The Commoner.
,v. -t
WILLIAfl J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR.
Vol. 2. NO. 22.
Lincoln, Nebraska, June 20, 1902.
Whole No. 74.
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THE PEARL OF " THE ANTILLES
Article Written by Mr. Bryan for Collier's Weekly and Reproduced by Courtesy of that Journal.
(Copjrfeht 1903 by V. Y. Colli Bm.)
Cuba, the largest, richest and most populous
of the West Indian islands, lies about ninety
miles south of Key West, the southernmost point
of Florida. It Is separated from the mainland
by that mightiest river of the earth, the Gulf
Stream, whose resistless current sweeps to the
northeast through a channel half a mile deep and
carries the warmth of the southern seas far into
the Temperate Zone.
"The Pearl of the Antilles," as Cuba Is called,
is about nine hundred miles from the east to the
west, and so narrow (about one hundred and
twenty miles at its greatest width) that it looks
on the map like a small arc of a great circle.
Its coast line is broken by innumerable bays and
harbors, many of them admirably adapted ,for
commerce. A large part of the surface of the isl
and is made up of rolling prairies and the land is
generally fertile. In the east a mountain range
rises to a considerable height, terminating in Pico
Turquino, which lifts its peak to an elevation of
six thousand nine hundred feet. The rivers are
abundant, but are not navigable to any greatex
tent. There are a number of excellent turnpikes,
many of them lined on either side with shade and
flowering trees. The stranger is at once attracted
by the Royal Ponciana (flamboyant), a tree which
grows to the height of thirty or forty feet, spreads
out like a great umbrella and is covered with
clusters of bright red flowers. The royal palm Is
the most important tree of the island. Its slender
trunk rir-3 to a great height, and it presents an
imposing appearance. Its foliage furnishes the
material commonly used for the thatching of the
roofs of the huts, and the bark which-it sheds
each year furnishes the material used for making
baskets, for the siding of houses and for the bal
ing of tobacco. The wood of the royal paiia,
while not hard enough for building purposes, is
still useful for fences and light work. This tree
is so indispensable to the people of the island that
it has been made a part of the Cuban coat of
arms.
Cuba also produces a large variety of hard
woods, the best known being mahogany and
ebony; but there are others almost as beautiful
and as useful. The employes of Colonel Bliss,
the collector of customs at Havana, presented him
a beautiful desk and cabinet upon his departure
from the island. It was made by Senor Nicolas
Quintana, and eighteen different kinds of wood
were employed in, its construction. It not only
shows the variety of hard woods, but is an ex
cellent specimen of the cabinet-maker's skill.
THE CLIMATE AN EQUABLE ONE.
The climate of Cuba is mild and the tem
perature quite uniform. Even in the warmest part
of the "summer the mercury seldom rises above 92
in the Bhade and in the winter it does not fall be
low 40 or 45. The sun, however, is very hot, and
'for eight qr nine months in the year work la
practically suspended during the middle of the
day.
' A visitor to th6 island even in the month of
'May 'finds the Panama hat an indispensable 'com
panion of the men and the fan a necessary part of
the apparel of the women; and it may be added
that the hats range in price from a few dollars to
one hundred and the fans from a few cents to five
hundred dollars. In purchasing it is well to have
some one along who is a good judge of the quality
of these articles, because the stranger often finds
it difficult to measure the value except by the
price placed upon the article and this price is
sometimes adjusted according to a sliding scale.
The rainfall in Cuba varies; sometimes it
amounts to one hundred inches in a year and at
other times it is considerably less. The rainy sea
son usually begins in May and ends In October or
November, and during this period a rainfall of
ten or twelve inches in a day is not rare; and
yet the land is not badly washed.
The island is full of springs, many of them of
considerable size. The city of Havana is sup
plied from an enormous spring which issues from
the side of a Tiill about ten miles south of Ha-
53&. TPa4tefeud wholesome. The
Tmly fault that it has la's1 trace of lime, a charac
teristic of most of the spring water of the island.
