The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-06
G(JBB FOR BUSINESS
Offers Few Inducements to
Men of Small Means.
FARMING IN A SMALL WAY
Brings Abundant Crops, But
Market ProbIematiCal.
FARMING IN A SMALL WAY

Havana, April 25.-After three months
experience in Porto Rica 1 described that
island as "a farm and not workshop.
After four months in the island of Cuba
I pronounce the same verdict upon that
territory. The wealth if the island is in
| its combination of soil and climate. ];
possesses a very considerable wealth in
| mineral resources, notably iron, but this
iron, while very desirable ~ reason IF its
high percentage of free ore and IS low
percentage of phOsphoricmdtter, fines its
| greatest value in combination win OF es
from other sources. Som hi az las Leen
done in the mining of manganese, and the
outlook for the prosperous development Of
! bcation of other minerals are present,
| but little has yet been done .pwards their
! exploitation. Careful and thorough geo
| logical exploration, which the island haas
never yet received, may result in the dis
| covery of other mineral tsp-od u-ie.uniei
covery of other metal or mineral deposits
Of commercial value.
Among the thousands of Americans
who have visited Cuba since the beginning
Of the American occupation, there have
! been many who went with the idea of es-
Enlistment in commercial enterprises
Some went to see what could be done at
a future date. Some brought a few hun
dred dollars thinking to find an opening
! and hoping for a business boom which
would bring them large and quick potts
Some took nothing except a collection Of
u-a hory
as brains, and hoped to find a market for
that commodity. Aside from a noticeable
sprinkling of cheap restaurants and
cheaper saloons, few of any of these found
even a foothold. The time may come when
the American merchant with American
goods and American ways viii find prof
liable opening in Cuban cities. For the
present there is but scant encouragement.
The field is now amply covered by men
who know the wants and the WAYS of their
customers, and have all the necessary
capital for the conduct of their business.
The Cuban wholesale and retail morket.
like the Porto Rican, seems to be greatly
overestimated by many American mer-
chants and manufacturers. It is to he re-
membered that the present population of
the island is hardly more than a million
Of people. The great majority of this pos
ible purchasing class is seriously impover-
ished, and it is also a foot that at any
time a very large number are but insignia
cant purchasers. The wants Of most Of
the rural population and 0 a notable per-
centage Of the urban are few in number
and limited in omount. Nature supplies
the great bulk of their food requirements:
the little hut, and even the more preten-
tious villa, are cheaply and simply fur
nished; and the wardrobe of the majority
is neither extensive nor elaborate.
In normal times however, the total i'm
port trade of the island reaches a sum
which, could the whole Of It be secured.
would constitute a valuoble addition to the
American market. In many lines It will
be very many years before there can he
any possible competition from local manu-
facture. In some that competition al
ready exists. and difficulty would be en-
countered in meeting It. In hats. the
locally made orticle, woven chiefly by
the peaasantry, supplies notable per-
centage of the people with headwear.
Roughly and cheaply made shoes. such as
are worn by many Of the country peopIe.
various
cities and towns In vorious other lines
there is a limited local production. BY
reason Of the crookedness which has char
acterized the Customs Department in
former years accurate figures of Cuban
imports are not obtatnab,e. The imports
from the United States are given as rang
ing from S12o0oO0 to S24O0OO0O annually.
and from Spain as averagi some S25 O10 |
600. These viii represent the bulk of the
Cuban trade. With an adjustment ofCu-
ban conditions, the United States should be
able to count on a minimum export to the
island of So 100000 to 81. O00.G00. A few
items Of food products, such as flour. |
jerked beef salted fish, etc, and cloth
goods Of various kinds, would represent a
large share Of this amount But. for a
long time, the business of the island is
likely to remain in the hands which now
hold it.
Aside from such enterprises as RAILWAYS
electrical service. and the ike. the onnor-
tunites for money making in Cuba are
chiefly confined to agricultural and pomo- |
logical production. Even in these. it IS |
almost imperative that the investor have |
culture presents a vastly promising out |
look is unquestionable. The sol, and the
climate are wholly suitable and the dan /
ser OF frost-klHng is wholly climated
properly cultivated Cuban orange Is al 1
most without peer in the orange word. 1
The mandarin orange the grapefruit. the
lemon. and the lime need but the same |
methods which have resulted in their
profitable production elsewhere TO give to /
eu'tiFators almost a guarantee Of hand /
some profits But groves Of these fruits !.
are only possible for those who have the
time and the means to wait for returns
The same applies to coffee culture. No /
Where in the world can there be produced
a inner grade Of coTeethan that which /
may be srown in the his NJ Cuba. In
years past the industry was carried on /
extensively, bur it was largely dropped /
when susar-raisinS became Tor a -s,-e
a more profitable enterprise. Good coffee
lands are purchasable At reasonable nj - /