The Neshoba Democrat. (Philadelphia, Miss.) 1881-current, 1921-05-05
THINGS We. DID NOT
KNOW ABOUT CUBA
FINAL iRsTilLMEkI OF SERIES OF ARTICLES
ON SEEING FLORIDA AND CUBA.

Wieh TO cover very briefly the lnuuS-
trial side of Cuba. OF course we have
omitted many interesting things
. about Cuba and Florida, and have
said nothing at all about Alabama.
We have written nothing about
Booker T. Washington's school for
negroes at Tuskeegee. We had
known Booker r. Washington and
had always been curious TO see his
establishment. 1000 negro voices
blended In some old time melody Is
real music. We had never heard
anything like 1t. Then we have writ
ten nothing about Pensacola where
at the worlds second largest naval
station 40 seaplanes and 3 dirigibles
were turned loose In our honor. and
performed spectacular stunts for us.
We have said nothing about the
wonderful little town OF Hastings,
out from st. Augustine, with It's
thousands OF acres of Irish potatoes.
We think you are perhaps surfeited
on things we saw and learned, so
we shall close with some cold, dry
facts on Cuba.
There is something more to Cuba
and Havana than gambling joints,
cafes and race tracks. Even back OF
the romance Of the castles, forts and
cathedrals there is something sub
stantial. Overlooking the harbor OF
Havana there stands tower. Ii 1t
I has q name we have forgotten It,.
Nearly four hundred years ago the
wife OF Hcrnando de Soto had watch
ed thru weary years for the return OF
: her husba nd from this tower. From
this ancient date to the present Gu
ba has been developing her resources.
Cuba Ii slightly larger then the
state of Pennsylyania. Excepting
the Unitsl e6. Cuba has more
! cOastlinU ssnu more deep water har-
bors than any country III America,
OF the 5000, 900 people in Cuba ~ per
cent are white, II per cent black, and
18 per cent mixed. or the 340,0 900
foreigners In Cuba only 9,555 are
Americans, 245,644 are Spaniards
There are 10 cities OF over 10000 and
II cities of over 5000, in Cuba,
There are 5000 primary schools,
$500 teachers In Cuba. The Universi
ty OF Havana was founded In 172S.
The second steam railroad system In
the Americas was operated In Cuba.
More merchandise enters and leaves
the harbor of Havana In normal
times than any other port In the
Western Hemisphere, with the excep
tion of New York. Cuba outranks
all nations of the Western hemis-
phere, save Canada, In the value OF
It's trade with the United States. In
1919 Cuba sold more goods to the
United States than any country In
the world, excepting Canada.
Cuba raises tobacco, pineapples
and sugar cane. 80 per cent OF her
agricultural products is sugar cane.
There are 200 sugar mills In opera
tion there. Some of these mills have
a capacity OF 650,O00 bags of 325
pounds each. The annual value of
Cuba's tobacco crop is $50, ,OOO, ,OOO. 90.
Pineapples, too, are grown In
Cuba for export. Over a million
crates are shipped annually to the
United States. They were being ship
ped by the car load when we were
there a month ago. We say carload.
You know trains and cars go from
Havana right into New York City.
The cars are pushed right on to huge
ierry-boats. These boats hold as
many as 26 freight cars, and are
equipped with tracks. When the
boats arrive at Key West they are
pulled of and proceed Northward.
Sour and bitter orange trees grow
wild In Cuba, and the lime growing
mi It's natural state Is found In abun
dance scattered over the rocky hill
sides. The citrus industry is being
pushed by Americans and is a com
mercial possibility.
The virgin forests of Cuba abound
in valuable hardwoods, such as ma
hagany, spanish cedar, rosewood,
ebony. ignum-vitae and other. Such
valuable woods as mahogany and
ebony are.sometimes used for rail-
road ties. Good roads will make
much of the wood Of Cuba available
The royal palm covers many hill
sides and slopes along Cuba's noun
tain chains, and 1t produces a nut
called '.palniche" which hogs take
to as they do to acorns and beech
mass In Mississippi.
Iron deposits are as rich In Cuba