The Republican journal., 1898-05-05


graph pole-fully 10 feet from the ground
TO the tuft of splendid plumes on ton
without branch between, The man
with bit of rope around his waist end.
ing with palm leaf stirrup for one hare
loot, took his machete in his teeth and
summed up like a lizard to the verv ton
where he whacked off one of the bnqa
leaves. AS in most things in this wicked
world, the descent was more rand and
dangerous than the ascent; but he came
oown grinning, elated by the twenty
cent piece for which he would gladly
climb palm trees the rest of his natural
life.
Later we went to see the cutting of a
neid OF cane. Several hundred men and
women were ranged in long lines, each
under leader, who starts the tune. and
taxes the initiative in every movement All
together they swing the machete. grasn.
ing the cane stalk with. one hand and
bending in unison as though moved bv
machinery, the whizzing sound of the
blades cutting the air and the click of
failing cane making rude accompani-
ment TO the song they are singing. Ok
carts carry the cane to a queer LOOKING
machine patented by a Cuban. which
hoists 1t up, weighs it and dumps it even
~ INTO waiting cars, to be conveyed to the
mill. There women throw it into the
grinders, chanting wild chorus as thew
work, IN which one company responds to
another in sort of musical dialogue.
This letter is already too long to 60 into
the modus operandi of sugar mailing.
even II its writer understood the subject,
cane is cultivated like Indian corn. which
1t closely resembles in appearance-onlv
more yellow in color. 1t is first planted
rows-not in hills, like corn-apd must
be hoed and weedeG until it gets high
enough to shade its own roots; after which
it needs no further attention till the emf
ting. This refers to the first laying out
OF plantation, which will after wards
continue fruitful for years, by simple pro-
cesses of renewal. When thoroughly ripe.
the long, yellow leaves are streaked with
red, the top dark green, from the CEN
tire of which shoots up a silvery stem. two
or three feet high, on whose top grows a
lilac plume, shading to white The effect
of cane field in its maturity, basking
under the torrid sun and gently undulat-
ing in the breeze, is a picture to live in
the memory. Sugar cane yields but one
crop year. There are several varieties.
but in Cuba the Otaheitan seems to be the
favorite. Between the time when enough
of the cane is ripe to warrant the getting
up of steam in the grinding mill. and the
time when the rain and heat spoils its
quality, all the sugar for the season must
be made; hence the necessity for great in
dustry during portion of the year. In
Louisiana the grinding season lasts only
eight weeks; in Cuba it continues four
months. This year, with war on hand
there is greater haste than ever, for the
mills may be burned down any day. The
juice is pressed out by machinery, and
after the second squeezing is dry as finder
and serves excellently for fuel. When
into bags of jute, each bag containing 240
pounds. By the way, a fair sample of
Spain methods may be seen in these
sugar bags. The cost of an English iute
bag is 9 cents; but the duty thereon, I'M
less it be made in Spain, is 10 cents, and
its price to Cubans is 20 cents. So the
thrifty mother country gets the job of
making the bags and supplies them to her
colonies at twice their value and five per
cent. over! That is no worse, however,
than in the matter of flour Cubans might
get it direct from the United States for
about 5000 the barrel; but it sells in
Havana from So. 90 to SIS. 90 the barrel
because every ounce of it must first 60 to
Spain and come back with brand upon
it.
A few years ago, the value of Cuba's
plantations, all told, including sugar,
coffee and tobacco, was officially estimat-
ed at $3.50, 555, 527, yielding net yearly
income of $35, 900, 900. Remem berng that
only about one tn ird of the island super
fetal area of III, 900 square kilometres is
under cultivation, these figures speak well
for its fertility. Heaven knows it ought to
be fertile, with frequent baptisms of blood
during four centuries. Within the last
two years it has been enriched by up
wards of 400, 600 human carcasses. Ac-
cording to a statement made in the Cortes
by the learned Deputado, Don Jose de
Pirojo, Cuba had contributed to the
Spanish crown, up to the year 1890, a
trife over s137, 5000
In the year 1896, she was happy in hav-
ing to pay only $26, 600, 600, not counting
the exorbitant municipal taxes-more
than was ever demanded Of any equal
number of tax payers in the world. No
wonder Spain considers her rebellious
colony prize to fight for!
FANNIE BRIGHAM WARD.
GA 8To7I