Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-08-16
A RICH COUNTRY.
Some of the Natural Resources of
the Province of Santi.
ago de Cuba.
MANY RICH SUGAR PLANTATIONS.
The Next in Importance Alphabetically
is the Numerous Coffee and
COcoanut Plantations.
Maize, Yams, Sweet Potatoes and Other
Vegetables Grow Everywhere With
Little Cuitivation-Forests of
valcabie Hard Woods.

SANTIAGO, Aug. l5.-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 produces and its
industries are of paramount import
ance The richness of the soil here, as
elsewhere in Ike 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 tie province. In
the immediate neighborhood of Santi-
ago are many sugar estates.
Manzanillo. further westward on the
south coast, boasts of many large
'ceutrales,' or central sugar estates,
where the cane grown on neighboring
field is brought and grown, So many
carloads of cane being delivered
against so many pounds of man
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 n
percentage or royalty, the "Colono," -"
or snail planter, fnding it to his ad-
vantage to have his cane ground on a
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 MANGA
Milo are the three important sugar
shipping ports of eastern Gu
Next in Importance, agricu.turally,
come the coffee and cocoa lantations,
with which Santiago province is thick
ly covered. Coffee and cocoa plants are
generally grown on the same ''incas",
or plantation, the fral 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
..arvests are made annually, the first
in November. the second in January
and the third in March
Ma:2a, yams, sweet potatoes and
other vegetables grow everywhere,
with little care or supervision. In 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 months is on a
self-sustaining basis, with a goodly
coti e crop ahead as clean profit.
Tobacco is grown extensively at
Palma Soriano, San Luis, Paire, Jigu-
any and Guica- most OF which has
hitherto been shipped to Germany, the
balance to the Spanish regie. Guica
pro luces the best leaf, although, of
course, of an inferior grade as COM
pared with Vuelta and Partidos to-
oacco. -......,..
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
ceedingly close grain. Most of them,
in fact nine.tenths Of the woodlands
vi. ,ah n.,1I l-a
years and years to deciminate and
which have so far escaped the destruc-
tive hand of man owing to the lacl,
of transportation facil tiles to the sea
coast.
The "Yaya," or iancetshar, grows by
the thousand acres and so does the
lignum vite. so much sought after fo
| the manufacture of block sheaves anc
of heavy balls used in bowling alleys
Palm leaf in great quantities is ex
ported to Europe and the UniteC
States for the manufacture of hats
and ''palmiche' finds ready marke
abroad for the manufacture OF oil.
Honey and beeswax are other yer,
IN portart articles of export, and mod
ern hives on the plan of the Frencl
and Dutch hives would amply repa.
the investment
Next in imr ortance to its agricul
tural products, Santiago de Cuba's iroI
and manganese mines demand uni
versal attention. AS is well know
the Santiago ore, with its low percent
age OF PHOSPHORUS ranks, togethe
with the Swedish and the Spanish d.
merara mineral as the "crack ore" o
the world.
With wealth of natural resources
rich in agricultural and mineral soil
Santiago de Cuba only awaits Amer
lean brains, enterprise and capital t
make it one of the richest, as we'll a
one e : the most beautiful, spots in tn
worlc.