The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-04

ing the backward state Of cultivation, and
the fact that, as a rule, the straw left on
the ground Is the only manure which the
soil receives, she Is the one State OF West
ern Europe which ordinarily has a surplus
.of cereals for export. In the production
Of pod-fruits and kitchen vegetables
Spain excels all other European coun-
tries. As regards quantity, however,
It is wine that comes next after oere-
ais among the objects OF cultivation In
Spain. She ranks close after France and
Italy among the wine-producing countries
Of Europe, and, as recent statistics show,
tho product Is capable Of indefinite extern
sion. It Is possible, indeed, that the re-
newal Of q treaty OF commerce between
France and Italy may somewhat reduce
the export Of the common Spanish wines to
France, though It is to be noted that four
fifths OF all the wines Of this grade pro-
duced we're sent TO France in 1884, that 10
to say, some years before the lapse Of the
former treaty between the ~last-named
country and Italy.
1t Is estimated that the olive tree covers
three per cent. oispain'sare Along the base
Of the Sierra Moreno run forests Of olives,
SUuDIdCIuk HuluE CUB VI BuudT0 WlltS. 1u0
present annual output Of oil is estimated
at about sixty millions Of gallons. but it
might be vastly increased In quantity
and improved in quality il moro atten-
ton were bestowed upon the cultivation
Of the trees and the preparation Of the
product. The cane, which was OF
great Importance at the time of the expul-
sion OF the Moors, Is now becoming, with
every year, more and more OF a staple in
the provinces Of Granada and Almeria. The
mulberry tree Is grown oil over the penin-
sula, and a prosperous silk industry Is GEN.
tired in Valencia, Murcia, n Seville. There
has been a notable advance, Of late, In the
rearing Of live stock, and, properly encour-
aged, this industry would acquire remark
able proportions. In Catalonia are highly
creditable manufactures OF cotton, linen
and woollen goods and Of lace.
As to the mineral resources of Spain,
these are known to be vast and varied.
though, as yet, they are very far from
being turned adequately to account. No
European country produces 30 great a va
riety Of minerals In large quantities, while,
in the production Of copper ore. lead
ore, and quicksilver, Spain heads the list.
In the output Of salt and silver Spain
is excelled only by A~ustria-Hungary,
and, as regards silver, not always even
by that country. or iron ore, Spain pro-
duced In 1888 no fewer than 1926, 900
metric tons. OF copper ore In the sam
year, the delivery was 2,455,ooo tons,
largely from the w~ell-known mines OF Rio
Unto. The cinnabar mines Of Almaden
were the richest In the world before the
discovery Of the California deposits. We
note. finally. that the present production
Of coal is insignificant. compared with It's
possibilities. for the coal-bearing beds OF
the peninsula are estimated to cover an
area Of $500 square miles.
What Spain needs, In order to enter on
the path Of prosperity, Is to execute the
law. already or the statute book, making
primary education compulsory; to put an
end to the all-pervading corruption in pub
lie Offices. whether civil. military. or naval;
to abolish export duties and to remove i'm
port duties On most Of the raw materials
required for tho native manufactures. As
for the strain on her finances, that can be
relieved BY repeating the operation per-
formed after 1881. when the debt was con-
solidated and reduced In bulk one-half,
while the rate Of interest on most of it was
lowered to four per cent.