THE CUBA REVIE TV 



and, therefore, to obtain one caballeria of cane it is necessarj^ to plant two caballerias. 

 Of this tract 200 caballerias about 36 were planted, which normally should give some 

 two million arrobas or more; they will not give one miUion, and then the transportation 

 difficulties are such, and the return of the grinding so low, as to practically exclude 

 these lands. 



Lying between the Central "Highview" and the demolished mill whose lands the 

 central has recently leased are a number of small independent colonos who control 

 something like a million and a quarter arrobas of cane, which they will sell to the 

 mill offering the best price and terms. And in order to bring the canes from the leased 

 lands of the demolished mill to the central it must construct, or cause to be constructed, 

 six kilometers of standard gauge line through lands of these independent colonos. A 

 branch of public service road runs to the batey of the demolished mill, consequently 

 any such new construction would undoubtedly be but a continuation of that public 

 service road's branch, and thus these independent colonos would be enabled to send 

 their canes to any point or compel the Central "Highview" to pay an exorbitant price 

 to obtain them. 



In the opening paragraph of this article mention was made of the antiquated 

 methods and obstinate ideas prevailing among the planters of this section (though 

 unfortunately not limited only to this section.) As an example of this, and one 

 reason why the cane is so poor, practically every colono throughout the district grows 

 corn, beans and other truck between the already densely planted cane, and the 

 impoverished soil cannot support it, yet no argument seems to avail to stop this 

 practice, and as the administration consents to it the result is, to a large degree, 

 that the central is supplying funds to the colono for truck gardens, and the cane, 

 and the mill's legitimate business, suffer in consequence. 



Taking into consideration all the conditions and circumstances affecting the 

 situation these seems to be but one logical solution of the problem, and that is for 

 the central to obtain control of all the land possible in its immediate vicinity, and 

 by progressive methods of cultivation to establish and maintain a high production 

 of cane, such methods automatically improving the percentage of juice extraction 

 and sugar content. 



This was brought to the attention of the company controlling the mill, the plan 

 approved and operations were begun to build up the fields with the purpose of 

 upholding an average production of at least 50,000 arrobas of cane per caballeria 

 yearly, which, considering the central could control directly 150 caballerias of land 

 available for planting, would give the mill over seven and one-half million arrobas, 

 or practically two-thirds of the total amount required for a full crop, including 

 allowances for losses by fires, etc., and would unquestionobly have put it in position 

 to obtain the remainder at a moderate price and eliminate the necessity of distant 

 hauls with high freight rates and paying competitive prices for outside cane. 



The thirty caballerias owned by the mill are divided into six colonias, an average 

 of five caballerias to each colonia, but as there are only 22 caballerias available for 

 cane, the average of such cane is about 3^/2 caballerias to each colonia. The 63 

 caballerias of the demolished mill leased by the company are distributed among 21 

 (or 22) colonos, or an average of three caballerias to each colono, but as there are 

 only 22 caballerias producing, at the present time the average of cane is one caballeria 

 to each colono. 



It has been pointed out that the lands of the entire region are greatly impoverished, 

 having been worked for many years without renovation. The system has been to 

 plant about one-third of the available land as the cane runs out, leaving the other 

 two-thirds in the fallow for a short time, which is the reason why there are only 

 22 caballerias producing, of the 63 of the leased mill; and the same applies to all 

 the other lands. Therefore by this system three times the area of land is required 

 to produce one crop. 



An attempt was made a few years ago to plant all the available land to cane 



