THE CUBA REVIEW. 



29 



CUBAN AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Results of Experiments With Temperate and Tropical Fruits, Grapes, Nuts, Etc. 

 An Informing and Valuable Record of Work Done Between 1905 and 1909. 



little indication that this class of fruit has 



The second report of the Estacion Cen- 

 tral Agronomica recently issued covers 

 the period of experiment and work from 

 June 30, 1905, to January 1, 1909. It com- 

 prises valuable reports by the then direct- 

 or, J. T. Crawley, and his staff, giving 

 the results secured during the time men- 

 tioned. 



Questions that have and do trouble the 

 colonist in Cuba, and those intending to 

 settle in the island, are here answered 

 more or less in detail. Liberal extracts 

 have been made of the report, and these 

 follow: 



Citrus Fruits. 



C. F. Austin, at that time Chief of the 

 Horticultural Department, visited several 

 places in the island to note the different 

 conditions and collect data for use in the 

 report. He says as follows : "The places 

 visited were San Cristobal. Taco Taco, Her- 

 radura, Pinar del Rio, Bahia Honda, Ar- 

 temisa. Santiago de las Vegas, Santa Fe, 

 Columbia, Nueva Gerona, McKinley, Ceiba 

 Mocha, Santo Domingo, San ]\Iarccs, Bar- 

 reto, Ceballos, La Gloria, Bartle, Omaja, and 

 Holguin. The groves were looking in good 

 condition, when proper care has been given 

 as to the selection of soil, cultivation, prun- 

 ing, etc. In many cases these operations 

 have been very much neglected and there is 

 little hope of the orchards being a profitable 

 investment. In several places the trees are 

 coming into bearing and some very fine fruit 

 was seen. The growing of citrus fruits is 

 rapidly passing out of the experimental 

 stages. So far as I am able to see the con- 

 ditions are all right in this country for pro- 

 ducing a fine grade of commercial fruit 

 when proper attention is given to the re- 

 quirements of fruit culture just the same as 

 would have to be given in any other well 

 developed fruit growing country. Many 

 growers have made a very poor selection of 

 soil, largely through the fact of not being 

 familiar with fruit lands. No person should 

 buy land without looking it over carefully, 

 and if he is not a good judge of soil, should 

 hire some one who is, to go with him and 

 examine it. There have been many mistakes 

 made in selection of varieties, largely 

 through several local and foreign nursery- 

 men selling trees that were not true to 

 name. The condition has caused many of 

 the groves to have to be budded over before 

 they will be of any value. A planter cannot 

 be too careful in his selection of a nursery- 

 man." 



Temperate and Tropical Fruits. 



"Apples, pears, and plums planted during 

 December, 1904. have lived and made a fair 

 growth, but produced no fruit. There is 



any value in this country. 



"Peaches were planted the same time as 

 the apples and have made a good growth and 

 produced some fruit. The variety Red Cey- 

 lon last season gave a good crop. There 

 is no indication that they have any com- 

 mercial value in this country, but could 

 be grown for home use. 



"The first planting of figs was made dur- 

 ing December, 1904. The trees have lived, 

 made a fair growth, and produced a little 

 fruit. They are so subject to scale insects 

 and rust that there is very little indication 

 of making a success with them except in a 

 limited way. The cost of work to keep 

 the insects and fungus diseases in control, 

 is of greater value than the crop when taken 

 on the commercial basis. We also planted 

 a number of varieties from California dur- 

 ing 1907. but very few of them lived, and 

 none have produced fruit. 



"A great many kinds of fruits, nuts, etc., 

 have been planted, but the trees are too 

 young yet to give any data as to the value 

 of the different varieties. We are also 

 testing a number of varieties of grapes and 

 a few more seasons will be able to judge 

 whether or not it is possible to build up 

 a grape and wine industry. 



"During the winter of 1905. we planted 

 ten varieties of grapes commonly grown in 

 the Eastern and Southern States. They 

 have all died except Niagara and Brighton. 

 Niagara fruited for the first time this sea- 

 son and the vine has made a fair growth. We 

 have also planted a number of the scupper- 

 nong grapes and the vines have made a fine 

 growth and seem at home in this country. 

 The James variety fruited for the first time 

 this season. In March, 1907, we planted 40 

 varieties of grapes from Texas known as 

 the 'Munson hybrids.' The vines have made 

 a good fair growth and this season the fol- 

 lowing varieties fruited : Captain, Beacon, 

 Hermann Jaeger and Marguerite. All the 

 fruit was dark colored and of fair quality. 

 At the same time we planted 20 varieties 

 of European grapes from California. The 

 vines have made a lair growth, but none 

 have fruited." 



CORN.— From time to time foreign varie- 

 ties of maiz, chiefly from the United States, 

 have been sown, but with little success. 



The foreign varieties of corn are in- 

 clined to run to stalk with but little grain, 

 and are subject to attacts by insects. 



From experiments thus far carried out it 

 seems that more promise of improvement 

 lies in the systematic selection of the best 

 types of Cuban corn, and possibly in the 

 crossing of these with the best foreign va- 

 rieties. 