This spring not only supplies all the water that
Havana needs, but nearly 'forty per cent of the
flow is turned into an adjoining river as waste.
The water is carried to the city through an im
mense aqueduct which was constructed by a Span
iard named Albear, who came from his native
country with plans which were accepted and car
ried out by local authorities. While the expense
was very great, the work was well done and is a
monument to the genius of the engineer. I call
particular attention to Havana's water supply be
cause in contemplating a visit to the island the
character of the water gave me most concern,
and I had resolved to rely upon Apollinaris or
some other mineral water. The first day in the
city, however, convinced me that the water was
pure, and I drank it freely during my week's
stay.
RESOURCES AWAITING DEVELOPMENT.
The resources of the island have not been
fully developed, and many things that are Im
ported might as well be raised at home. The di
versification of the industries of the island ought
to be one of the first works to engage the atten
tion of the minister of agriculture. The cocoanut,
orange and pineapple are found in reasonable
abundance; a small but very palatable banana
and a small lime are grown. Tomatoes, cabbages
and a number of other vegetables are being culti
vated, but truck gardening has not reached the
perfection that it has in the United States.
At present the sugar and tobacco industries
are given almost undivided attention. The sugar
crop of Cuba amounted to 1,054,214 tons in the sea
son of 1893-94. During the war it fell to as low as
212,051 tons that was during the year 1896-97.
There has been a gradual increase from that date
to the present year, when it is estimated that the
crop will equal 700,000 tons. This is almost all
raw sugar and is sent to the United States; the
exports of refined sugar do not average $3,000 per
year, and the average amount exported to coun-.
tries' other than the United States does not exceed
1,000 tons. Cuba is exceptionally fitted for the
production of sugar. The cane grows throughout
the entire year and does not require replanting.
A crop can be harvested every nino or ten months
and one planting will last for from eight to fif
teen years, according to the soil and care. In fact,
there are Instances of fields that have not beon
replanted for thirty or forty years.
Tobacco Is not so Important a crop as sugar, and
yet in Pinar del Rio, the western province of tho
island, there is produced a variety of tobacco that
has made the Havana cigar famous tho world
over. The tobacco exports were valued at $21,
084,750 in 1899 and at $26,084,971 in 1900.
Horses and mules are sometimes used for
carrying burdens, an immense sack with a large
pocket on either side being thrown across tho
back of the animal. The ox, however, is usually
employed for the cultivation of the soil and for the
carrying of farm products. Tho American who
visits the island will notice the yokek Instead of
putting the burden upon the shoulders as the
American yoke does, it is fastened around the
horns like the Assyrian yoke, so that tho animals
push the load with their heads.
One notices the scarcity of milk and butter.
Upon inquiry I was told that the milk yielded very
little cream and that the natives used butter
scarcely at all. American residents, however, in
sisted that It was due to tho fact that cows were
not cared for as In the United States, and one
who has had considerable experience in Cuba de
clared that ho had fed grain to his cows and so
cured as good a result in both milk and butter as
could bo secured in the United States. The pas-
turage is excellent, and several Americans are
planning to make an experiment in cattle raising.
They claim that a steer can be raised and fat
tened on half tho sum required in the western
states. They believe that sufficient meat can be
produced to supply the entire Island and leave a
surplus for export. Little attention has been
given to the breeding of high grade hogs or cat
tle, and goats are apparently more numerous than
sheep.
CUBA'S POPULATION.
The population of Cuba numbers about on
and a half million, according to tho best estimates,
of which the negroes constitute about one-third.
Slavery was formally abolished in 1856, but the
traffic continued until 1886. The jslave trade thrived
in Cuba after it had been abolished in tho United
States; and It is said that a cargo of Congo ne
groes was sold on tho island as late as 1878,
The population is made up of Spaniards and
their descendants the former are called Span
iards and the latter Cubans. The Spaniards own
the bulk of the personal property and much of the
real estate, while the latter make up the majority
of the voting population. During the wars which
have ravaged the island the Cubans have suf
fered most because much of their property was.
confiscated or burned, while those Spaniards who
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