Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-27
CUBAN INDUSTRIES
Experiments by Americans
Now Under Way.
RAISING OF COTTON
GROWING OF COFFEE IN THE
ISLAND BEGUN.
Textile Fibers Being Cultivated-Fruit
Farmers May Make a Profit
What Reciprocity Would Do.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
HAVANA, November 20, 1902
One of the most promising experiments
now under way is that Of raising cotton
One American company has gone into 1t In
Santiago on an extensive scale, and num-
Der of the Cuban planters are proposing to
use a portion Of their cane lands for cotton
growing. The owner Of a plantation
couple of hours ride from Havana told me
that notwithstanding the rise in the price
Of sugar he was going to turn half his plan
tation into cotton.
The question which IS to be determined
Is not whether cotton can be grown in
Cuba. Columbus found 1t growing when he
discovered the island. But what is of mo-
ment to Cuba is the extent to which it can
De grown as commercial proposition
They have very fine varieties, both Of sea
island and the uplands. Some Of the plant
ers still recall the cotton they grew dur
ing the civil war in the United States, and
they think that in spite Of coming into COM
petition with the south 1t would pay in
these days. great deal is published, CIV
ing the experience of individuals. Some of
these warn against trying to utilize the red
lands. because the dust gets into the cot
ton before 1t is picked and depreciates its
value. They also give their experience in
destroying the cotton worm, and the kind
OF machinery which is necessary to get the
seeds out Of the product The Americans
who have done a little experimenting find
that July is the best time for planting and
December for picking. From all this it
may be gathered that the experiment of
growing cotton in Cuba is in way to be
tested intelligently. One branch of the
Cuban congress has passed a bill making
tariff concessions cotton machinery, and
probably this will become law.
Coffee a Growing Industry.
Coffee is growing industry. Immediately
after the war the Cubans were told they
ought to depend less on sugar and go back
to growing coffee, just as fifty years ago
they left coffee raising for cane growing
This was good talk. 1t was In the line of
diversified Industries and 1t was advice
that cost nothing. But the cafetales In
Santiago had been so completely destroyed
that it was necessary to replant them and
wait five years for the ripening Of the berry.
This hve-year period which Is necessary
for so many products, is a drawback to the
prompt Investigation of industries How
ever, not only in Santiago but in Matanzas
and Pinar del Rio the coffee planting was
tried. In Santiago already there is a crop,
and in another year other parts of the ISL
and will be able to pick their own berries
Coffee growing can be extended beyond it's
present limits. While some of the San
tiago product goes to France, the real mar
ket is at home. l do not find many Of
those who have experience in the business
expecting Cuban coffee to compete with
Brazil and Central America in the markets
of the world. Coffee growing in Cuba will
pay up to the limit Of home consumption,
and that limit, especially with an increas-
ing population, Is yet far from being
reached. The consumption per capita is
follow the protective policy in this indus
try and by raising the import duties to
stimulate home production That is all
that can be expected, and as an export
product Cuban coffee is not to be classed
along with sugar and tobacco.
Textile Fibers.
President Palma, who in theory is an
agriculturist, was enthusiastic a few
months ago about Cuba producing 1bers or
textiles. The soil will produce kind of
hennequin, or hemp. That has been shown
at Nuevitas, where several Of the hillsides
are covered with the fiber. But 1t takes
five six years for this plant to be fully
developed, and the common opinion is that
1t will not pay the Cuban agriculturist to
undertake to grow fbers in competition
with Yucatan and the Philippines, even
though stimulated by a high protective
duty.
Some of those who were going into the
business Of raising hemp laid their plans
before the managers of the cordage fac
tory In Havana, which is owned by New
would have a market and were somewhat
fearful lest the first crop would be too big
The superintendent listened and then said:
GO ahead. We will take all you raise. 1t
will supply the factory three or four days
some time when We are short on Yucatan
or Manila
Fruit Farmers.
American fruit farmers now have pretty
fair comprehension of the raising of citrus
fruits in Cuba. Some of the big companies
In the eastern end Of the island vary their
banana crop by giving over part of their
m
are proposing to establish plantations and
put up sugar mills intend to devote part of
their lands to raising bananas These facts
are not of much concern to the smaller cap
italist He has found that the knowledge
and experience gained in fruit raising in
Florida or in other states is very useful in
Cuba.
Orange growing gives promise Of decided
success. A Cincinnati man who has fruit
farm few miles out of Havana went into
the business Systematically, and his place
is cited as one of the examples of what can
be done Pineapples also are being success
fully cultivated by Americans who came
over from Florida They lost money the
first year through misjudging the American
cultivation. Now they think they under
stand the market in the United States as
well as the cultivation Of pineapples in
Cuba.
With commercial reciprocity, which would
give them 20 to 25 per cent reduction in
tariff duties, the orange growers would
reap fair return on their Cuban invest
ment. But fruit culture here Is developed
slowly, and 1t would be a long time before
either California or Florida would feel seri-
Gus competition from Cuban fruits in the
American markets. AS Cuban industry it
is fair investment for Americans with
some capital and more experience. But it
is not like mining gold with a shovel, as
many people seem to think.
These are few points on subjects of
general Inquiry. Other inquiries along the
same line will have to be answered later.
The main thing Is that Americans who are
too busy to fuss with Cuban politics or to
listen to yarns about brigands can get
along pretty well, and are justified in ad-
vfsing their friends and neighbors to come
TO Cuba CHARLES M. PEPPER.
Army Orders.