Evening star., 1899-02-11

few tracts that did :sot show either tobac-
CO, corn or sweet patatqes, with groups of
iaborers in the fielass4t was a genuine
farm scene. At oner point long row of
royal palms had just lbeep denuded of their
but the tufts viii gr1w &gain, and thatch-
ing was needed for new huts and the bark
for pressing the tobacco leaves that had
been dried. Several ney drying sheds in
this neighborhood Ahewed that the crop
was coming on favorably sor such .prepara-
tions would not have been made for ham
ding it. "a rel.
-1age in October, when nhe hammocks of
the Spanish soldiers were swung in every
portico. The weight was a crushing one.
The burden has BEEN lifted and the town
is able to breathe again. But it has not
jumped into industrial prosperity. Some
cigars are being manufactured, some shoes
and saddles made for local consumption
and work found for most of the population
either in the fields or in the shops. That is
not so discouraging a situation as the citi-
zens think They dwell on the shortage of
the tobacco crop, but / could learn that
much from any of the tobacco kings in the
Havana cafes or from the manufacturers
who cannot get leaf enough to supply the
demand for Havana cigars. That is mere
ly saying that the crop this year is not
normal, and this much was known months
ago. Guanajay has its local municipal or
ganization in working order. The alcalde
is a Cuban, and several "bandas," or ordi-
nances. of his are posted on the walls. One
of them explains the presence of the Amer
lean troops and their friendly purpose. The
town is policed by the Cuban soldiers, who
are paid by the military authorities. An
American restaurant has been established.
Its proprietor assures the patrons that
there Is nothing Cuban, or Spanish about it,
as he means to have everything American.
We tried it out of pure patriotism and then
went to a Spanish cafe and got something
to eat. The American restaurant Is type
~ t4ont hoy, inn
ported into Cuba from the states-cheap
and bad
HOW the Soldiers Like 1t.
The 2O2d New York Regiment is camped
a mile or two out of the town. I asked one
of the non-cnmmissioned officers how the
soldiers liked it. Pretty WE'LL" he replied.
The place looks better than when we came
in December. They began burning the
grass and then planted tobacco. We didn't
see any tobacco fields around here then.
Every day there was whole string of Gu
bans hanging around the camp. TheyV
gone to work and don't bother us any more
But this is d mighty mean place when 1t
rains. The mud sticks like paste" SO it
does. That sickness In the red soil is one
of the qualities of tobacco growing.
Another soldier told me the boys" were
lonesome, but they all enjoyed their ex-
perience Did they like Cuba? Yes. they
liked the country, but not the towns. Gu
ban towns are not attractive to American
eyes. The monotony of sloping, ret1-tiled
roofs and the lack of shade trees for the
by the plaza in the center. with it palms
and laurels. But I have never found any
one who did not like the country. / asked
this soldier If any of his comrades were
coming back to Cuba 10 settle after they
were mustered out of the army. Lots of
them are talking about it, he said. I'm
a blacksmith and ought to have a good
chance for work down here. Most of them
n pf
say they were going to get piece of land.
But nobody wants TO come back alone
We'd all feel too strange if We scattered.
One fellow has $500 that he says he's going
to buy farm with, but ! guess that amt
enough to do him any good"
Five hundred dollars won't buy farm
in the peighhorhood of Guanajay, but it
will buy a piece of land, large enough to
be worth cultivatiIg, and, with pair of
oxen, a plow and some seed to start with
crop can be had within three months
after the land is blowed. A good many
of the soldiers seem to be thinking of COM
ing back to Cuba. That is one of the bene-
fetal results of spreading, them out instead
of keeping them penned up in a big camp
garrison. They get to know the country
and to see what 1t offers in the way of
settlement. Some will unquestionably re-
turn and cast their lotuwith the soil. If
they come in small colonies 1t will be bet
ter for them in the beginning. After be-
ginning is made the surroundings will not
dividua1s. it
American officers have tried little horse
back riding across the country. away from
the railway and the main roads The
landscape repays the ride. The palm tree
landscape in the neighborhood of GUIANA
jay is varied by ceibas, or cottonyeods
and by the caroiit,as. species of tropical
oak. But there are few people to be seen,
because the settlements have not yet crept
out from the towns and the main roads
The lack Of farm animals is also notice.
able. But these will come in time They
are already seen in the places where cul-
tivation has begun. A tobacco buyer who
had just come from the A1quazar district
told me that he found the same encourage
ing signs there that were visible around
Guanajay. The fields were under cultiva-
ton and new drying sheds and plain farm
dwellings were going up These are the
evidences of the senses which contradict
the gloomy talk heard in Havana.
CHARLES NJ. PEPPER.