THE CUBA REVIEW 



29 



AGRICULTURAL MATTERS 



A VALUABLE CATTLE FOOD 



The use of molasses for cattle food is an 

 important item in sugar making countries, 

 and it is well that those connected with it 

 should know exactly where they are. Doctors 

 differ, and what is digestible and what is 

 not is a subject about which there is frequent- 

 ly much divergence of opinion, and it would 

 be well if these points in connection with 

 cattle foods were definitely settled. We 

 are glad to be able to state that in the case 

 of Molascuit, where the absorbent consists 

 only of the tender pith of the sugar cane, 

 there can be no c}uestion of trouble arising 

 in this way. Not only does this valuable 

 cattle food contain so low as 6% of indigest- 

 ible fibre, as against the 12% of cotton cake 

 and 11% of hnseed cake, but also that fibre 

 is in such a form as to be quite harmless. — 

 West India Committee Circular, June 2d. 



GOOD INQUIRY FOR FRUIT 



Receipts of Cuban grapefruit, in New 

 York, in the week of July 3d, amounted to 

 about 2,000 packages all told. Quality was 

 good and fancy fruit sold up to $4.50, the 

 general range for anything worth while being 

 $3.00 to $3.50. Some very poor fruit did 

 not bring freight or duty, but for anything 

 really up to grade there was a very good 

 inquiry. 



J. Pratt Carroll, Inc., who received more 

 than half the Cuban gi-apefruit coming this 

 week — they being speciahsts in this line — 

 report that their next and last shipment, 

 due July 15th, will about close the season 

 for old fruit. 



The new crop will start about the 25th 

 of August. The grapefruit crop is quite 

 heavy, both in Cuba and the Isle of Pines. 



WANT GOOD FERTILIZER 



The Herradura Shippers' Association has 

 sent an extensive report to President Menocal, 

 in which it states that the agriculturists of 

 Cuba are at the mercy of the merchants 

 dealing in fertilizer, and in many cases they 

 find fertiUzer that is not what it is repre- 

 sented to be. 



One of the original causes of this state of 

 affairs, says the association, is the lack of 

 laws in the republic to regulate and protect 

 the preparation, introduction and sale of 

 fertilizing material. 



FRUIT GROVES IN CUBA 



Fruit growing in Cuba, except as to bananas 

 is not regarded as a lucrative business by the 

 Spaniard or the Cuban, and therefore the 

 Latin effort in such lines has always been 

 more or less casual, and has usually been 

 confined to small groves of oranges which 

 are enough to supply the local demand. 

 The advent of the Amei-ican fruit grower 

 brought about peculiar policies, most of 

 which were founded upon the inability of the 

 investors to understand and endure tropical 

 conditions, and to speak the language re- 

 quired by the labor at their hire. And again, 

 many of the Americans, having made their 

 land purchases and their small plantings under 

 the glowing promises of large profits and 

 having found that they were doomed to dis- 

 appointment, abandoned their groves or 

 placed them in the hands of others, who 

 under contract agreed to bring them to 

 maturity; the result, in a majority of cases, 

 being that there is little left to show for the 

 money and time spent. 



It is estimated that in all Cuba, including 

 the Isle of Pines, there ai-e over 20,000 acres 

 devoted to citrus fruit culture. This is 

 probably a just and fair estimate. But it is 

 known that of this great acreage at least 75 

 per cent, is the holding of peojile who have 

 contented themselves with 5 and 10 acre 

 groves, many of whom are not residents of 

 Cuba and do not intend to become residents, 

 and who are willing to allow their fruit- 

 growing interests to be taken care of by 

 others. 



- In recognition of this last condition, it can 

 be stated at once that no satisfactory list of 

 fruit growers in Cuba can be prepared by 

 anyone. The ownership and occupancy is 

 only in name to a large extent, and the cir- 

 cumstances attendant are radically and en- 

 tirely different from those of Florida and 

 California. 



The list which this consulate general has 

 forwarded is supposed to represent only the 

 more important growers who reside in Cuba 

 more or less, and whose groves are in bearing 

 or on some kind of a stable basis. Attention 

 could not be given to the majority of the 

 owners of small tracts, because they are not 

 here, and their names and addresses are not 

 obtainable except as a result of correspond- 

 ence abroad which would consume months 

 of time.- — From- a report of United States 

 Consul General James L. Rodger s, Havana. 



A cannery in operation at Santa Barbara, Isle of Pines, is putting up 2s, 234s and 10-lb 

 sanitary tins of both sliced and gi-ated fruit. 



It is the expectation of the company to can and preserve pineapples throughout the fruit 

 season and then turn to citrus fruits, native fruits and vegetables. It will endeavor to keep 

 the plant running throughout the year, and will furnish employment to many people, both in 

 the fields and in the factory. 



