Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-08

center of the best sugar-produolng re-
gion IN the world. and this city ~ the
one port Of consequence In the province,
| no better field could be found for study
| ing the industry. therefore ! have been
visiting some u the nelghboring plan
tatlons. In order that my readers Of the
Descrot News may ace thcm by proxy
80 TO speak.
Thirty NJ the largest sugar estates
on the island lie within days ride
| ~ Cicnfuegoa. ana before the war
$1,000 hoEahcada OF suguy annually left
| this port The show place of The VI
entity is the "Ingenio liormlguero."
| ungcnio being the Spanish term for
sugar plantation)-n little principally
OF 5000 acres IN cane. with the newest
and most expensive machinery In Its
/ great mills. Its managers are the
Provost brothers-.Amcricana ~ French
descent and they cordially welcome all
visitors and give them every facility
Tor pursuing their Investigations. The
whole place n laid out w lots ~ four
or i've nrres Ia each. Tor greater COM
| venloncc IN managing ouch "a vast con.
Germ. There nrc 30 many ~ those lots
| that map of them II kept Ia the Once.
on which the exact condition OF each w
| Indicated by buttons OF different colurs.
! Thus, II u lot has lust been planted
| with cane, The fact N announced b.
green button VI the cane un another
| lot is ready To cut, a yellow button tells
the story. and when the cutting " nc
| CumplAhsd q brown button N Hubstl-
tutcd. Between these lots are many
miles Of cart roads and bridle- paths;
/ aud there are nlfo u dozen miles of rail-
way, over which cane is brought to the
mills In cars.
Not far behind the Hormlgucro In size
and value IN La Cunatancln,' a nne
estate under conservative English
management. More Interesting than
either. because yielding 40 much sugar
| though hardly third ~ large, ~ the
| "lnHcnlo Solcdnd." carried ON by
thrifty Mlssourian. ON strictly scientific
| principles. More correctly speaking
VIC should put tho foregoing In the past
tonsc-as today, out 81 Cuba'z niue
hundred and odd plantations, not one IL
| IN operation ne before the war. After
four years Of guerilla lighting. during
which spanish troops and cuban pat1-
OTIS we're chiefly engaged IN destroying
| property. not much ~ left Every estate
/ In the country was seriously crippled
and finally had to suspend operations
| altogether. while fully nlne-tentha 81
them had their buildings burned and
machinery destroyed. Most Of the
| planters have begun again, aa far ua
their means viii permit, hut they arc
| Wocfully poor, without even money 10
| pay the necessary laborors, much less
to rebuild. However. n good many VIII
make shift somehow, ON borrowed Cnp-
itnl ana long credit. The last OF the
cane must be In the ground before the
md Of April; and Il y estimated that
| this years crop VIII reach perhaps
$4,000 tons-lnstcad of the million tons
which used TO be annually expected OF
| the island.
By the way. judging from the number
OF letters I am constantly receiving
from people In the United States com
corning the prospects Tor starting
| sugar plantations ON amounts vary
lng from few hundred 10 n
| few thousand dollnra-it would seem
| that n great deal Of misnpprehcnniOn
| exists IN regard TO HuRar-gfowing. "
10 no use whatever for n poor man. or
one In moderate circumstances. TO
| dream Of such n thinR--unnidcd. There
| W not plantation In cuba worth less
than million Dollars. and many cost
several times that Fufs. suppose some
Impoverished owner could be Induced
to sell his estate literally for u song"
| or on credit; II would be found impoHni-
bic 10 do anything with such a prop
crty without great deal Of money at
command. II by rare good fortune
the rucrllnf had left It's machinery
and buildings Intact, an experienced
and oarrfri manager might rct things
going again aud rub along until the
nrst crop could he marketed. ON $780,
900. or thcrctbouts; but TO attempt II
with smaller bank account would be
sheer madness. The sugar buslncs.
In cuba. fof many years TO come. viii
be one Of syndicates ana compnnles--
surely not OF individual owners. IN
~ II..Fa al
and that class can better nnord To re-
main In the peace and security Of
home. rather than to risk the uncertain
chances Of this chaotic country.
Today II " sad thing Ia ride
through the valleys OF Santa Clara
Notwithstanding their Incompatible
natural beauties. Twice before
have made tho trip. The first time
nearly ave years ago. I thuuRht tho
hlll-cnvroncd plains back OF clenfue-
goa were the very Rnrden-apot OF tho
world-a fnwleas paradise OF tower
Ing palms and yellow cane. soft airs,
singing birds ana odorous flowers,
over-archod by the cloudlcss skies OF
eternal summer. Next time 1 came
this way the war had been going ON
nearly three years ana the smoke OF
"a hundred fires hung over the valley
like dense black pail There was
danger In the trip. for every knoll and
hollow might hide IA numerous band
OF Spanish soldiers. or the no less TO
be- feared mnchatca OF guerilla pa
trlots." To-day the nkieg are blue and
untroubed as ever, for the last omberz
ceased Hmodng months ago. hut
where are the happy go-lucky. pnrti-
coiorcd people that sWarmed the way
side stations ANA loltcred along the
sunny roads, Death has gathered
them all under his shnduwy wings
upwards OF 100000 OF the non-cnm-
batting country people OF cuba wiped
out by famine In four years time.
Where are the White-Wullel yillnAt the
straw-thutohcd hutH, the fields Of
waving cunef The whole province
Is like vast cremntorlum-ovc
hamlet oblltgrated, every home an
ash heap The patriots themselves
destroyed 10000 farms, plantations and
ranches and converted SEQ 100000
worth ~ growing cane into drifting
ashes. Here as wen as all over the desc
lated Island, shining. well-kept ma
chinery Is u thing OF the past. in most
cnhea what W now rusting uncovered
In the fields, has been shipped abroad
aa old junk. General prosperity can
never return TO wnr-uursod Cuba until |
It's chief source of Wenlth-sugai.-
hns been rehabilitated by the intro
duction of many million dollars worth |
OF new machinery.
A description of one sugar plantn- |
tiun answers pretty well Tor all the |
rest. The scene rs always the same
the tall white chimney OF the mill