THE FUTURE OF THE ISLAND 135 



sance which will afford openings for colonization and in- 

 vestment by the American people. Accompanying this 

 opinion there is a demand for information concerning pos- 

 sibilities in these directions. 



There are two important facts which the American who 

 contemplates invading this prospective field should bear in 

 mind. First, that Cuba is an old and settled country in 

 which the land and mineral titles are largely fixed, and 

 that it offers no opening for "booming," such as has fol- 

 lowed the opening up of new and unsettled countries. 

 Real-estate holdings might no doubt be cheaply acquired 

 from the impoverished inhabitants, but the title to every 

 acre of Cuba is vested in some individual ; there are no large 

 bodies of valuable vacant public land. 



A second fact to be remembered is that, while the climate 

 of Cuba is in general salubrious and in winter delightful, 

 the island is situated within the tropics, and Northern races 

 cannot be established there, except at the sacrifice of 

 many lives. People from our Southern coastal States, who 

 have already attained a certain immunity from tropical 

 diseases, might be able to endure permanent residence in 

 Cuba, but the Northern man will find continuous residence 

 upon the island impossible without physical degeneration 

 and risk of annihilation. Hence the American who seeks 

 in vestment in Cuba should have sufficient means to enable 

 him to return frequently to his native country, in order to 

 recuperate from the effects of the tropical climate. 



With rehabilitation of Cuba the island will offer oppor- 

 tunities to four lines of investment : agricultural opportu- 

 nities for the small farmer; fields of investment for capi- 

 talists, in the line of municipal and public improvements; 

 employment for labor; and the establishment of winter 

 homes and resorts for the leisure classes. 



The possibilities in the lines of small agriculture, such 

 as dairying, truck-gardening, and fruit-raising, are un- 

 limited. The large city, plantation, and industrial popu- 

 lations will all create a demand for the products of the 



