The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-15
Natural Resources of the Fertile TsI-
and Will He InexhaustibIe
for Years to Come.
FORESIGHT OF THE FRENCH
LOANED MONEY AND SECURED CON-
TROL OF MANY FINE ESTATES.
Finest Coffee i'm the World Also
Raised i'm Cuba, and the Irop and
Copper Mines Are Full of Ore.
orrespOndenee Of the AssocIated Press.

Correspondence OF the Associated Press.
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, July 31l-The
province of Santiago de Cuba and especial-
ly that part of it east of a line drawn be-
tween Sagua de Tanamo, San Luis and
Santiago is to-day of vital interest to thou
sands in the United States. The natural
resources of the country and its fertility,
its products and it's Industries are of para
mount importance. The richness of the
soil here. as elsewhere in the island en-
titles it to consideration from an agricultu-
raj standpoint The raising of cane and
| the manufacture of sugar are the chief
sources of wealth in the province In the
immediate neighborhood of Santiago are
| tho following sugar estates:
Santa Ana, owned by Francisco Auza an
American citizen, whose average annual
output is 10000 bags (each 300 pounds.); Ha-
| tillo, owned by J. Bueno & Co., Cubans; am
nual output $4,000 bags: Union owned by
| Santiago Rousseau, French citizen, 60O00
! bags; Sabanilla, owned by Limo Salozar, a
| Cuban, $1,000 bags; San Sebastian, owned
| by Brooks & Co.. British subjects, 10000
| bags; Triumfo, owned by Mr.. Whiting, an
American citizen 5000 bags; Mejourna.
burned and destroyed by the insurgents;
San Luis, owned by Angel Norma, a Span
! lard, now abandoned.
| In the vicinity of Guantanamo the princi-
pal estates are: San Miguel, Santa y Sabel
Conf1uente, Los Canos and Soledad The
average annual crop of these estates is es-
timated at $1,000 bags each. There are many
smaller estates. These estates are all on
the south coast, on this side of the Sierra
Maestro chain of mountains. No sugar cane
| is grown on the north coast in Santiago
| province.
| Manzanillo, further westward on the south
! coast boasts of many large "centrales,''
| 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 manu-
factured sugar, the grinder, or owner, Of
the estate making his profit out of the inn
| mense amount of cane brought him. Of
which he keeps percentage or royalty the
'colono," or small planter, finding it to his
advantage to have his cane ground on
royalty basis instead of laying out a large
sum of money for machinery. etc. unwar-
ranted by the smallness of his holding or
cane crop. Guantanamo, Santiago and Man
zanillo are the three important sugar-ship-
ping ports of eastern Cuba
THE BEST COFFEE GROWN.
Next in Importance, agriculturally, come
the coffee and cocoa plantations. with which
Santiago province is thckly covered Coffee
and cocoa plants are generally grown on
the same "finicas," or plantations, the frail
coffee shrub requiring for it's growth the
shade offered by the tall and overhanginv
cocoa tree The coffee shrub yields its crop
in November, but, as 1t is not regular and
uniform, three harvests are made annually.
the first in November, the second in Jan
uary and the third In March. Large quan-
titles of cocoa have been shipped annually
to Spain and France, at prices varying be-
tween SIS and $17 a hundred weight. free on
board; but for many years no coffee has
been exported from the Island of Cuba The
reason for this lies in the fact that Cuban
coffee, like Cuban tobacco is of a rare quail
ity and aroma, raised and selected by ex-
perts and, of necessity bringing a price
which would not easily find a market for
the product abroad On the fields Cuban
coffee sells for from $21 to $25 a 100 pounds.
In by-gone days these "cafetales'' coffee
plantations) used to be the pride of the
Spanish grandees. their original owners.
who lived on their plantations in great STYLE
with their suites and retinues. Six months
in the year the plantations would be the
scenes of feasting and merry-making,
neighboring grandees coming over from
miles around in their 'voantes and on
horseback, staying in one "finea" fort
night at time, then pushing on to the next
plantation, carrying the last host with
them, until the complete round of the cafe
tales" was made The Spanish owners.
therefore, spent their lives in gayety and
debauch. paying little attention to the man
agement of their estates while they yielded
a handsome living. But gradually their
plantations ceased to produce these kingly
incomes and their fortunes began 10
dwindle
Thrifty and shrewd Frenchmen, driven
over from Haiti. formed a strong colony in
Santiago in those early days, and they took
advantage of the lax and shortsighted
hidalgos. They loaned their money on the
plantations. had themselves appointed over
seers. foreclosed their mortgages and be-
came the owners OF the rich "cafetales."
most of which to this day are owned by
their descendants. OF fifty "cafetales'' ii
will be found that forty are owned by
Frenchmen. A very common parasite creep-
er which clings to the tough and sturdy
mahogany trees choking and killing them
inch by inch until after twenty years the
trees are dead and deeayed. is still called
the French overseer"
Maize. yams. sweet potatoes and other
vegetables grow everywhere with little care
or supervision. In six months they bear Cof-
fee shrubs need the shade and these plants
offer 1t. The result is that on most coffea
plantations these vegetables are grown
which amply feed and sustain the planter,
who. after six months. Is on a self-suatain-
ing basis, with good coffee crop ahead
as clean profit.
Tobacco is grown extensively at Palma
soriano' San Luis Baire Jiguany and