The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-20

| uFy- Ihey are no more care imam any
! other tree and here about the only thing
necessary TO do is to ser out tree and
nature does the balance. As for bananas
they are very small and 1 have serious
doubts as to their sale in a northern
| market. The Cubans never eat anything
sour and SO there are no lemons cult
waited. They grow wild, however, to per-
| fiction
What is the depth to water?'
This is a hard question TO answer, as
it varies from ten to 100 feet and I have
been told of some still deeper than that
Again, I have seen wells on TOP of high
hills not over % feet deep and water in
the valley could not near be reached at
depth of 60 feet. Many springs abound
in parts of the country and in others
there is no sign of water for miles. The
depth to water has no effect on vegeta-
tion, as it does not depend on the water
in the soil for its growth but upon the
rainfall. I have seen grass higher than
my head and great trees of from 50 to 60
feet, on high rocky ridges.
The grinding season is now on ard
the whole population is at work cutting
cane. 1t is hauled to the mills on great
carts, the wheels of which are over
seven feet high and the axles seven feet
wide. They are pulled by four yoke of
cattle, harnessed, as is the custom here.
The carts are driven to the side of a
long carrier resembling somewhat the
steam carrier of threshing machine
Into this the cane is thrown by armfuls
and carried on into the rollers
walls in some parts of the United States
that the Cubans are still in the starry
ing condition of the ''reconcentrao" days.
There is a so-called relief station here at
Mocha that is supported by some chart
table society The managers of it here
have a pamphlet which is sent out regu-
larly for request of donations, which pic
lures the people in every condition Of
woe and starvation. These pictures are
copies of photos taken during the war
and do not contain a word Of truth as to
the real condition today. There is labor
for every able-bodied man in Cuba today
and nearly all are employed The mana
gers Of this relief firm are working it for
all it is worth and ride around the coun-
try on fine prancng horses. wearing
white linen clothes with siIver-mounted
juggling spurs. Money contributed to such
purposes is money thrown away.
There are, it is true, thousands of
orphans who could be benefited by chart
table institutions we'll managed but the
military government has a surplus of
over s3,000,O00 in the treasury which is ac-
cumulating every day and it is manifest
ly their duty to attend to this. There is
no need of private charity in Cuba any
where. The average Cuban does not live
on bread and meat. Their daily ration is
coffee in the morning and a meal at II
o'clock, consisting of rice sweet pota-
toes, plantains and small amount of
dried beef, and about the same at 5
o'clock. with variety of vegetables
such as the season produces There is
always some kind of wild fruit ripe and
it is all eatabIe. Instead Of being IN
starving condition the entire population
is fat and healthy. OF course there are
cripples and aged people withoIt support
who could be benefited by charity admin
istered by proper hands, but 1t is the
duty of the state to attend e TIER
wants. This to a great extent has been
done or is being attended TO rapidly. The
professional beggar of the cities has been
packed Up and those who lived by ex-
posing to the passerby every form of
loathsome disease and infirmity have
been taken to an asylum. The police
make periodical raids on the pawdy
houses and have succeeded m getting
possession Of all children living in these
dens Of debauchery and crime, who lave
been taken to Institutions Droviiad for
that purpose and viii he raised AMI edu.
Gated at the expense of the government.
The Methodist church has q missionary
at Matanzas who speaks Spanish fuently
and every Sunday two services are keid,
one in Spanish and one in English. itrg-
hsh is being taught in the schools and
it is very common to be greeted ia that
language by the smaller popItaticn.
y. D. RHODES"