The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-08-16
RESOURCES OF SANTIAGO.
Points of Interest to Prospectors'

Sugar and Coffee Observation-Disclosures
Means of Observation-Disclosures at
Low Ebb.
Correspondence of the. Associated Press
Santiago De Cuba, July 31.-The PROV
ince of Santiago de Cuba and espeoiaiiy
that part of it East of line drawn U.s.
tween Sagua de Tanaom, San LUIS anu
Santiago is today of vital interest," TO
thousands in the United States
The natural resources of the country
and its fertility, it's products and its in
dustries are of paramount Importance The
richness of the soil here, as elsewhere in
the island, entities it to consideration
from an agricultural standpoint. The
raising of cane and the manufacture of
smear are the chief sources of wealth in
the Province. In the immediate neigh.
borhood OF Santiago are the following
sugar estates:
Santa Ana-Owned by Francisco Auz,
an American citizen, whose average an
nual output is 10000 bags, leach 800
pounds.)
Hatillo-Owned by j. Bueno 81 Co.,
Cubans: annual output, 60, 600 bags.
Union-Owned by Santiago Rousseau,
a French citizen; 10000 bags.
Sabanilla-Owned by Limo Salozar,
Cuban; $4,000 bags.
nESebastian-Owned by Brooks &
Co., British subjects; 10000 bags.
Triumfo-Owned by Mr.. Whiting, an
American citizen; 5000 bags.
Mejorana-Burned and destroyed by
the insurgents.
San Luis owned by Angel Norma, a
Spaniard, now abandoned.
In the vicinity of Guantapamo the prin
cipal estates are:
San Miguel. Santa ISABEL, ConflueDte,
Los Canos and Soledad. The average an
nual crop of these estates is estimated at
$4,000 bags each. There are many smaller
estates.
These estates are ell on the South coast,
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 Cen
tarles,' or central sugar estates, where
the cane grown on nsighobring fields is
brought and ground. so many cartloads
of cane being delivered against SO many
pounds of manufactured sugar, the
grinder, or owner, of the estate making
his profit out of the immense amount of
cane brought him of which he keeps a
percentage of royalty, the "Colono," or
small planter, finding it to his advan-
tage 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. Ten years ago every sugar estate
planted and ground its own care, but to-
Gay almost the entire crop of the island Is
planted by "Colonos. (coionistsl, and
ground by the "Centarles. The largest
HCentralos'' at Manzanill9 are: Media
Luna, San Ramon, Iranqnilidad and
Santa Teresa.
Guantanamo, Santiago and Manzanillo
are the three important sugar shipping
ports of Eastern Cuba.
Next: in importance, agriculturally,
come the coffee and cocoa plantations,
with which Santiago Province Is thickly
covered. Coffee and cocoa plants are gen
orally grown on the same ''tncas," or
plantations the frail coffee shrub requir-
ing for It's growth the shade offered by the
tall and over. hanging cocoa tree. The
coffee shrub yields one crop year, in the
month of October. The cocoa tree yields
it's crop in November, but, as it is not
regular and uniform, three harvests are
made annually, the first in Novemb Der,
the second in January, and the third in
March. This triple harvest is further rem
lered imperative by the presence of rats,
which destroy the fruit as soon as 1t RI
pens on the trees. Large quantities of
cocoa have been shipped annually to
Spain and France, at prices varying be.
tween SIS and SIT per hundred weight
free on board but, for many years no
coffee has been exported from the island
of Cuba. Hardly enough is now raised
for home consumption, much coffee being
i'm ported at different ports, especially
Havana, Mantanzas and Cienfuegos.
The reason for this lies in the fact that
Cuba coffee, like Cuban tobacco. is of a
rare quality and aroma, raised and select
ed by experts and of necessity, bringing
a price which would not easily lind a
msrket for the product abroad. On the
fields, Cub IN coffee sells from S2l to S25 per
hunIred poun.ts.
In bygone days the "Cafetales." (cofee
plantations), used to be the pride OF the
who lived on their plantations in great
style, with their steis ana retinues. six
months in the year the plantations would
be the scenes of feasting and merrymak-
ing, neighboring grandeeas coming over
from miles around in their "voantes.
and on horseback, staying i'll one .fnea"
a fortnight at a time, then pushing ON
to the next plantation, carrying their last
host with them, until the complete. round
Of the "cafeGaleS' was made,
The Spanish owners therefore spent their
lives in gayety and debauch, paying little
attention to the management of their es-
tates while they yielded handsome liv-
ing. But gradually their plantations
ceased to produce these kingly incomes
and their fortunes began to dwindle.
Thrifty and shrewd Frenchmen, driven
over from Hayti, formed strong colony
in Santiago in those early days, and they
took advan tage of the lax and shortsight-
cd Hidalogos. They loaned their money on
the plantations, had themselves appoint
d overseers, foreclosed their mortgages
and became the owners of the rich 'cafe-
tales" most of which to this day are
owned by their descendants. OF fifty
'cafetales it will be found that forty
are owned by FrenchmeD.
A very common parasite creeper which