Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-10-13
In a Cuban Sugar m....


prepared by the National Geographic So
cety. Washington. ID. CO.
Cuba, which Immediately following
the World war climbed to heights of
prosperity seldom attained by any
other small country, has passed now
into the valley of hard times; and the
reason in both cases was the same
sugar. For though the islands annual
tobacco harvest is very valuable and
though 1t has many other potential,
il undeveloped, resources, 1t is hardly
overemphas!zing the Importance of
sugar production to say that Cuba is
q one-cr0p country. When European
and Eastern sugar was understandable
prices scared skywaru and Cuba not
only casi,ed in heavily OH her usual
production but feverishly increased
her cane acreage and sugar mills. Now
that sugar from the eastern hemis-
phere is reaching the world markets
while Europe has little buying power,
sugar prices have fallen to low levels
and Cuba is finding her war-increased
crop a drug on the market. Financial
gloom has followed upon the heels of
n most hectic prosperity, "as the night
the day."
Sugar-cane Is grown by three classes
Of planters In Cuba. Perhaps the
major part of the crop is grown by
share farmers. or "colonos," as they
are called. The owners of the sugar
mills furnish them with given num-
her of acres of land to plant and give
them an agreed share of the sugar
they produce.
They Made Money Rapidly.
The next class Is composed of the
land-owning farmers, who grow their
own cane and have 1t ground on
shares after the fashion Of the rural
grist mill. The remainder Of the cane
is grown by the owners of the mills
themselves. At some centrals the
administration" cane, as that grown
der"central" management is known,
amounts to only A per cent of the
total; at others 1t amounts to 80 per
cent.
prices, made money. According to
Scuba Before the World" the official
handbook of the republic at the Pan
nma-Pacific exposition, when sugar
was selling at 2.62 cents pound, his
share of the sugar brought him, on
the basis of twelve sacks to the acre,
return of from SAG to S51 per acre.
When one remembers that the selling
price Of sugar in 1920 was from four
to six times as high as before the war
the size of the per-acre income at the
high tide of prices is apparent.
Boom in Sugar Lands.
A great deal Of the cane land pro
duces much more sugar to the acre
than the modest twelve bags that
formed the basis of the calculations
cited from "Cuba Before the World.
According to figures furnished by the
Cuban department of agriculture, much
land produces % bags to the acre
This, Mt Is cents a pound, brings &
gross rsturn Of more than $1,000 M
acre.
4HcSc dboul' "a
unprecedented boom in sugar. lands
One sugar estate. which was bough
about 1917 for S3,OOO,OOO, sold in Jan
uary 1920 for $9,5OO,OOO. Another
which was valued at about $6,OO0,OOl
n few years before, changed hands q
$15.0OoOOO.
Numerous new "centrals" were built
all capitalized on the basis Of earn
ings during the early months of 1920
Thousands Of American capitalists in
vested in these fourishing enterprises
How Cuba's receipts from sugar ex
pan,led is shown by the fact that TIN
1915 crop brought total return 0
less than $500, 100000, while two-third
of the 1920 crop (one-third remain
unsold) brought $4O0.0OO.OOO.
Production Cheaper There.
Cuba has the advantage of ever
country in producing sugar cheapl.
Most countries have to plant ever
two years and some Of them ever
season. but the average in Cuba 4
once In from 7 to 12years. .,5.y
& In most parts OF the island tn
harvesting seasonais six months Ion
from December to June but
some sections the harvest lasts fro