THE CUBA REVIEW. 



AGRICULTURAL. 



IRRIGATION. 



Notes from Estacion Central Agronomica. 



Prepared especially for The CUBA REVIEW. 



In reply to an inquirj' as to methods 

 for preparing land for ' irrigation, the 

 director has given the following data: 



The land should be thoroughly plowed 

 and the furrows for cane laid! ofT on a 

 level; that is, following the contour of 

 the ground. The water for the irrigation 

 is brought into the field by a main ditch 

 which runs through the highest part of 

 the field. 



Leading from this ditch, small ditches 

 or water furrows are laid ofif at right 



angles to the cane rows with a space of 

 from 100 to 200 feet between the water 

 furrows according to the nature of the 

 soil. The more porous and sandy the 

 soils, the closer the water furrows. 



The water passes through this ditch 

 system, irrigating the cane on each side 

 of the ditches. The cane should be 

 planted in deep furrows and lightly cov- 

 ered'. 



The accompanying diagram shows the 

 arrangement of ditches and cane rows 

 for an irrigated field: 



EXPLiANATION OF DIAGRAM. 



a, b, e, d, e, f and g — ^Cane rows which follow the contour or water level of the field. 



1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 — Irrigation ditches at right angles to the cane rows, distances of 100 to 200 

 feet, according to the nature of the soil. The ditch 3-4 irrigates to A-C-B on one side and to 

 B-D-F on the other. 



The main irrigation ditch should run through the highest part of the field. 



Preserving Bananas. 



One method of preserving bananas, which 

 is well recommended, consists in picking 

 the fruit when fully ripe, cutting them in 

 two, or leaving them whole, throwing them 

 into a large receptacle, and boiling them 

 over a slow fire, stirring with a spoon until 

 dissolved. The resulting paste is poured 

 into moulds. It is yellow in color and 

 very like quince jelly in taste. A cheap and 

 simple manipulation of a valuable fruit like 

 bananas ought to develop another industry 

 in Cuba worth considering. 



To make a confection, this paste is boiled 



in syrup until a thicker paste is formed, 

 which if put into air-tight boxes can be 

 kept for a long time. 



In Cuba, where sugar and bananas are 

 very cheap, bananas too ripe to export 

 should be thus preserved. 



Excellent guava and tamarind pastes are 

 already made in Cuba and it would be easy 

 to make a similar confection of bananas 

 which, like the English orange marmalade, 

 finds a market all over the world. 



In the United States the consumption of 

 bananas is increasing each year and banana 

 preserves would soon find a market. 



