THE CUBA REVIEW And Bulletin. 



IS 



AGRICULTURE AND LABOR 



HINTS FOR CLEARING GRASS 

 LANDS. 



Manual Labor versus Machine Work — 



The Disk Cultivator Will do the 



Work of Twenty Men 



with Hoes. 



When proceeding to plow land covered 

 with grass, for sugar-cane or any other 

 crop, it is much better to plow at little 

 depth the first time, using a plow that 

 makes a furrow in such a way that the 

 grass is buried as lightly and as smooth- 

 ly as possible.' 



The plow-share should be well sharpened 

 so that it may cut the grass roots with 

 ease and celerity. These thin furrow-slices 

 can be broken in pieces with a strong disk- 

 harrow. The second plowing should be 

 done, if possible, at right angles to the 

 first, using a disk-plow for this purpose, 

 and running it as deep down as possible. 

 This will bury completely the clods of earth 

 and the harrow will put the ground in 

 good condition for planting, with com- 

 paratively little work. If the ground is 

 plowed deeply the first time the large fur- 

 row-slices, or pieces of sod, would remain 

 standing on their edges, and if there are 

 frequent rains the grass would continue to 

 grow and the ground would be so rough 

 and uneven that it would be very difficult 

 to reduce it to a good state for planting 

 the crop by means of the subsequent use 

 of the plow and harrow. 



After opening the furrows and putting 

 in the sugar-cane seed, many planters still 

 follow the old system of covering with the 

 hoe, and this is, at once, very slow, la- 

 borious and costly. If the ground has been 

 properly prepared one single man wth a 

 pair of mules and a disk cultivator, will 

 do the work of twenty men with hoes, and 

 the sugar-cane will be covered in a more 

 uniform manner. — Circular No. 8, Cuban 

 Agricultural Experiment Station. 



The Herradura Fruit and Vegetable 

 Growers' Association in the Province _ of 

 Pinar del Rio, make some interesting 

 statements regarding the fruit and vege- 

 table industry. Although vegetables have 

 been shipped from Cuba for several years 

 past, the prices paid for the same have 

 been lower than those paid for Florida 

 products, for instance, 25 and 50 cents per 

 crate less than Florida vegetables. _ This 

 fact is explained as follows : _ Until last 

 year most of the vegetables shipped from 

 Cuba were raised on heavy soil, irrigation 

 was used in some cases and but little or 

 no fertilizer. Owing to this the crop was 

 of a somewhat inferior quality. Two years 

 ago the lighter soil began to be broken up 



and last year's crops were marketed from 

 this lighter soil, where fertilizer had to be 

 used. This caused a difiference and im- 

 provement in the quality of the vegetables. 

 Although the past season was no criterion 

 to make an estimate from, owing to the un- 

 usually excessive rains, nevertheless Cuban 

 vegetables sold as high as Florida vege- 

 tables, and in some cases were quoted 

 higher.' 



POLES COMING TO CUBA. 



To the Editor of The Cuba Review and 



Bulletin. 

 Dear Sir : 



My information from Galicia is very 

 meagre. I know positively of one big land- 

 owner. Count Marasse, who will go to 

 Cuba by the end of January, with the in- 

 tention of buying land. 



Independent from it, there is another 

 movement to direct the farmers with little 

 capital to Cuba. Some of the Polish news- 

 papers in Galicia are writing much about 

 it. I think the idea for it came from the 

 news that the Cuban Government is will- 

 ing to spend money to get the right kind 

 of emigrants for the island. The Poles 

 are not included in the list of nations 

 wanted, but that bill of the Cuban Con- 

 gress shows our people that a farmer has 

 a good chance in Cuba. 



It is well kno'wn that Poles are born 

 farmers. Give a Polish peasant a few 

 acres of land — and nothing else — and he 

 will not only support his family but save 

 some money. 



Experience shows that the Poles can stand 

 splendidly the southern climate. In Hawaii 

 they had about 500 Galicians, who were 

 used with good result on the plantations. 

 For Panama. 450 Galicians were imported, 

 and as I have seen in official reports "they 

 could stand the climate better than any 

 other nationality." 



Yours very truly, 



C. R. S. 



PORTO RICAN LABORERS FOR CUBA. 



The subject of importation of Porto 

 Rican laborers, introduced by the Planters' 

 League, is being considered, and Dr. Men- 

 ocal of the immigration bureau favors this 

 propect, provided the immigrants are sound 

 in body and are not afflicted with the 

 "hook worm," a disease of the intestines, 

 and now prevalent in Porto Rico. 



NORWAY IMMIGRANTS FOR CUBA. 



Consular Agent A. F. Lindley, report- 

 ing from Baracoa, states that immigrants 

 are steadily coming into the eastern end 

 of Cuba from Norway, and from in- 

 quiries he has had he believes Americans 

 will soon be coming. Mr. Lindley says 

 that there are profitable opportunities 

 for the construction of short railroads in 

 that part of Santiago Province. 



