THECUBA REVIEW 19 



Cuba where the ramfall is less than m the more tropical parts of its range of growth. In Cuba) 

 the Spanish cedar does not grow to such gigantic proportions as it does farther south. Under 

 the most favorable conditions in the foothills and valleys of Cuba it frequently attains magni- 

 ficent sizes, from 150 to 160 feet h\ height and from 3 to 5 feet in diameter. 



Spanish cedar is partial to the moist slopes and rich valleys rather than to the open plain 

 and doubtless when planted in the former positions its tendency toward great height will be 

 more fully taken advantage of. In southern Mexico it grows to normal proportions at an alti- 

 tude of over 3 000 feet, l)ut at the extreme elevation the trees are dwarfed and the wood is 

 usualh' very hard m comparison to that produced in the lowlands. It will, therefore, be seen 

 that in its native habitat the Spanish cedar is subjected to varying soil and climatic conditions. 

 AMien the magnitude of the area over which it is found indigenous is taken into consideration, 

 it shows all the more strongly the extraordinary accommodative nature of the tree. It is 

 not exacting as to the depth or quality of the soil, provided the sulisoil is deep and porous 

 and the drainage efficient, but an undi-ained soil is fatal. 



No accurate yield-statistics have as yet been comjiiled for Si:)anish cedar, but b>' basing 

 the calculations on estimates of results attained, it will not be difficult to determine approxi- 

 mately what this tree is capable of producing under cultivation. There is every reason to be- 

 lieve that on suitable soils and with a full stand of trees on the ground the crop will be ready for 

 harvest at the end of 35 years from the time of jjlanting. At the present price of cedar every 

 tree should be worth $25 to the owTier, and with 100 trees to the acre would yield him $2,500. 



Mr. H. H. Markley in the May issue of La Hacienda (Buffalo, N. Y.) describes several 

 interesting cedar plantations in Mexico as follows: "These trees were set out 27 years ago in 

 5 rows at a distance of 6 meters apart each way, and were nursery stock about 30 centimeters 

 high when planted. They never received any special cleaning or cultivation, the first two 

 years having been cultivated in conjunction with cocoa planted on the same ground. After 

 that time the cocoa was abandoned and the cedar planting received no more cultivation. At 

 the tune of my visit, the cedars were growing as a vu-gin forest. The trunks of the trees aver- 

 aged 9 meters in height, there being some with straight, beautiful trunks as high as 18 meters 

 to the first branch. The entii-e grove consists of 300 trees and at the prevailing market price 

 is worth $10,000." 



Another cedar plantation in Mexico which has been examined by Mr. Markle}' is de- 

 scribed by him as follows: "A confidence in the future of this industry has been shown by the 

 planting of more than 20,000 trees on the plantation which is located on a navigable stream 

 that affords quick transportation and is thus well taken care of in advance. The facts herem should 

 amply demon.strate that it is possible to grow Spanish cedar on a commercial scale. The next 

 question which will naturally be asked is when returns may be expected and how great these 

 returns will be. The first trees should be ready for felling in about 15 years and in each suc- 

 ceeding year others will be of marketable proportions. By that time the market price of cedar 

 will undoubtedly be even higher than today, as there is no fear of an overproduction. The 

 advantages of having these trees in a limited area are manifest, and this alone should reduce the 

 cost of lumbering 50^,fi below that which applies to wild trees in the forest. At the present 

 price of cedar the value of 20,000 mature trees can be conservatively estimated at $500,000. 



The Forest Officer of the Islands of Trinidad and Tobago has been planting cedar on the 

 forest reserves annually since 1908. At first it was possible to plant only small areas with 

 seedlings collected from the adjoining forests, but the work is now considered the most im- 

 portant factor in increasing the value of the forest reserves, and regular mu-series have been, 

 established for growing the young trees. The seeds are collected from normal trees and planted 

 in beds during Jvme and July. When the young trees are 1, 2 or even 3 years old, they are set 

 out in rows 10 feet by 20 feet. The area is not burned over as is usually done in case of pre-- 

 paring land for cocoa. 



Mr. C. S. Rogers, who is conducting these operations, gives the following estimate of the. 

 cost of forming a cedar plantation of 100 acres and the jirobable financial results. The prices; 

 are fixed with regard to the wages current in Trinidad where estate labor costs 40 cents a daj;- 

 and forest labor, where nien have to sleep away frona then homes, cost 60 cents a day. 



Estimated for a cedar ])lantation of 100 acres. 

 Expenditures : 



