Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-05-24

The beet and cane product both considered,
Cuba is surpassed by but one country, Ger
many. with one and one-half million tons, as
a sugar producer, and is equaled by but one
other, Austria.
Cuba has exported in one year more than
6.0O0.000 pounds of leaf tobacco and more
than 1874 100000 cigars in addition to heavy
exports OF baled tobacco of less valuable va
seties.
TIE shipping OF nine Cuban ports, which
includes Havana, for the year 1894 amount
ed to 1888, $50 tons, carried by 3,lS4 vessels.
The above three paragraphs give gem
eral idea OF industrial Cuba OF the past;
they can scarcely be elassed as even pro-
phetic OF the future.
Cuba and the adjacent small islands be-
longing to it occupy an area OF A., GOO square
miles-a little less in size than the state OF
New York. OF this total area less than 10
per cent has ever been under cultivatIon;
four per cent. is classed as forest land, and
large auantities.of the remainder Is virgin
soil awaiting development by progressive
people under a progressive government.
When such a people under suen govern
ment have turned this unclaimed area into
productive territory we shall have tie Cuba
of the future.
past. Cane sugar development has been
confined to the vast central plain lying to
a great extent III Matanza province. In the
season OF 1929 this great plain yielded
1854 .2l2 tons OF sugar, valued at SS0,uN0, 600.
The sugar plantations OF this territory
vary in extent from 100 to 1000 acres, and
employ an average of one man to each two
acres under cultivation.
For several years the sugar industry in all
the West Indian islands has been in de-
plorable condition, but different causes
must be assigned for the condition in Cuba
than for the other islands In Cuba it has
been the series of rebellions and insurrec-
lions that have caused the decline of the
industry. During the periods OF COMPARE
tive peace the industry has prospered, and
the reason may be found in the fact that the
Cuban planters have gone about the produc-
ton Of sugar on large scale, and equipped
with the most modern machinery.
While sugar is the staple crop of first i'm
portanee in Cuba tobacco has an important
place in the islands industries, and is even
more valuable than sugar when the acreage
under cultivation is considered. AS Matan-
zas is the center osthe sugar industry so is
Pinar del Rio the center Of the tobacco in
terests, though the tobacco fields may be
found in all sections of the island, and the
crop is exported from every port from Ha-
vana to Santiago
The average size of the Cuban tobacco
plantations, or vegas, as they are called, IS
only about 80 acres, and the average annual
production from a farm or vega of this size
is something like 1900 pounds OF tobacco of
varying qualities. OF this amount, however,
there will seldom be more than from 450 to
800 pounds OF the finest quality from which
the higher priced cigars are made; 1850
pounds of the second quality, and so on
down to the cheapest grade which is, OF
course, the greatest in quaint y.
In the wars of Cuba the toi acco interests
of the western portion of tae island, in
which is grown the better qualities and the