Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 31, Number 243, 30 September 1906 — Page 11

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In tbe early days of Spanish, discovery and colonization tbe precious metals were

the only product of tbe eartb for wblch tbe pioneers displayed any desire.- Two ZZ-V-Jor more centuries elapsed before the Spaniards awoke to a full realization of

tbe much greater wealth securable from -, cultivation of the soli. One of tbe earliest Industries 'of the Island, and 'until recent years one of the most Important, was stock-raising. Tbe wars of Independ ence, however, almost completely destroyed this Industry. At the outbreak of the last rebellion under Spanish rule there were In tbe neighborhood of 4,000,000 head Of cattle In the colony. During the succeeding years" of strife the westera provinces were ' depleted of animal 5. life, and even In Santa Clara, and Pnerto . Principe, tbe two great cattle regions of Cuba, but an insignificant remnant of tbe X 'former herda existed at the' time of American Intervention. President Palma

y ., has expressed the opinion that the cattle Industry Is the most natural and real

source of the country's wealth, and that. Instead of Importing several ' hundred thousand bead of cattle every year Cuba should supply Its own 'needs and those of $ithe neighboring republics. . The Cuban ( Congress has, passed laws looklDg to tbe rehabilitation; of this ancient Industry, and there ar promises of Its gradual repalrment. Large fortunes have been made In cattle In tbe past, and It Is tbe belief of certain Americans who are engaging In tbe business here that few openings In the Island are more promising. Stock may be raised much, more cheaply than "Anywhere In tbe States, and It requires Jess care. Only minor diseases are to be contended with, and almost any kind of cattle seem "to -thrive , on tbe grass-, lands of thet,, centred provinces. Good grazing grounds cost from $S to $12 per acre, and 600 acres will support about 1,000 bead. Beef,, on the hoof fetches 5 or 6 cents per pound In the local mar- - ket. The Texas steer, wblcb costs, say.

$35 to Import and ship to the ranch. 1UV, after a year's reeaing, sen ror sou, or thereabout In the nearest market. It la ,-aot probable that any very considerable export trade can be built up through tbe . grass-fed catt!e)of Cuba, which cannot be cured like grain-fed meat, but the demands of the borne market will offer an extensive Held for capital and enterprise for many years to come. Americans wlth flO.OOO or more, and particularly those who have bad some experience In cattle countries, may find In the grass J '""region of Cuba good opportunities for Investment In combination with pleasanc conditions of living.

Sr- w i xne cultivation oi conreo is anoiner . , a AnAmrloA rn tA TiA amall rani.

tallst. The same may be said of cacao, which yields our matutinal cocoa. These two plants thrive well In Juxtaposition and several reasons make it advisable to : -cultivate them In combination. Cacao is a high-priced product, which yields large profits, and for wblcb there is a constant , demand. It Is fair to state, however, .that it is a somewhat delicate plant, and "-the fruit pods are liable to be swept off by a hurricane. Tbe returns on marketed beans will easily allow for tbe total loss of on crop In Are. but it is not advisable that a planter of moderate means should put bis entire dependence on a cacao $rove. Early In the eighteenth century the roffee plant of Arabia was Introduced to . Cuba, and Its cultivation developed to "'such an extent that In the middle of the Held a Living, Human Heart in His Hands To live for 80 days, to sit np and have one's photo taken In the Interests of higher medical science, after having bad 'One's heart literally taken out of your body and laid In the two open palms of m surgical nurse. This is the latest world wonder In modern surgery, and Andrew McCartney, of Los Angeles, la the man with the marvelous vitality and Dr. Win. P. Thompson, a celebrated surgeon of the Pacific Slope, was the wonder worker whose keen knife and marvelous technique have so far won tbe battle against ?ath. For nearly half an hour McCartney lay breathed and the blood in bis body jumped through bis arteries and eins by a human heart that lay where 11 eyes could see it and several Inches lear from the man's gaping bosom. Tbe erve of the surgeon was oaly surpassed y bis skill. Dr. Thompson has for years itodled the heart and made a specialty t snrgical and medical treatment of the nost important' organ in the human body. deCartney was run into by a great buck Ike. A prong of steel entered the body, nshed tbe heart fonr Inches out of place. at three ribs in two and left tbe man In uch condition that any ordinary doctor Would merely have stood by to wait for eatb. But Dr. Thompson at once bad Urn taken to bis private operating hosrtai. cut wide open tne torn and panting worn of , the victim--quIckly took out e beating"-.!) r laid it slowly but irely pulsating in the two open hands ' bis best assistant. Tbe heart beat iletly and the blood poured slowly trough the arteries, which were pulled it of the breast several Inches. Finally, ben all bad been sewed np and tbe torn bs mended. Dr. Thompson wiped oil e heart with, a f7"Jatlon and reared It in the mse's it. He" finally d the loosened """ 1 closed the eat bole in Me" ma. This was weeks ago.- t onlv still vea, but shov aTenaent.

