574 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 





Another Cuban Family. 



One of the guides of the writer was the proud father of this re])resentative Cuban family of n'neteeu 

 children. The family home is thirty miles from the railroad in the nortliern part of Camaguay 

 Province, Cuba. 



is small, from 8 to 1'2 inches in diam- 

 eter and short bodied. 



These lands will cut from 2,500 feet 

 to 5,000 feet per acre of good saw logs 

 of the different varieties. There is also 

 quite a quantity of tie timl)er and fence 

 post timber. At least GO per cent of 

 the standing timber is Ocuje, the Ijal- 

 ance about equally divided among the 

 other varieties. 



I saw where large Mahogany and 

 Cedar had been cut and hewn on these 

 lands, I should judge more than 100 

 years ago. This timber must have lieen 

 hauled to the seashore, which is twelve 

 or fifteen miles to the north. Most of 

 this tract of land is level and fertile, 

 part of the tract, however, is on a 

 mountain side probably 2,000 feet high. 



The Jaguay and Coupey trees first 

 grow like a thin vine clinging to some 

 large tree. This vine grows to the top 



of the tree, then proceeds to put out 

 laterals around the tree it clings to and 

 finally kills it. By this time it has grown 

 all around the dead tree and has formed 

 itself into a perfect forest tree, some- 

 times four feet in diameter. The wood 

 is soft and useless. 



Three varieties of trees are used 

 largely for fence posts — the Almasaca, 

 Cienella and Jobo. All of these posts 

 when stuck in the ground as fence posts 

 take root and l)ranch out into trees; 

 And it is a common sight to see wire 

 fences with growing posts. 



Taking them as a whole, the woods 

 of Cuba are wonderful. Their lasting 

 qualities are remarkable. Some va- 

 rieties seemingly never decay. I saw 

 jucaro and jique wood in an exposed 

 place in Moro Castle, Havana, said to 

 have been there over 300 years, that 

 was sound. a])j)arently. as e\-er. 



