The Raymer enterprise., 1921-10-06

itPrspsrsd By the National Geographic 20
ciety. Washington d. c)
Cuba. which Immediately following
the World war climbed TO heights %
prosperity seldom attained by any
other small country, has passed now
I. into the valley Of hard times; and tia
rensOn In both cases was the silie-'
sugar. For though The islands annual
t0lncco harvest IL very valuable and
though 1t has many other potential,
II undeyeloped, resources. II is hardly
oyerempliasiziDg The Importance IT
sugnr production to say that Cuba Is
one.erop country. Wh2n European
and Eastern sugar was nnobtainahia
prices scared skyHard and Cuba not
only cashed In heavily on her usual
production but feyerlshly Increased
her cane acreage and sugar mills. Now
that sugar from the eastern heIiis-
phere is reaching the world markets
while Europe has little buying paAer,
sugar prices have fallen to low Levels
aud Cuba is finding her war-increused
crop a drug on the market. Financial
gloom has followed upon the heels oi
a 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 thcy
are called. The owners Of the sugar
mills furnish them with given mum.
Der Of acres OF land TO plant and give
them an agreed share Of the sugar
they produce.
They Made Honey Rapidly.
The next class Is compo ed of tie
land-owning farmers, who grow their
own cane and have II ground on
shares. after the fashion Of the rgral
grlst mill. The remainder Of the cane
Is grown by the owners Of the nails
themselves. At some centrnls the
admin. s;rAtiun' cane, rs that grown
under central management Is known,
amounts to only 4 per cent Of the
total: at Others It amounts to 90 per
cent.
Even the share farmer, at pre-war
prices. made money According to
Cuba Before the World" the official
handbook Of the republic at the Pan.
ama-Pacific exposition, when sugar
was selling at 282 cents n pound his
share OF the sugar brought him. on
the basis Of twelve sacks to the acre,
a return Of from $40 to S5l per acre.
When one remembers that the selling
price Of - ar In 1920 was from four
to six times as high as before the war,
the size OF tn. peracre income at the
high tide OF prices Is apparent.
Boom in Sugar Lands.
A great deal Of the cnne land pro-
dnces much more sugar to the are
than the modest twelve bags that
formed the basis Of the calculations
liteu IiotH Nuba Deieie the "oIiu.
According To figures furnished by the
Cuban department Of agriculture. much
land produces 90 bags to the acre.
This. at Is cents pound. brings
gross rsturn Of more than 81 900 an
mere.
These conditions brought about an
boom In sugar lands.
One sugar estate. which was bought |
about 1917 for S30o00OO, sold In Jan.
lary 1920 for S9.5O0.0OO. Another
which was valued Mt about S6.O0O 900 |
Il fey years before changed hands at
sl5 .UO0.0OO.
Numerous new "centrals" were built,
all capitalized on The basis OF earn
ngs during the early months of 1920. |
Thousands Of American capitalists in.
rested In these iiourlshlng enterprises.
How Cuha's receipts from sugar ex- !,
anied Is shown by the fact that the
1915 CROP brought total return Of
ss than S200.0O0.0oo. while two thirds
II The 1920 crop (one.lhird remains
insoldD brought $40O,OO0,O00.
Production Cheaper There.
Cuba has the advantage Of every
rountry In producing sugar cheaply.
Host countries have to plant every
'N" years and SOME Of them every
Enason. but the average In Cuba isI
nee In frcm to II years.
In most parts Of the island tho
harvesting season Is six months long
from December to June: but Ia
some sections the harvest las, ..un