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m d-coca o&opzs' nineteenth century there were many more than 2,000 "cafetales," or coffee planta tlons, in the island, and in the year 1846 the yield of the berry exceeded 50,000,000 pounds. But from that period the in dustry. began to decline, owing to the competition of South America and the Eaat Indies, neglect of proper cultivation and abandonment in favor of the tern porarlly more profitable sugar culture. As a result of tnls combination of adverse factors the number of plantations had fallen to fewer than 200 in 1S04, and at present they are reduced to an even small er number, , scattered about the uplands of the eastern provinces. In Its palmy days the Cuban coffee enjoyed a very high reputation in Europe and America. The Cubans are large consumers of the berry and should not import a grain. Thefe are signs or "a reTivnVof tb4 coffee Industry. In the NlpeBay region particularly the Dumols and . other planters have laid out considerable areas in plants that are Just about yielding, so that the present season should afford some criteria of the prospects for re-establishing the trade on a paying basis. Although extensive tracts of land In va rious parts of the island are admirably adapted to, truck farming and available for that purpose, the Industry has been unwarrantably neglected. This was due to the thinly populated condition of the country, to the lack of good roads and to the tendency, in violation of the true principles of agricultural economy, of devoting undue attention to only two staples at the expense of all other products. Until quite recently truck fuming was restricted to limited areas lnWbe immediate vicinity of cities where the demand for vegetables was too obvious to be overlooked and too urgent to be denied. Under the stimulus of American ideas and capital Cuba is now beginning to awake to the wastefulness of importing what she can produce at less cost, and to the splendid opportunity for supplying the markets of the. United States with fresh garden produce during tbe winter months, when such stuff Is at its best in the West Indies. The present movement in this direction will result la the next few years in a large portion of the territory of Cuba being converted into a great winter garden for tbe benefit of Americans. II ere What the Russians Will Do. Is the Russian revolution actually begun? Are the waves of rebellion which for four years hve been rising, only to be beaten back by torrents of human blood, actually the rising waters of the inevitable storm or merely fugitive swellings of the terrible eruption that is bound to come? This Is what the Czar would like to know and what the leading conservatives, rapacious grand dukes and courtly favorites fondly lope. What other revolution of a mod en race bears kinship to the frightful strugg of the present-day Russians? .The famous Jacquerie rebellion of the French, which was a peasant affair, failed absolutely, and when the real French revolution came. 800 years afterwards, it was not a peasant rebellion. It was a rebellion of the cities. The English peasant rebellion failed absolutely and Wat Tyler died in vain. When the real rebellion under Cromwell came In England, as in France. It was a city rebellion, with the peasants In both cases on the side of royal power. It Is then to her cities, to her workingmen, to her students, and, above all. to her soldiers that Russia must look for effectual warfire against the Csar. And there Is every sign that tbe army will no longer slay the worklngman, and this means successful rebellion. The navy counts-for little on either side. . There are dissatisfied sections of territory scattered over all of European Russia. Asia will not Join the rebellion, and may expect to break np Into many little separate principalities once the Czar Is overpowered. England and Japan will eventually swallow op ranch of the territory of Russia la Asia.. European Russia is doomed to revolution-, massacre and probably 60 years of civil strife before any united nation can succeed the tottering fabric of the ancient dominion of tbe Romanoffs.

