Teo COCR AT re VASE, VW: 35 
Farm Machinery in Cuba 
In a recent issue of Facts About Sugar, 
Mr. Stanley F. Morse writes as follows re- 
garding the demand for extra heavy field 
implements in Cuba: 
When the subject of agricultural ma- 
chinery is mentioned to Cuban sugar 
planters, one is immediately informed that 
only very heavy machinery will be suitable. 
The common belief is that this is made 
necessary by the unusually stiff character 
of the Cuban soils. However, this does not 
appear to be wholly true, for although the 
heavy black clay soils are extremely hard 
and refractory, especially when dry, the 
black loam, red and mulatto types are very 
easy to work and are more common. 
The fact is that one of the main reasons 
for the need of heavy field implements is the 
rough and careless handling they get, the 
way plowing is done in stumpy or extra hard, 
dry soils, and the improper use of plows as 
harrows. Some examples may be cited: 
(a) We recently introduced an unusually 
heavy and effective type of harrow. The 
first stunt tried was short turning, which 
will break up the strongest disk. Later 
some clods jammed between the disks, and 
instead of clearing out the clods, two 
operators got hold of one lever and broke it 
off trying to force the gangs back in place. 
(b) A cultivator improperly set was found 
tearing itself to pieces and doing work of a 
poor quality. (c) By failing to tighten the 
bolts on a spike-tooth harrow, many of the 
parts were soon lost and the harrow laid up 
for rebuilding. Even a Ford getting such 
treatment would soon fall to pieces. 
On one estate some 75 horsepower 
tractors were noted plowing only about five 
acres per day, while a smaller tractor was 
laid up for about 8 hours with the operator 
loafing while a repair man searched for 
repair parts. Indeed, on many Cuban 
estates a small amount of work accom- 
plished, poor quality of work, much idle 
time and high costs are the rule. With a 
few exceptions most of this trouble is due 
to imexperience and poor supervision. 
Many tractor men do not appear to know 
what good work is, and have no idea as to 
the real purpose of the operation they are 
attempting to carry out. 
It cannot be expected that operators of 
implements or tractors will do good work 
if they are never properly instructed. To 
be fully successful, a supervisor of tractors 
and implements should have had practical 
experience in farming, understanding what 
good tillage really is and how it may be 
economically accomplished. Thus, cross- 
plowing is the product of plantation man- 
agers who lack adequate farming expe- 
rience. 
By plowing and cultivating at the right 
time better and cheaper work may be 
accomplished. Then, in introducing 1m- 
plements, care should be taken to fully 
train and supervise the operators Re- 
cently, several implements that had lain 
there for years were resurrected from the 
junk heap of a Cuban central, and put into 
successful use, cutting the cost of the 
respective operations from 30% to 40%. 
With a full understanding of the work to 
be done, patience, persistence and expe- 
rience, there is no reason why improved 
farm machinery may not be used in many 
parts of Cuba to do more efficient and 
economical work. 
Philippine Islands 
The area planted to sugar in the year 
ending June 30, 1920, was 487,585 acres, 
according to the Annual Statistics of the 
Philippine Bureau of Agriculture. The 
yield of crude sugar was 391,862 tons and of 
panocha 31,717 tons. The sugar crop now 
being milled is larger than the 1920 crop by 
possibly 15 to 20%, but the money yield 
will be less. 
Shipments during the month of April 
amounted to 13,103 tons to the Atlantic 
Coast of the United States. Some of these 
have already reached New York. The 
Pacific Coast was sent 4,000 tons and 
usually takes about 30,000 tons in a year. 
EXPORTS 
April Jan. 1—April 30 
1921 1920 1921 1920 
New York.... 13,103 9,885 13,669 9,885 
San Francisco. 4,071 3,558 15,168 3,558 
China, etc.... 9,783 1,519 28,123 14,175 
QOD Mc cccccse 2,500 6,623 17,500 21,719 
29,457 21,585 74,460 49,337 
