The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-17
Of FARMING N GIjBA
John Rhoades Writes as One
Who Uses His Eyes.
RED SOIL AND BLACK SOIL
Fruits and Vegetables Two
Different Propositions.

~ Inc 5itNu4lGAe~ a. AN-SON- 49,
which L have not been able TO answer
with the ninuteness 1 should like. The
past week has been clear and sunny with
a cool sea breeze so that there is no
discomfort in walking or riding. 1 have
taken advantage Of it to visit all the
Americans settled here and put the ques-
ton TO them and viii give the informa-
ton as received from them.
7 wish to state first that Cuba has two
kinds of soil. red and black. The soil
here is all red and covered with loose
limestone All the red land Of Cuba is
the same, having a limestone formation
and stony on the surface My first ques-
ton was: What will grow there? The
answer invariably was: All the tropical
and semi-troDical fruits and tobacco.
What class Of fruits that are hardy
enough to ship to the northern markets?
Oranges, pineapples, lines. grapes fruit
in fact all the citrus fruits, AMI grapes. :"
What about vegetables? The red soil
is not good for vegetables owing to the
dry weather and it's inability to hold
water"
Does not the dryness affect the fruits?
"No; on the contrary, ground that holds
water on its surface is certain death to
them"
Their statements in regard to fruits
were amply borne out by the groves of
thrifty looking orange trees from twenty
to thirty feet high heavily laden with
green fruit the size of an egg. On the
same trees were also blossoms and ripe
fruit as they bear small amount all the
time and fifty trees would produce suffi-
cient for a large family Of fresh fruit
daily in addition to the general crop
which is harvested in December. These
trees Of course are seedlings and many
of them are doubtless Of great age but
still vigorous and thrifty and are loaded
with fruit. The Americans are all putting
out budded fruit obtaining their buds
from Florida One man had some sixty
buds Of seedless oranges from California
which he placed in the old trees on his
piece of land and will obtain some fruit
in one year. He placed three buds in
each tree and in q few months will cut
out the old top and in two years will Sc
cure a full crop.
OF pineapples each and several hun lred
all bearing and ready for the picking
Pineapples also come on al different
times of the year SO that for table use
theg1can be secured nine months in the
year. The main harvest is in May, June
and the early part Of July The early
harvest is AL gathered and on the New
York market six weeks ahead of the
Florida pines and thus secure the first
price. Several people here are engaged
in putting out from two to five acres.
They bear in one year and will bear a
crop next June The time for planting IS
in July and August They will plant in
rows four feet by one in the row. Two
roads are left across each acre to facili-
tate gathering so that about 10000 plants
are required to one acre. As to the value
per acre I met a representative Of s. S.
Harvey of Havana. who is buying all he
can get. From him 1 gained the Informal
ton that they had not paid less than 500
per acre in the field and that where they
paid this price the fields were grass grown
and had small fruit. The slips cost in
Havana $3.50 per thousand in addition to
which freight and hauling Will be at least
$50 more, bringing the cost for plants
for one acre to about $40.
In planting the ground Is simply cleared
by cutting of the brush and when suffi-
GENTLY dry burned over. All that Is nee
essary is to make a hole IN the ground
and insert the plant, pressing the dirt in
with the fingers. The hole i usually
made with an iron bar by one man while
another inserts the plants. The after care
is as simple as caring for so much corn
~ - L. L.
theory as to their growing, but lines are
very plentiful and as large as small
lemons.
Grape fruit is not very plentiful but
grows TO an immense size, The Cubans
viii not eat them because they are sour.
During the season last year in Florida
they brought 81 per box.
Grapes grow equal to any in the world.
bul under Spanish rule only one vine
was allowed TO a family, so phere was
none to be made into wine and thus there
was no competition with the vine clad
hills CT Spain.
What about tobacco The answer 10
this I obtained from the manager of the
Cuban Relief Farm. He showed me the
ground on which it had been raised He
said measured just two acres and re-
qu.red 5000 plants From this he Sc
cured two cuttings. lie would have Sc
cured a third cutting but neglected it
and the worms took il. His tobacco shed
was made Of thatch from the palm leaves
and is good for several years. The to-
bacco. after being cured, was hand sorted
into three grades according TO drmness
OF quality, bringing q cores spending price
He had several buyers 70 see his crop
and the price offered will average 81
cents per pound His crop dried weighs
! trlfe over 400 pounds and would have
been one-third larger If attended to !
could not get from him definite state
meutS as 70 the cost Of raising. shedding
curing. etc, as he kept no separate &C
count Of il but all Cubaus agree that Il
requires one man 70 one acre. the mar
e course being a Cuban and proportion
ately slow. However. IT would not b
advisable for an inexperienced man to try
over one acre the first time. This. vel
attended. ought 20 bring about S5a0. but
vii require constant attention fer f7ve
months There are two Americans who
have each given W $40 a month saiary
70 engage IL tobacco culture They
claim that one American a. Havana
cared for ten acres without help except s.
the cutting. by the use Of g hard spray
and Paris green. They Vii pat out e.g1i
acres and use the spray. A practical 30
( bacco grower from Kentucky is lo5kins
/ fer piece ~ land 70 engage n the san.
business. us idea IS 10 put MS lard Al
/ in oranges and raise tobacco for Hvins
uni. his trees bear.
4 In regard 70 the amount OF LARD on
needs. Nluld say % purchase not ovcl
twenty acres unless ya1 S-isA Il <sT -,