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is an excellent opportunity for our mar ket gardeners. The Cubans have neither experience nor inclination for tbe intense and careful cultivation Involved In this class of agriculture. Pineapples are - the basis of a large trade with the United States. , This has recently increased since shipments began to be made direct to Chicago, instead of entirely to New York, with the frequent result of glutting the market. Even now great deal of the fruit which is raised can neither be shipped nor consumed lo cally, and this surplus would undoubtedly afford a profitable business to a large canning factory in the neighborhood of Havana. In 1904 we took f 1.230,000 worth of pineapples from Cuba and about the same quantity last year. There has been a decided Increase in the shipments of all kinds of Cuban fruits of late. In 1904 their value (exclusive of pineapples) amounted, to $2,700,000. The fruits and vegetables raised for export include limes, lemons, oranges, tomatoes, sweet pota toes, onions, peppers, eggplant, okra. etc.. all of excellent quality. Nearly all the fruit and vegetables not consumed In the island are shipped to the United States. with the exception of cacao, large quan tities of which go to Spain. Germany. The stories occasionally brought ashore by seamen of floating Islands are usually set down as myths, yet the report from the steamer Arahopoe of meeting a float-in-Island ia the Gulf Stream -off the coast of North Carolina cannot be dismissed so easily. As a matter of fact, this vessel not only saw a floating island covering over two acres of ground, but the second lieutenant and a boat crew of saftors actually went cm the Island " and spent several hours on fhls piece' of float-' lng land. The story la that this floating Island originally was broken off the shore of New Guinea. Just at the ton of Soatli

i mm mm OCTET'S jtg-.jzp England and France, where it is manufactured into chocolate and cocoa. The two principal staples of Cuba, which have been renowned for their excellence since the Inception of their cultivation, are sugar and tobacco. Cuban sugar is produced entirely from cane. 'which was Introduced soon after the occupation of tbe island by the Spaniards, and proved exceedingly congenial to the existing conditions. Although prosecuted- in a desultory fashion for centuries. It was not until about the middle of the nineteenth century that the industry began to assume commercial Importance. Since 1S30 tbe output has Increased from 100,000 tons to 1,000.000 tons annually. Sugar cane Is raised extensively In all the provinces save Plnar del Rio, and some there on land 111 adapted to the growth of tobacco. The plant requires little attention and needs renewing only once In 10 years or more. Thus the agricultural process is cheap . and easy, but heavy expenses are entailed in the preparation of tbe crop for market, requiring as it does the employment of expensive machinery, the use of large buildings for grinding and extensive railroad plants for transportation. Cuba can produce cane sugar more

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America, and it was carried by the Gulf Stream along Its usual course. If tbe Island keeps together It should eventually go ashore near the Scottish coast. Probably the big storms in mid-ocean will not leave much of the island. It is described as 20 feet through along the edges and much heavier at one side, probably where It was torn off from the mainland. This real story of a floating Island does not compare In marveiousness with those stories of bygone ages in which islands half as big as England or tbe State of Delaware were asserted by sailors to have been met in the Soutb Sews. These islands are said to have been peopled with strange inhabitant ajo4 cartons animals.

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iMf CsZjyZET cheaply than any other country in the world. It is estimated that the cost of cultivation and manufacture Is about 1 cent per pound and that of transportation to the port of exit the same amount. Two cents Is a fair average; a few mills will get under It. but others will exceed that figure a trifle. It Is only within recest years that It has been possible to market sugar from any source at such cost." In Cuba, as elsewhere, the economy has been attained chiefly by the application of more scientific methods of cultivation and manufacture and by improved facilities of transportation. It Is tbe opinion of experts that, with the further improvements in prospect which will operate to his advantage, tbe sugar planter should be able a few years hence to market his product at even a lower cost. There is practically no llntft to. the ex tent of the yield possible W conditions. The largest f duced by the Island was w tlons occupying no mora acres, which is about oneacreage which would proC 5,000,000 acres might easily time be converted into ex areas mentioned are apt t impression of the yield j Sea. A pair of floating islands! ) to be '.s, and 'pating iX the la long art. Island Is torn seen v these of the -nnble offl;the 'uot, In the Mediterranean by old Dan Homer tells of on the sea that were ene Greek heroes and by Uly' voyage after the destruet As a matter of fact, bC larger than a few acres f away from the coast ha" by responsible witness quickly disappear under great ocean tempests, wl. np the rock-bound coast, nents. This IslaU report cers of the steamship Al biggest one ever trodden t and was a real marine m

