30 THECUBAREVIEW 



SUGAR CROP OF MATANZAS PROVINCE 



The 1917-18 sugar crop of the Province of Matanzas, Cuba, was the largest on record, viz, 

 4,831 .400 bags of 325 jwunds each, or 98,400 bags in excess of the seasons' estimate. How this 

 yield compares with the results of the two preceding harvests the following table discloses: 



1915-16 1916-17 1917-18 



Bags Bags Bags 



Estimated yield a 4,748,000 4,858,000 4,733,000 



Actuallv ground 4,518,475 4,387,776 4,831,400 



Shortage (-) or excess (+ ) -229,525 -470,224 +98,400 



Mills grindmg -H 40 40 



flEstimates of H. A. Himely, of Habana. 



Of the 40 mills grinding in 1917-18, 19 exceeded their estimate and 22 fell short thereof. 

 The product of these mills was exported through the ports of ]Matanzas, Cardenas, 

 and Havana. Fifteen of the mills are American owned, fifteen Cuban owned, and ten 

 Spanish omied. The "Espaua" mill produced the largest grind with 409,673 bags; 

 "Elena," the smallest, with 16,881 bags. The 1917-18 Matanzas crop averaged 50,000 

 poimds of cane to the acre and 11 pounds of sugar to each 100 pounds of cane. For each bag 

 (325 pounds) of sugar there were 8 gallons of molasses as a by-product. The price of the sugar 

 was S0.046 per poimd; of the molasses, §0.07 per gallon. 



Movement of Sugar through Port of Matanzas. 



The movement of sugar through the port of Matanzas for the past three seasons was: 



1915-16a 1916-17a 1917-18? 



Bags Bags Rags 



Received 3,363,173 3,016,881 2,701 ,732 



Exported 3,329,0^6 3,004,371 2,145,288 



Local consumption 34,077 12,510 r25,000 



oFigures for entire crop year. ^Figures to and including Sept. 7, 1918. cEstimate 

 for entire crop year. 



Thirty-three mills shipped through the port of :Matanzas this season, as compared with 

 29 mills in 1916-17 and 30 mills in 1915-16. As the foregoing table indicates, 531,444 bags of 

 sugar were still in the warehouses on Septembe'^ 7, 1918, awaiting shipment. It is calculated 

 that from September 7 until the end of the crop year only a few hundred bags of sugar will 

 arrive in Matanzas, so that the 2,701,732 bags shown above represent approximately the total 

 1917-18 crop arrivals at this port. Of the 1918 exports the United States took 1,577,105 bags 

 (New York 602,713 bags. New Orleans 423,026, Philadelphia 300,380, Mobile 219,486, 

 Savannah 21,500, Galveston 10,000), England 496,683, France 70,000, and Mexico 1,.500 



bags. 



It has been estimated that the total receipts at the port of Matanzas during 1917-18 would 

 be 3,500,000 bags. Therefore theie is an apparent shortage of 800,000 bags. This local short- 

 age is ex-plained by the fact that more of the crop raised in Matanzas Province was shipped 

 to Habana and Cardenas and less to the port of Matanzas than had been anticipated. 

 In the Province as a whole there was no shortage; on the contrary, there was, as already stated, 

 an excess of 98,400 bags over ttie estimate. 



Labor — Tonnage — Cost of Linng. 



There was a shortage of labor in the sense that the supply just about equaleo the demand, 

 but that there was no real shortage is proved by the fact that no cane was left uncut or un- 

 ground. \Miile no statistics are avaUable, it is believed that the 1917-18 acreage was larger than 

 that of the preceding year. There was also an increased use of fertilizer. Some 10 years ago 

 the Matanzas planters began spreading fertilizers on their cane fields, and its use has regularly 



