore" OF
the world.
With q wealth OF natural resources.
rich in agricultural and mineral soil
Santiago de Cuba only awaits Amer
lean brains, enterprise and capital Il
make it one Of the richest, ss well n
one OF the most beautiful. spots in the
world.
The Nsvs ~ Hssg Keas.
Houo Hnuo AmD rK-Nn-a ~ th<