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matter of fact, one-fifth on an average of the land occupied by a plantation is actually devoted to raising cane. A considerable proportion of it Is . planted in food crops for the consumption of tbe several thousand laborers and their families which are attached to each large plantation or milL Then again there are a number of buildings, a certain amount of timber and grass and other dispositions of the acreage. In the early days of the industry each farmer ground his own cane and carried the product to tbe nearest mart behind a pair of oxen. This system, of course, entailed a series of wastes from tbe planting to the consumption, and the finished article was of a very poor grade. These in separate and Independent farms were succeeded by the more economical "colonlas" or aggregations of small plantations, which, while they cultivate Independently, combine In transporting the output to a "central or properly equipped mill. Whilst "colonies" are, to be found at present all over the country and. In fact. Include 90 per cent, of the total number of plantations the process of evolution caturally brought Into existence the large and complete plantation furnished with the buildings and mechanical plant necessary for the entire operations of growing and grinding the cane and manufacturing molasses. Such plantations are called "Ingenlos." There are probably 200 of these in operation, occupying from 10,000 to 80,000 or more acres. They represent Invested capital of at least $100,000,000, of which one-third Is American money, and considerably more than one-half foreign.A large number of these plantations have cost one million dollars to establish, and several of them two millions. Tbe machinery of a mill with a capacity of 1,000 bags a day will cost $500,000, and Includes Improved furnaces, clarlfiers, grinding apparatus, deflbrators, defecators, vacuum pans, centrifugal separators; and. In short, every description of modern sugar machinery and all such labor-saving devices as can be applied to tbe manufacture. The various auxiliary buildings will Involve an outlay of $200,000 or $300,000. There is, of course, the cost of land, which will vary, and then a very heavy Item the Held trackage. Each large plantation has Its own railroad, operated by steam locomotives and equipped with a large number of cars. The individual mileage will run from 15 to 30 miles, and there Is an aggregate of something like a thousand miles of such track in" the island. The plantation railroad Is employed to bring the cane from tbe field to the mill and to carry tbe sugar or molasses from the mill to the nearest trunk line. Before long further economies will be effected in tbe matter of transportation. Among other plans looking to this end are suggestions for the employment of electric or alcohol motors In place of steam engines. Alcohol, being a by-product of tbe sugar cane. would appear to-be a convenient and cheap agent for tbe generation of motive power. The productive acreage Is somewhat less than it was 10 years ago. Most of tbe sugar we receive from Cuba is derived from the old plantations, which have In many cases been renovated and refurnished. The effect of the new mills upon4he output will be markedly felt In about a years time, and from thence on a constant Increase "In the yield may be expected. New ingenios are in process of formation all along the line of the Cuba Railroad. The most ambitious project of tbis sort, for wblch a syndicate of American capitalists Is responsible, is Socialism Here and Abroad It is singular but true that socialism has made less progress in these free United States than In many monarchies. Germany contains more regularly organized socialists than any other country, and ia regarded by students as the home of socialism and the foster-mother of the socialist's In every other nation. In France, Italy and England they are actually represented In the governments. In Germany the socialists control an Important section of the imperial congress, but in Germany so far tbe Emperor has been able to keep them out of the actual government. As a matter of fact, Germany Is next to Russia In the autocracy of its government, and is now on even a more secure basis as practically an absolute monarchy than any other European government. Tet It is true that the socialistic vote is Increasing very rapidly in this country. In 1900 their presidential vote was only 125,117, while In 1904 (In four short years only) this vote bad Jumped all the way to 445.7S1, an Increase never before achieved by a new party within so short a space ef time, except the Republican party in the four years which preceded the Civil War and the election of Lincoln to the presidency. Politicians of all kinds admit that the first break in the wonderful, prosperity of this country will mean a big break in political alignment as now constituted. Just what share the socialists would get of the efficient party votes would be bard to say, but that they would Immediately come Into a position of great Importance, both political and economic students claim to be beyond question.

