The Portland daily press., 1900-06-05
CUBA NOT wELL.woODED.


contained In an article in the May num-
Der Of the Forester, written by John
Clifford, the founder Of that magaz Inc.
1t is called Forest conditions in Cuba, +"
and Is the result OF the writer's journeys
across the island from Cienfuegos to
Havana, coasting along the southern
shore and making short excursions into
the country around Havana and Santiago.
1t win surprise may persons, says the
New York sun. 10 learn from Mr.. Clifford
that Cuba Is not well-wooded island in
spite of the statements made in many
magazine and newspaper articles regard
ing the islands wealth of valuable fore 81
trees. According 10 Mr.. Clifford the
marketable timber is being cut so
rapidly that within a few years 1t will
be extirpated, and about half Of his arti-
Gle is devoted 70 suggestions, not for
forest cutting, but for forest planting
He writes;-
have been surprised to find so much OF
this island bare. Even in the mountain
Gus districts the forest appeared to me
sparse and thin. Immense areas have
beer cleared in times past for cane and
where ~ usscultivated land fires have
been set 70 improve the pasturage. Cuba
. has always been n great cattle country
and this, no doubt, at least in part, &C
counts for the lack of lnxuriant forests
in comparison with Jamaica and other
tropical districts. Owing to the lack Of
proper means of communication there Is
a lack of wood In certain districts, espec.
tally the central portion. Wood and
charcoal are in great demand for fuel;
fence material is scarce; and even small
poles which are extensively used in dry
ing tobacco in the field, are expensive.
The planting Of forests in Cuba would
pay as well, 1 believe, as elsewhere on
the western continent.
Charcoal is the fuel most use in Cuba,
and is in fact the only practicable fuel for
general cooking in the native houses, as
Coal or wood emits too much heat to be
bearable during the hot season. Mr..
Clifford suggests the planting of the
eucalyptus tree in groves TO be used for
the production Of chacroal, and believes
that money thus invested would bring
In good returns, as the demand for char
coal is great. He believes also that under
present conditionsit would pay to export
charcoal from the gulf coast to Cuba.
Another pressing need Of the island is
good fence material. There has always
been heavy demand for this, particularly
for fence post material and this demand
will doubtless be greater than ever, now
that Cuba is about to wake up CONNER
cially. Today the fences are almost en-
tirely Of barbed wire, propped and patched
with heterogeneous sticks and brushwood.
Chestnut, locust and logwood, thinks
Mr.. Clifford could be planted to adyant-
age In Cuba and used as fence material.
Considerable quantities Of mahogany,
cedar and ligum vitae have been shipped
from Cuba in the past, and the large
number of structures ON the island con-
tanning mahogany shows that 1t must
formerly have been much more plentiful
than il Is now. Both the mahogany and
the cedar trees are far apart, and are
becoming rarer every year, so that Mr..
Clifford predicts their disappearance in a
short time. In the mountains HgnuIn
vitae is still abundant, and is exported
largely, being used for pulleys, blocks,
croquet mallets and balls and many other
purposes. In the forests of western Cuba
the Cuban pine is abundant and is much
used for timber. The finest tree OF Cuba
is the royal palm, which grows in fields
and plantations and along the water
courses, without which the Cuban would
be hard put to it for building material.
1t Is not q very ornamental wood, but
peculiarly fitted for building purposes, as
1t has the valuable quality of shutting
out the heat, and houses built of IL are
COOL The nuts of the tree are good food
for swine. The mango is rather common
and its fruit Ii very popular with the
natives, who eat it SO Unfortunately that
mango belly is q recognized ailment
all over the island, not dangerous, but
unsightly, rs 1t causes remarkable and
ridiculous distension of the abdomen, par
ticularly in children. The mango is q
splendid shade tree. Another magnificent
shade tree is the ceiba or silk cotton tree,
but it is worthless in any other sense, as
r..
ceiba tree under which the surrender Of
the Spanish commander was received
near San Juan hill, Mr.. Clifford notes,
has been so Clipped and hacked by SOU
venir vandals that there was danger of
it being destroyed, and now barbed
wire fence, protects it. In the cities the
common shade trees are the Spanish laurel
the beef wood, Fiicus Indica which is
the sacred Bo tree of India, and Is some
thing like poplar, though not SO tall
and majestically erect; the West Indian
almond, which is not an almond ut all,
and the sand-box tree which has the
peculiar trait of exploding its fruit with
q sharp report and scattering the seeds
far and wide. Because of this the natives
call 1t the monkeys dinner bell, as they
say that at the sound of the report mon
keys rush in from all sides TO eat the
delicate seeds.
1t is peculiar that northern plants, such
as Irish potatoes and other vegetables,
grow well here by the side of bananas,
pineapples ana other tropical plants.
The soil of Cuba is of such nature that
everything can be raised easily and in
abundance. 1t Is in need of energetic
gardeners and fruit growers. 1t needs
orchards and forests. / have no doubt
but that olives, grapes, English walnuts,
oranges, prunes, chocolate and hundreds
of other fruits may be easily grown there.
What is needed in Cuba is an expert
mental station and a botanic GARDEN
such as exists in Jamaica, where plants
Of all kinds from everywhere may be
tested-because in this line Cuba is capa-
BILE Of almost limitless possibilities. 1t
would be an excellent place for northern
students TO go for study, just as Euro
peans go to Buitenzorg in Java. In fact
the tropics are biological headquarters,
where everything Is intense, where plant
physiology, the basis of forestry, agricul-
ture and horticulture, may be studied to
the best advantage.
-.cccooooooo.