The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-12
THE RICHEST
SPOT IN CUBA
Only Two Other Districts in
World Produce More
RICH TOBACCO GROUNDS
In the vuelta Abajo, Whose Product
Can Be Sold in shape of Cigars at
the Enormous Rate of
$3.50 Each
RICH TOBACCO GROUNDS
From Travel Magazine.

Four hours east of Hawana in Pinar
del Rio, is one of the most valuable tracts
OF land on the face of thee earth There
are but two places in thel whole world
where the ground is worth $50 much as in
the Vuelta Abajo.
Those two places are that portion of
the valley of the Rhine where the Jo-
hannisberger grape is grown, from which
Liebfraumlich and other fine wines are
made. and the Kimberley diamond district
In South Africa. In the Vuelta Abajo the
soil grows tobacco, which when. properly
cured. rolled and stamped can be sold
in the shape of cigars at the rate of $50
each
What, then. is the marvel of this price
less tobacco ground? To the eye-nothing
dusty red loan rather thin on rocky hill
sides and sparingly spread with tender
concern as a half bald man disperses his
hair impartially over his head. Next to
each tobacco vega Ga farm of an average
extent of 40 acres) is hayheld. The hay
is not raised for animals. It is cut and
spread on the tobacco land and there de-
composed and washed into the soil blythe
rains. IT is the fertilizer.
But 1t is not hay fertilizer alone that
makes vuelta Abajo tobacco what it is.
nor yet the cheesecloth protection that
keeps out the hottest rays of the sun, nor
yet the choice seed. nor even yet the
mild, equable nature of the climate. nor
the chemical composition of the SOIL For
each and every one of these conditions
is reproduced in other places without that
surprising and delicious climax of to-
lbacco culture that comes alone from the
heart of Pinar del Rio.
Secret Revealed
Neither science nor experience can tell
exactly what it Is that makes Vuelta
iAbajo tobacco Just what 1t Is" writes
Richard Barry. but the native Cuban
knows the secret. In strict confidence he
sometimes confides this secret, and I in
tend now for the first time to make 1t
public The great superiority of Vuelta
,Abajo tobacco over all others lies in the
fact that each year on Easter Sunday
the soil Of every vega IN the province is
anointed with the blood of fighting
cock killed in honorable combat.
That 1 might have no doubt of this
astonishing agricultural theory, was
Shown the training quarters of the fight
ing cocks of the district. While I was
there the old trainer gave them their
morning meal of bananas and milk and
lmassaged them under the wing pits with
Malaga wine.
The cock fight has entered curiously
into Cuban politics. The most brilliant
man in affairs there is Alfredo Zayas.
now vice president He is the Elihu Root
of the island, an attorney, shrewd, hard
working far-sighted Unfortunately for
his. presidential aspirations he listened
long and eagerly to American ideas of
Cuban affairs they should be. That Is
where he fell down. Jose Miguel Gomez
listened to Cuban affairs as they are.
Suppress Sport
"Zayas thought It would be a good
thing to suppress the cock fight. The
Americans told him it would be- It is a
eruel sport, It is barbaric. It is not pleas
amt to the Anglo-Saxon taste; SO the
Americans told Zayas, and Zayas listened
too eagerly. Gomez knew he was dealing
with Castilian people: he was a Castil-
Ian himself. He loved cockhght him
self. just as every of his true COM
patriots did So while Zayas in Havana
was trying to convince his countrymen
that they should abolish cock fighting,
Gomez. In Pinar del Rio was personally
attending the Easter Sunday amounting of
,vuelta Abajo tobacco lands; and Gomez
Twas elected president of the Cuban repub-
llic itIAsv,atE
But Cuba is only one-half tobacco.
The other half is sugar with dash of
tanimo to the Bay of Nepi and dlsgorges
ITS sweet substance through the harbors
tof Cienfuegos and Santiago. A trip to
Cuba would not be consslete without a
visit to a sugar refinery. and that Is
comparatively easy for an American, for
Ifour-ffth of them either owned or
managed by Americans and their coun-
ltrymen are always welcome visitors.
There you can see the sugar cane
hoisted from the nat cars at one end OF
the refinery and, following 1t down the
course OF its journey to the other end
you discover strange emanations into the
various watts. Into the first pours a syruI
ss thick and almost as black as crude
asphalt, and into the end one pours the
very finest syrup OF all, yellow stream
as thin as the sap from a maple tree In
opring. From the black stream is crys-
talized the lowest grade of brown sugar
from the light yellow stream the high
est grade refinery sugar.
"As you leave the sugar refinery you
viii pass through miles of sugar cane
and II you are there late In the season
Ivou will at convenient intervals come
Iupon q treacherous looking fellow carry
ling v rife in the hollow of his arm. He
z lecans you closely and will be quite sure
Z jof your pacific Identity before you will
& NJ allowed to pass on. He is guarding
< khe sugar plantation All over the island
Iohose guards are as numerous almost as
HE workers.
Islandss MeIodramatic Politics
fright hsse, in this sugar guard. you
& I'm study quickly and finally all the