THE CUBA REVIEW 



21 



CUBAN COMMERCIAL MATTERS 



MARKET FOR AGRICULTURAL 

 MACHINERY 



The principal crops of Cuba are sugar 

 cuue, tobacco, and fruits. The surface of 

 tlie oomitry is usually rolling, and the 

 greater part of the soil is a heavy black 

 loam, similar to what is known as Texas 

 black land. The principal plowing sea- 

 son is from January to July ; both disk 

 plows and moldboards are used. 



The sugar-cane crop is the only one 

 which justifies the use of tractors to any 

 great extent. There are said to be about 

 1,000 tractors in Cuba now, round-wheel 

 and crawler types being about equally 

 popular. The small farm tractor is best 

 for size. Tractors are used only for 

 plowing and hauling, their use for belt 

 work being practically unknown. The 

 sale of tractors is perhaps hindered some- 

 \\hat by the abundance of good and cheap 

 pasturage for oxen, which are the usual 

 draft animals in Cuba. During the crop 

 season cane Avaste forms the principal 

 feed, and the cost of keeping oxen is there- 

 fore very low. 



The use of farm machinery suited to 

 local crops is becoming quite general, but 

 the only buyers of large farm machinery 

 are the larger land owners. Most of the 

 sugar lands are rented out in small par- 

 cels by the owners of big estates. Long- 

 time credits are extended to purchasers 

 l:)y the dealers, and this necessitates the 

 granting of credits by the exporting firms. 

 — Consul H. G. von Struve, Havana. 



COTTON PIECE GOODS FROM THE 



UNITED KINGDOM 



Tlie cotton piece goods exported from 



the United Kingdom to Cuba during the 



past five years and the pre-war year of 



1913 amounted to: 



Yards 



391.3 55,497,400 



1015 50,961,500 



lOlG 46,551,600 



1917 48,640,700 



1918 37,677,300 



1919 17,538,600 



LUBRICATING OIL 

 Exports of lubricating oil to Cuba for 

 tlie past six years were: 



Gallons 



1914 1,724,080 



1915 1,652,648 



1916 2,660.552 



1917 2,704,475 



1918 3,586,238 



1919 5,969,759 



The table given below shows the ex- 

 ports of gasoline from the United States 

 to Cuba for the fiscal years, 1914 to 1919 : 



Gallons 



- 1914 255.339 



1915 271,870 



1916 629,340 



1917 2,178,213 



1918 6,217,575 



1919 4,500,928 



The class "Other naphthas and light 

 products of distillation" is so very closely 

 iclated to gasoline that it may be con- 

 siderc'd here also. The quantity taken by 

 ('ul)a during the past six years is shown 

 beloAV : 



Gallons 



1914 10,450 



1915 15,095 



1916 1,303,715 



1917 1,200,199 



1918 1,326,513 



1919 4,2.54,881 



SHORT RICE CROPS 



Gen. Carlos Garcia Velez, Cuban min- 

 ister to London, has cabled the State De- 

 partment of Cuba that the British food 

 controller has received reports of short 

 rice crops in both Burma and Siam, two 

 of the important sources of supply, and 

 that the price will - inevitably go mucli 

 higher. 



Rice is one of the chief foods of the 

 Cuban people. 



TYPEWRITING MACHINES FROM UNITED 

 STATES 

 Typewriting machines valued at $369,- 

 936 were exported from the United States 

 to Cuba during the calendar year 1919. 



