THE CUBA REVIEW 23 
been found for certain purposes to be excellent, as they are much more rapid than the 
other strains used, but their wildness and consequent difficulty in handling them is an 
objection that is hard to overcome. 
Following the example set by many of the southern states of the United States, our 
most progressive cattle raisers have adopted means of tick eradication. In nearly all the 
better ranches of considerable areas, dipping vats are found, these having been installed 
voluntarily, as no governmental requirements have yet been adopted. This, however, is 
not the case with imported cattle, as those coming by steamer from South America, 
Central America, Mexico and Texas are all dipped upon arrival at the port of introduction, 
‘though we understand that cattle coming in from Florida by rail for immediate slaughter 
are exempted from this requirement, this, however, being an evasion of the law. The 
subdivision of pastures and the systematic transfer of cattle from one subdivision of a 
pasture to another with the idea of complete eradication of all ticks in the infested 
area, has not yet been adopted here as it has in so many portions of the southern states, 
and the result is, of course, that Cuba’s hides are classed in the northern consuming 
markets along with those of other tick infested areas. The time will doubtless come, 
however, when stronger competition and the necessity for securing the highest return 
possible from every feature of cattle raising will bring about an Island-wide propaganda 
and movement in favor of the complete eradication of cattle ticks. 
A phase of the cattle industry which has not been given the importance that we 
believe it merits in Cuba is that of the raising of stock in connection with our sugar mills. 
In at least one mill of the Island, ‘‘Soledad,” near Cienfuegos, the Soledad Sugar Com- 
pany carries on quite an extensive cattle production. The prime object was originally 
to produce draft animals for the estate, but certain portions of the property and lands 
which could be obtained under moderate rental were much better adapted to cattle 
raising than to the raising of cane, so that from the original small beginning there has 
arisen an industry of quite considerable importance to this mill. At the present time 
not only is an abundance of fine stock for draft purposes being produced, but also a 
large number of cattle for killing purposes and improved breeds for dairy purposes, the 
products of which are used by the employees of the sugar mill. We have understood 
that at times as many as 4,000 cattle are found in the pastures of this sugar company. 
The estimated consumption of cattle in Cuba is about 1,000 head per day. Based 
upon this calculation, the yearly consumption of the entire Island would be about 365,000 
head, a quantity which in normal times is easily produced. Only in a limited number 
of localities in the Island are modern up-to-date slaughter houses found, one of these 
being in Camagiiey and the others in Havana. In the thousands of small localities of 
the Island, what are termed Municipal Slaughter Houses are found, these consisting 
usually, however, of only a cement or other hard floor sheltered by a simple roof and 
commonly situated in a place where good drainage enables the refuse products of slaugh- 
tering to be carried away. In Camagiiey the slaughter house is relatively small in 
capacity, but is fixed up with a small rendering plant and other modern conveniences 
of this nature. In Havana the two slaughter houses are known as the Industrial Slaugh- 
ter House and that of Lykes Bros. In these the total number of head of cattle killed 
daily averages about 300, in addition to which, of course, a smaller number of pigs, 
sheep, etc., are killed. The Industrial Slaughter House is provided with its rendering 
plant and also with apparatus for the taking care of the general run of waste products, 
these being used as fertilizer. The plant of Lykes Bros. is more complete, here being 
found refrigerating rooms, an excellent rendering plant, a large compounding depart- 
ment, and a sausage making department. These two plants are run on practically the 
same principles found in the best plants in the United States, with the difference naturally 
brought about by the different treatment of the meat after killing. 
A peculiarity of the Cuban meat eater is his prejudice against refrigerated meats. 
As a result of this, the meat killed in the morning is distributed in the afternoon of the 
same day to the various butcher shops of the locality, and the same afternoon, early 
the next morning and during the next day is consumed. Whatever is left over goes 
