24 



THE CUBA REVIEW. 



patrolmen, and it is rare tliat disorder oc- 

 curs, especially around public work. The 

 Cubans are cordial in their relations with 

 the American contractors and employes, and 

 assist them in every way possible. — Chat- 

 tanooga (Tenn.) Times. 



There arrived in Havana, November 4, 

 on the United States transport Kilpatrick, 

 a party of men belonging to the United 

 States Coast and Lakes Survey. The party 

 will work to obtain an accurate survey of 

 the Cuban coast from Cabo Cruz to Casilda. 



HEMP CULTURE IN CUBA. 



BY A. PEDROSO. 

 Translation from the Journal d' Agriculture Tropicale, No. 87, Paris, September 30, 1908. 



The consumption of sisal fiber in Cuba 

 is about 5,000,000 pounds of hemp (sisal) 

 and 2,500,000 pounds of Manila hemp 

 (abaca) ; it is not astonishing that with 

 this relatively considerable consumption 

 the inhabitants have tried to produce 

 the fiber in that country. Moreover, 

 about 500,000 pounds of ixtle, jute and 

 other analogovis fibers are imported into 

 the island. 



From January 1, 1901, to December 

 31, 1907, the island of Cuba imported 

 48,090 bales of textile fibers (1); in 1905, 

 9,024 bales were imported. The prin- 

 cipal planters who exploit the cultiva- 

 tion of textile plants, mainly hemp 

 (sisal) in Cuba are as follows: 



In the Province of Havana there is a 

 plantation called "Ojo de Agua," the 

 property of Messrs. Ripoll & Co.; it 

 exploits 4 "caballerias" (2) (about 53 

 hectares), with a special hemp-breaker 

 capable of defibering up to 20,000 leaves 

 per day. It produced in 1907 more than 

 20,000 pounds of fibers, at a net cost 

 of about 5c. gold per pound. The la- 

 borers are paid $1 per day. Messrs. 

 Ripoll own other properties in the neigh- 

 borhood, where the total number of 

 hemp plants in production or almost 

 ready to be exploited is about 100,000 

 pounds. 



In the Province of Matanzas, Messrs. 

 Raffloer, Erbslohs & Co. have planted 

 66 "caballerias" (2) of hemp (about 884 

 hectares), representing a total of 2,200,- 

 000 plants, at a distance of 42 cm. by 

 3.36 m. (3). They have installed a 

 "Prieto Vencedora" hemp-breaker. 



Near Cardenas, Messrs. Pacette, Fos- 

 ter & Co., on the "Florida" plantation, 

 have about 36 "caballerias" (2) (about 

 482 hectares) under cultivation and have 

 had for five years, or 800,000 plants 

 that they exploit with a "Prieto Irene" 

 double hemp-breaker, with which they 

 are able to defiber about 150,000 leaves 

 per day. 



Last year they produced 400 bales of 

 fibers; granted that they pay only 80c. 

 (fr. 4) per day wages to the laborers, 

 the net cost of the fiber is 2c. (0 fr. 10) 

 per pound. 



The yield is 40 pounds per thousand 

 leaves. 



In this same province Mr. Carlos J. 

 Madan* owns 21 "caballerias" (13 hec- 

 tares, 40 ares) with a total of 600,000 

 plants. 'He uses a "Torroella" hemp- 

 breaker that defibers up to 100,000 leaves 

 per day. The laborers being paid 80c. 

 (4 fr.) per day, the net cost of the 

 hber is nevertheless fr. 20 per pound. 

 This property is perhaps the oldest in 

 Cuba and has already made seven 

 crops. 



At Cayo Romano, a little island off 

 the cost of Camaguey, the Agricultural 

 & Industrial Co. of Cuba has 32 "ca- 

 ballerias" (2) of hemp, having produced 

 12,805,800 leaves that, after defibration 

 produced 1,760 bales of fibers, weighing. 

 6,161 cwt. and 8 pounds., which were 

 sold at $46,508 (about fr. 232,540). They 

 have shipped 100,000 offsets into the 

 Province of Matanzas in order to under- 

 take new plantations, and it is foreseen 

 than more than 15,000,000 leaves will be 

 defibered this year. The net cost was 

 $25,720, which will leave a good profit, 

 in spite of the wages of $1.50 per day 

 (7 fr. 50). 



All the hemp plantations, of which 

 there are about fifteen, cultivate some 

 304 "caballerias" (2) (4,073 hectares), 

 with 15,000,000 plants. In Cuba they 

 manufacture about 8,000,000 pounds of 

 cordage, and it is expected that the 

 island will soon produce all the .fibers 

 necessary for local consumption. 



Charles C. J. Maden, who died at his 

 summer home in Saratoga Springs, N. 

 Y., in September last, was born in Car- 

 denas, Cuba, in 1825, and was one of 

 the pioneer sisal fiber growers of Cuba. 

 For many years he was associated with 

 the firm of Latosa & Co., New_ York. 

 Becoming convinced of the possibilities 

 of sisal hemp growing in Cuba, he es- 

 tablished a large plantation in Cardenas, 

 and became an exporter of fiber. 



(i) A bale contains 16 "arrobas" of 11.500 

 kilos each, or 184 kilos, or 400 Cuban pounds; 

 it is at least the figure mentioned in the Treaty 

 of Cuba (page 96) published in 1905 by the 

 Bureau of American Republics. (Editor's Note.) 



(2) A "caballeria" contains about 33 1/3 acres. 



(3) Four yards — A yard is equivalent to 84 

 cm., the distance of half a yard, or 42 cm. only 

 between the sisal plants, seems to us to be a 

 mistake. 



