THE CUBA wh ESV I EW. 31 
are made only where favorable conditions therefor exist, irrigation water in abundance 
being a prime necessity, and, therefore, these plantings are found either in the Giiines 
District where abundant irrigation water is available, or in west central Pinar del Rio 
Province, where a sandy loam of good quality is found along the edges of small ponds, 
lakes and streams, these furnishing the water required for irrigation. In the Gitines 
District, as also in Pinar del Rio, we believe that the growth of vegetables was begun 
by Americans who saw the opportunities lying ahead of farmers who would take scientific 
advantage of the facilities available, and as these parties had been familiar with the 
growth of these crops in the North, it was very natural that the use of fertilizers should 
have commenced from the very beginning of these plantings. It has also been found 
that these people have lent themselves most readily to the home mixing of fertilizers, 
as by following the practice the quality of their fertilizers is assured and the component 
materials can be varied, thus better adjusting the fertilizers to the particular period of 
growth of the plant. The majority of growers of vegetables of this class utilize a ferti- 
lizer containing from 4% to 6% ammonia, 6% to 8% phosphoric acid and 5% to 6% 
potash, the ammonia being obtained from a combination of nitrate of soda and sulphate 
of ammonia during the early part of the season, and later from nitrate of soda alone, 
the phosphoric acid from single or double acid phosphate, and the potash from high 
grade sulphate of potash. A few of the most successful growers also like to include 
among the fertilizer materials supplying ammonia, sufficient high grade tankage to 
furnish about one-third of the total ammonia in the fertilizer. 
It is well known that the principal product of Cuba is sugar, and, of course, the cane 
from which this is produced is grown entirely on the Island. Cuba’s record crop of 
sugar has been practically 4,000,000 long tons, for the production of which, assuming 
an average sugar production of 12% of the weight of the cane ground, would require 
the grinding of 33,333,333 long tons of sugar cane, which, assuming an average production 
per acre of 20 tons, would require the cultivation of 1,666,666 acres. As we have pre- 
viously indicated, the quantity of high grade fertilizer used per acre on those sugar plan- 
tations where fertilization is practiced is high, averaging at least about 600 pounds per 
acre, so that if the total acreage planted were fertilized at this rate, practically 500,000 
tons of fertilizer would be required. It is doubtful, however, if even 20% of the lands 
planted to cane in Cuba are thus fertilized, so that we presume that an outside estimate 
of the quantity of fertilizer required for sugar cane would be 100,000 tons. Nowhere 
else in the world that we know of are analyses of cane fertilizers so high, as one of the 
favorite formule during the past two or three seasons has analyzed 10% ammonia, 
and 14% available phosphoric acid, while such a formula as 7% to 8% ammonia, 
8% to 10% phosphoric acid and 3% to 6% potash (in the days when potash was at a 
normal price) can be considered standard. The materials of which the fertilizer is 
composed have been found not to be of particular importance, as sugar cane appears 
to be able to obtain its nourishment from practically all classes of raw materials, but the 
most favorite sources of plant foods are tankage, dried blood, nitrate of soda and 
sulphate of ammonia as sources of ammonia; ground bone, single and double acid 
phosphate as sources of phosphoric acid; and sulphate of potash as the source of potash. 
Of course, with this crop it is not essential that the chlorine content of the sulphate 
of potash be limited, as is the case with tobacco. 
The fertilizer industry in Cuba is untrammeled by such requisites as exist in the 
United States, whereby the consumer is protected and the manufacture of fertilizer 
compelled to make his goods correspond to the analysis under which they are sold or 
else suffer the consequences. There is a requirement in Cuba that the manufacturer 
must either print on the bags or on a tag attached thereto the guaranteed minimum 
content of ammonia, available and total phosphoric acid, and potash contained in 
the goods within the bag, but no system of inspection is in vogue, so that each consumer 
has to protect his own interests sending for analysis samples of the goods he has purchased 
either to the Government Experiment Station at Santiago de las Vegas or else at his own 
expense to private chemists. The result of this lack of supervision has been that loose 
