The Democratic advocate., 1909-04-23
AMERIcAN FARMER N cUBA.
He Shows the Natives How to Grow
Fruit and Vegetables.
From the Havana Post.

HEtut anu VEBbthUibS.
From the Havana Post
Probably the most notable fact in
! connection with the exhibition of
Cuba's farm products, aside from the
marvellous quantity and quality of the
4 products displayed, is that the ex-
hibit Is made up almost entirely of
products from American farms in
Cuba, Cuban growers are not repre-
sented except In small way for the
very good reason that the Cuban
| farmer has always devoted himself to
the cultivation of cane and tobacco
and has bothered himself but little
with fruit and vegetable products. He
is at disadvantage compared with
the American farmer for that reason,
/ just as the average Yankee" farmer
would be at a disadvantage In the
! growing OF cane or tobacco here in
| Cuba.
This feature OF the exhibition has
/ been observed by many OF the Cubans
/ who visited the display A writer OF
La Lucha, Don Gil, comments on the
| exhibition, stating that as the pro-
ducts shown are from Cuban FARMS
Cuba being eminently an agricultural
country, all of her riches coming from
| her exuberant solI--it would be sup
posed that the exhibitors we're like
wise Cubans.
/ But this Is not so. Their progeni-
tors are Yankee OF pure stock work.
ers who came to Cuba In search OF
the promised land. and discovered
they had found II. Through Incidence
or apathy we have not availed our
selves. In all its magnitude Of the fer
Utility Of our soil. hence we import fri
jolea from Mexico. corn from the
United States and no end OF cereals,
which we could grow not only with
positive profit, bue even export II the
case need be.
THAT which Is not cane or tobacco
we do not consider worthy OF our
agricultural vigilance. With the
Z judgment Of mosquitoes, we leave the
balance for the Americans.
TO them viii belong the kingdom OF
I the earth. And when they appropriate
I r. by-by my bankroll and yours .
Meaning 10 say that II Americans pro-
duce the wealth of the country. there
viii be nothing left for the Cubans.
There Ia nothing queer about the
coming OF American farmers 10 Cuba
For the 10 years that Cuba has been
free. or nearly so. the plaint Of her
statesmen and economists has been
that there we're not enough farmers.
that thousands Of acres Of this rich
exubeFant soil which Is cuba's proud
boast. was lying idle. and not so long
ago a. six months Cuban Minister
Queaada left bis post az Washington
to induce foreign farmers 10 cmigrate
10 Cuba. But the only ones who came
we're farm hands who. after gather
Ing cane for couple OF months, re-
turn 10 their own country with the
money they have earned The Amsri-
can farmer has come instead, and as
q testimonial OF bis ability be gives
~ the horticultural exposition lie
u one Or the best farmers on earth and
he comes 10 make productive the vlr,
kin fields of this island. lie does the
work that Cubans will not do, or
have not done, he filis The place that
Cuba has tried TO fill by sending out
foreign agents.
But hin coming does not meanafare-
weil' 10 tho Cuban bankroll any more
than the emigration of some hundreds
of thousands of thrifty German farm
erH 10 the United States meant the
farewell 10 the money of the AmeFi-
cnna. or any more than the advent
Oi the Portuguese 70 Hawaii, or the
Japanese 10 Chill. meant the same
thing.
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