The sun., 1903-08-10
Cotton Raising in Cuba.

News dispatches report the ginning Of
sample quantity of Cuban-grown cotton
with highly satisfactory results. Cuba 8
possibilities in the successful production
Of cotton upon an extensive scale remain
for determination, but the encourage
ment for careful experiment. is certainly
abundant. The cotton plant is indigen-
ous in Cuba, and varieties Of it are found
growing wild from one end of the island
TO the other. Numerous experiments
have been made in its cultivation, al
though not on any large scale. Some
have succeeded and others have failed,
for various reasons in both cases. The
successes have produced fibre upon
which experts have placed value rang
ing from 1s cents TO 2s cents per pound.
1t is claimed, with some ground for the
claim, that the famous Sea Island product
found its origin in Cuba, and there is no
clearly apparent reason why certain
areas should not produce a rival of the
Sea Island, while other areas should be
capable of producing a staple equal if not
superior to the best upland or Egyptian.
The most frequently encountered of the
Cuban varieties grows in few years to
the size of ounce trees or peach trees,
and the home of the Cuban peasant will
often show few Of these shrubs or trees,
the product of which is used for various
domestic purposes.
The notable Encouragement to more
extensive experimental culture has been
the boil weevil, which appears as an en-
emy of the more commercially promising
varieties With this difficulty we are now
contendng in our own Southern States,
and it is more than possible that the out
come of our conflict with that pernicious
insect may open way TO the establish
ment Of a vastly prosperous industry for
our island neghbor Cuba certainly has n
soil and climate eminently adapted to
the growing OF superior staple, and if
the industry can be fairly insured, against
the ravages of insect life there is no
reason why Cuba should not become an
extensive grower OF most desirable
grade of cotton, with value as n com
mercial product rivalling her sugar and
her tobacco Porto Rico reports sue
cessful results in cotton culture, and
Cuba protected from boil weevil, ought
to make better as well as larger field
than her neighbor,
A few months ago the Didrto de la
Marina, a leading Havana paper, printed
an extensive series of communications
from different planters who had made
| trial of cotton raising on their planta-
tons. The conclusion to be dawn from
these very interesting letters il that the
only serious natural obstacle to success
is the weevil. One of the contributors to
the series, Scfor EDUARDO FERRER, de-
clares that if the weevil can be extermin-
ated the only obstacle to the profitable
culture of cotton in Cuba will disappear.
Another, Don MANUEL PERALTA Y MEL
CARES, says that if in the cultivation of
cotton in Cuba there were no necessity
for fighting this insect life the planting
of cotton would not be business but
rather playing the lottery with the capital
prize secured in advance, He declares
that ii would simply mean the cxpendi-
ture of 81 600 a cdbdNeria, or thrtv-three
acres, with the certain return Of $1,000
to $4,000 with bin few months.
Having II, further use for the old cry of