Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-14
COCOANUTS IN CUBA
POSSIBLE ANNUAL PROFITS OF
26 CENTS ON TREE.
Consul Lindley at Baracoa Gives
Some Interesting Facts in Re-
gard to the Industry.

Much has been written since the Spanish
American war on the subject OF cocoanut
plantations. and the statement has been
made that plantations reached full bearing
In five years and the trees produced an In
come Of 81 each, with presumably nothing
for the planter to do but sit in the shade
and watch them grow. But Consul Lind
ley. from Baracoa, Cuba, reports less
fattering. though perhaps more accurate.
account of the possibilities Of the industry
He says that in the past year there were
exported from that port 18.50O,OO0 cocoa
nuts, mostly for New York and Philadel-
phia. This was an increase Of 4,5OO, 900
over the previous year.
He says that the cocoanut grows on al
most any soil, much land being good for
cocoanuts that is worthless for anything
else There is much of 1t to be had I'M
cleared at 81 to 81 an acre. They can be
grown on the seashore and come to bear
ing there sooner than inland, but they want
a good deal of water, either fresh or salt,
and water Is really about the only essential
on the land. The native cocoanut Is subject
to disease that so far has not proved very
deadly. but the consul advises planting the
San Bias from South America when start
ing a grove, as it is fine nut and one of
disease-resisting variety. He says that
there can be fifty-fve trees set to the acre,
and between these it is profitable to plant
the cocoa. so that there is frequently the
sight of the three trees growing on the
same plantation. The banana tree Is al
lowed to stand only till the cocoa tree be-
gins to bear, which Is about the third year.
The cocoanut tree begins to bear in about
five years on the seashore, and in seven or
eight years inland. Age does not count
against the tree; in fact, some of the best
trees In Cuba are over fifty years old.
Each tree drops about sixty nuts a year. al
though one often hears the statement made
that a tree gives a nut a day. The nuts
are gathered twice month. hulied, and
brought in to the exporter. The hulling Is
done on an instrument similar to garden
hoe. The operator stands on the handle
and holds the nut in his hands, and with
three or four downward twisting motions
pulls the husk off the nut One man can
gather and husk 1000 nuts day. The ex-
pense of gathering and husking is $1.50 per
LOCO.
The nuts are received by the exporter at
the rate of 81 thousand for nuts under
37s inches in diameter, and the same Tor
sprouts and cracked nuts. while the price
Of the first-class nut runs from $40 to SIS
a thousand. delivered. From q to 80 per
cent of all the nuts run small or bad.
Taking everything into account planter
should get about SO thousand as profit,
or about 26 cents tree per year. 1t does
not pay the farmer to bring In any but the
first-class nuts. but the balance can be
used to feed hogs (cocoanut meat Is very
fattening, and the lard from cocoanut-fed
hogs Is very stiff, or the nuts can be
turned into oil, which is very profitable IL
the plantation is large one. One thou
sand cocoanuts give 800 pounds Of almen-
ORA shrinkage is 33h per cent, thus net
ting $50 pounds of copra, which in turn
vii yield 80 gallons Of oil. Oil sells IN
Baracoa at IS cents a gaon. These fig
ures are from the hand process. and. Of
course, an oil mill would do much better.
There is one cocoanut-oil mill at Bafocoa
which ships about $4,000 barrels of oil to
the different parts of Cuba, none of It go
ing to the United States.
The husk is not used in Cuba, but it can
be used for the manufacture of door mats,
etc. and lately i has been used success
fully for insulation purposes.