14 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



The April Drought in the Island. 



The weather reports show a continual 

 drought in the whole island. Acting 

 Secretary of Agriculture in Havana said 

 on April 16 last, that "the continual 

 drought is making great havoc in the 

 country. At many places cattle lack 

 water, and pasture is scarce." The 

 drought, he thinks, will continue for 

 some time; probably well into May. 



"Rains have been so scant during the 

 past three years," he said, "that if it 

 were to rain heavy now for a few 

 months it would not be sufficient to fill 

 the subterranean cavities that have been 

 emptied during the drought." 



Regarding plans for irrigation, the 

 Secretary said that he had no hopes of 

 any work being done for the present. 

 "Such an undertaking would cost the 

 state many millions, which it could not 

 now use for this purpose. While all the 

 great irrigation systems in the world 

 have been operated through state aid, the 

 main cost has been borne by land own- 

 ers, and under the uncertain conditions 

 existing in Cuba at present he doubts 

 whether any one would venture into 

 any irrigation schemes. 



From Cuban Government reports 

 come the following statements: 



The harvesting of the tobacco crop 

 has already ended; and the dry leaf re- 

 mains on the hoop-holes, waiting until 

 there is enough moisture in the atmo- 

 sphere to give it the softness neces- 

 sary in order to be able to pile it up. 

 The result of the harvest in Sagua de 

 Tanamo was greater than expected and 

 of very good quality. 



The pastures are, in general, short of 

 grass, and with an exhausted water sup- 

 ply cattle are getting thin; in Batabano 

 and Cardenas there is some mortality, 

 particularly among calves. In the rest 

 of the republic the condition of the cat- 

 tle, whether for breeding or for fatten- 

 ing, may be called rather good. 



The cattle ranches (Potreros) have 

 been bettered in the places where heavy 

 rains have occurred; those in the Pinar 

 del Rio province are in middling condi- 

 tion, but those in Batabano, Sierra 

 Morena and Holguin are in bad condi- 

 tion. Many deaths have occurred 

 arnong cattle from epizootics, although 

 this disease has diminished very much 

 in the municipal districts of Cardenas 

 and Placetas, but cattle suffer very 

 much everywhere, from the lack of pas- 

 tures and water. 



The fall of the water in the wells, of 

 which some are drying up, and in the 

 streams, has reached a point, in some 

 places, that there is not sufficient for 

 the consumption of the inhabitants. 



Later reports in despatches of May 10 

 record the drought as still prevalent. 



Changes in Cuban Port Rules. 



Governor Magoon, through the United 

 States Department of Commerce and 

 Labor, has transmitted to Collector of 

 Customs Fowler regulations regarding 

 the manifestos of vessels arriving in Cuba 

 from foreign ports, which are of impor- 

 tance to masters and consignees of all 

 vessels trading there. It is announced 

 "that on and after the first day of July, 

 1908, every master of a vessel arriving 

 in Cuba from a foreign port must imme- 

 diately, upon landing, send by regis- 

 tered mail to the Auditor for Cuba at 

 Havana a true copy in Spanish of the 

 manifest of his vessel, and on entering 

 his vessel at the Custom House he must 

 make affidavit that such copy has been 

 mailed and that the same is true and cor- 

 rect. He must also mail to the Auditor 

 a true copy in Spanish of any subsequent 

 corrections made on the manifest, to 

 which he must make affidavit, and any 

 master who neglects or refuses to com- 

 ply with the foregoing provisions shall 

 pay a fine to be imposed by the Collector 

 of the port of not less than $100 or more 

 than $500 for each offense. The Secre- 

 tary of the Treasury, when, in his opin- 

 ion, there has been no willful neglect or 

 intent to defraud, may in his discretion 

 mitigate or remit the penalty hereby im- 

 posed." 



A cup of Coffee in a Cuban "boliio. 



