The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-01

only opened to development during the
last half century, and yet Spain, In
some respects, one of the Oldest coun-
tries I'm Europe, has so little developed
its natural resources and possibilities
that in the whole peninsula there are
but 7.5iS miles of railroad, a mileage
which is considerably exceeded in
Texas, Illinois, only about one-fourth
the size of Spain, has 1000 miles more
of railroad within its limits than the
whole Spanish territory. The railroads
of Spain are not only inconsiderable, In
point of length, but are in so poor
condition as to be dangerous to the trav-
eler., The roadbed is commonly made
hastily and carelessly, the track Is
badly jointed and rough, the rolling
stock worn out, the engines are slow
and unrelia BILE, and the traveller through
Spain need not be surprised at the sight
of abandoned cars by the roadside.
The have jumped the track and the
Spaniards, too lazy to put them back
have simply left them where they were
to rot, or, in localities where wood Is
scarce, to be chopped to pieces and
carried oil for kindling.
CANALS.
canals-on paper. In the archives of the
capital there are maps which show that
in the days of Spanish glory the mon
archs designed and began a canal sys-
TEN that was intended to supply every
possible portion of the country with
these artificial waterways. Charles V.
was active in the preparation of this
scheme, and, by his orders, engineers
surveyed all practicable routes and laid
out grand system, which, by means
of locks, was to ascend the slopes, cross
the mountain ranges and supply the
plateaus of the interior with both
transportation and water for irrigation.
The schemes of Charles " ended in
monastery, and during the reign of his
successor the clouds of misfortune
which were gathering over the head
of the Emperor burst with terrible
fury. The Armada was destroyed, the
ships of Spains greatest fleet were
either captured by the English, blown
up, or wrecked along the inhospitable
shores of Great Britain and Ireland.
The Spanish arms everywhere met
with reverses on the continent, while
the daring British seamen carried dis
| aster to the colonies, and many
treasure-laden galleOn was taken by
its English prize crew into the Midway
or Thames instead of contributing its
wealth to the depleted Spanish treas
ury The canals were never finished,
and today, of the magnificent system
planned by Charles ", there are only
430 miles, and of these but 131 miles are
| navigable. There are only 332 canal
| boats in Spain, most of them hardly
| canal-worthy, and the artificial water
| ways of Charles V. now serve no bet
! ter purpose than as fishing and bath
ing places for little boys.
AGRICULTURE.
The visitor to Spain is constantly as
tonished, and justly so, by the back
ward condition of Spanish agriculture.
Methods now are as primitive as they
We're 200 years ago. The wave of tgri-
! cultural progress has swept around
Spain without affecting in the least the
! Spanish peasant. There are great
! wheat fields, but the reaper and mower
the twine binder and the harvester are
unknown. There are vast fields of
maize, but the farmers know nothing
OF the cultivator or drill. The hoes
weigh from 8 to 10 pounds, are huge,
almost shapeless masses OF iron; it is
hard work to carry them, to say moth
ing of using them. They are always
rusty, and when driven into the ground
bring UP with them a mass of ear, h
| sticking 20 the rust of the blade and
preventing effective labor. The plows
are those of the terth century, and in
| the remote country districts the stick
plow, or tree plCw, as it Is sometimes
called, is still common. 1t is easily
made by the peasant himself. He Sc
! lects a tree or Sapling three or four
! inches in diameter and having q fork
at distance of Ten or twelve feet from
the ground; cutting down the tree he
cuts off the fork and sharpens it for q
plow, while the main trunk Of tGe tree
makes the shaft Of the instrument and
into the trunk Lelow the fork he in
serts handle, an upright pin. and his
plow is complete. Great muscular eX-
ertion is necessary to hold so crude an
implement and it would seem as though
the adoption of modern plow. which
needs only to be guided, would COM
mend itself 10 the Spanish husband
man But his fathers before him for
untold generations made their own
plows out of their own tree trunks
and in Spain, "what is good enough for
the father is good enough for the SON. ~
Harve sting is done with scltles, the
grain being cut Of by handfuls at a
time. In the barns oc the better class
of farmers the sound OF the Hail Is
heard, but in many country districts
the grain is still trodden ont by oxen
as it is in the mountain districts oi
Armenia and Syria. The crudeness
which prevails in agricultural method;
extends TO every department OF farm
life. Spanish cheese once had reuu'
tatiOn, and was to be found on the Ia
Die of every epicure in Europe, but II
is now no longer known. In the wine
districts Cf The south fair grades al
wine and good qualities o' rnisas an,
made bur upon investigation OF th-st
Industries it Is found that wherever {
vino yard enjoys 81 reputation for eX
collent wine, wherever raisins are wei
, dried and well packed. the vineyard il
owned or controlled by a foreigner
Germans, Italians, 'Frenchmen, Eng
, lishmen, practically monOpolize tn,
wine and raisin business of Southern
Spain, and ii is to their industry ant
Intelligence that Spanish wines anC
raisins still enjoy a good sale in th
, worlds markets. The Spanish peasap
, is content with the thin. red wine o
, the country, which has been made from
time immemorial, just as he is eonten
to light his fire with flint and steel
; rather than enjoy the more convenien
match.
MANUFACTURES.
The status OF Spanish manufacture
! Is as backward as that of agriculture
. | Here and there the enterprise and cap
5 ital of a foreigner have established tn
, | a NJ Ifn pt Of na ri iGI Nr