- V rasACccHzAizr - that of the 100,000-acre plantation In the neighborhood of Antllla. the new1! of Nlpe Bay. This plantation will be In every respect tbe largest in th,world. Its equipment is to be as compVie aa possible and to include every useful device known to the Industry. It will cost $2,000,000 to establish, and will Huti a dally capacity of S.000 bags tbat"ls, a quantity not far short of 1,000,000 pounds. Those are not wanting who seeln thla boom a presage of overproduction and disaster, which can hardly fall to ruin the smaller concerns. Prices ara.jjow at highly profitable fignrea, but sugift Is a very unstable commodity. Only aa recently as 1902 and 1003 the Cuban planter could not market bis product at a profit, despite the low cost of production. During those seasons tbe price of sugar never reached two cents. As an Illustration of the fluctuations to wblcji thla article Is liable, I will quote the prices obtained during the first six months of 1004 per 100 pounds: January," $1.77; February, $1.T7; March, $2.04; April, $2.1S; May, $2.38; June, $2.43; average for tbe six months, $2.00. Even at the average price many Cuban shippers. could not secure a margin of profit. In August of tbe same year tbe price of sugar went as high as $3. And yet It Is advanced as an argument for the certainty ' of profit derivable from the Cuban Industry that , beet sugar cannot be sold at least than 8V4 cents with profit! But beet sugar, aa well aa -ane, la only too often disposed of at a lose, the former sometimes deliberately so, la order to choke the latter. There la reason to believe that tbe beet Interests will institute a price war In the next few years, wbea It will go bard with tbe Cuban plantations that cannot command an ample capital to tide over the period of stress. Cuba might lay a surer, though perhaps a less immediately attractive, foundation for her future prosperity by devoting more of the energy and capital available to the development of othera of her many promising resources. Though, of less immediate importance than sugar,' Cuba's tobacco may easily prove in the future to be a more valuable asset than the former staple. Like the "Manila hemp" of the Philippines, Havana" tobacco is a practical monopoly. All attempts to produce a similar leaf, or one with equally desirable . qualities, elsewhere have proved futile, and the tobacco planters of the island are In the comfortable situation of belngsssured of a demand for their product during all time, Aside from tbe Plnar de! Rio fields, the plant is produced In large quantities and of a good quality In the central and eastern portions of tbe Island. In recent years experiments have been made, with , promising results. In the direction of growing under cover. The primary object was tbe production of a light, elastic wrapper leaf to compete with the Sumatra. It has been found, however, that tbe plants raised under cheese cloth repay the extra cost of that method of cultivation Irrespective of the desired result. The protection from excessive beat and from insects insures a better leaf, and experienced planters of Finar del Rio claim that under such conditions the plants will yield double tbe usual quantity. It Is only by such or other methods of improved culture that the crop of the best grades of Cuban tobacco can ever be increased, for every rood In the land adapted to Its production Is occupied. The tobacco business, like every other of importance In Cuba, la tow4rKiF contralled by v American capital. The American Tobacco Company haa a $50,000.000 branch in Havana, through which it operates a large portion of the best vegas in the Vuelta Abajo district. Tber sre in ail about 100,000 acrea in tobacco plants throughout the Island. The maximum output is rather more than 200,000,000 pounds, of which tbe United Btatee consumes about $10,000,000 worth annually. Tbe really good tobacco lands are not to be bought at any price. Very heavy expenses are incurred In cultivation. Some plaaters spend as much as $500 an acre -in fertilizing and screening their beds. Tbe manufacture of tbe leaf Into cigars and cigarettes is one of the chief Industries of Havana, and affords employment to 20,000 persons. C II. FORBES-LINDSAY. Curious Things and Animals. As a rule fish come out of the water only at the end of a line or by other involuntary process, but the climbing perch of tbe East Indies thinks nothing of leaving a pool with which it is not satisfied and starting overland in search .of one more to Its taste. This usually happens ss a result of the evaporation of a pool In the ertremely dry season. When tbe fish decide that the water In tbe particular pool formed during tbe rainy season is In danger of drying out completely tbey make all preparations for moving and late at night or early In the morning deliberately climb the banks and start off In search of some more commodious pool or stresm not la danger of going dry. When the Journey Is made at the boor as It csually is tbe fish Is favored. by the heavy dew which lies on the grass, but If an emergency arises tbey will boldly strike ont at noontime along the dusty road. They travel by means of the strong bon fins wblch are full of sharp spines like those of tbe common perch. They have a receptacle In which they carry water with them to moisten their gills. It is aid that- tbey will live several days out of water, and, with tbe assistance of tbe dew-laden grass, the fish that starts in search of a satisfactory pool or stream is practically sore of living untU It finds it. When the climbing perch lives in a stream so free from danger of drying that he has absolutely do excuse for wanting to move be amuses himself and gets bis wonted exercise by mounting the banks of the stream and climbing tbe trees, dropping back Into tbe water from tbe overhanging branches.