THE CUBA REX'lEW And Bulletin. 



Agriculture — to be successful — must rest on a sound business basis like any other 

 human activity. Here is a farm in exactly the condition of hundreds of other Cuban 

 estite,-^ — indeed, might serve as a replica of many others we have examined. So a careful 

 study of the details involved, assumed at unce a .^ecn interest, and l)ecame of some 

 general moment. 



We proceeded fir.st to examine the agricultural machinery with which the place is 

 being worked, since this feature is usually a fair index of general conditions. We 

 found cue small American plow, in only fair condition, one snnil Planet cultivator, evi- 

 dently not in use. one ditcher for planting cane, also in poor condition, and a number of 

 the native plows which have so long made Cuban agricultural methods a joke in more 

 progressive countries, h'inally should be mentioned a new four-foot disc harrow with 

 the sale tags still on it! There are no mules on the place! .And this for i,ioo acres of 

 rich and beautiful land! 



We found two widely separated wells with tanks of periiaps 10,000 gallons, and 

 small steam pumps. But the place could be well watered with automatic wind-mills and 

 larger tanks. Turning to the fields we found first about an acre of fine coffee trees in 

 shade, which we were told yielded about 600-800 pounds per annum. Here the rubb.-r 

 story was repeated. Young coffee seedlings were coming up everywhere. Taken hold 

 of properly, years ago, there might now just as well have l)ecn forty acres of magnificent 

 coffee at an altogether trivial outlay. Further on we found a small plantation of oranges — • 

 700 trees. It unquestionably cost money to put this plantation out — and it might yield 

 money, if the right varieties were selected and the trees properly cared for. But it is 

 in a most lamentable state of neglect — uncultivated, unfertilized, the trees suffering for 

 lack of pruning, covered with scale, and many dead and dying. Further on, we entered 

 what might be as fine a planting of hencquen as any in Cuba, and here also neglect was 

 the most prominent feature — the planta- 



tion is growing up to brush and weeds, 

 old plants are dying out and should be 

 replanted, and many leaves are awaiting 

 cutting. 



The most extensive planting (ui tlie 

 place is of cane, but we found only two* 

 caballerias of this. In the cane there 

 was a repetition of the same story, — 

 a striking lack of fertilization and 

 a^roper methods of cultivation every- 

 where evident. 



The entire remainder of the place. — 

 some seven or eight hundred acres — is 

 given up to pasture. In this pasture are 

 about 300 head of cattle and several 

 hundred hogs. The cattle are of the 

 poorest Texan and Floridan type, and 

 the hogs are the native "razorback." 

 Here, with such magnificent opportuni- 

 ties at hand, there is no sign of modern 

 pasture management, no hint of a knowl- 

 edge of the advantages in a proper han- 

 dling of forage crops, or of system in 

 breeding up the stock instead of allow- 

 ing it to constantly degenerate. Here is 

 a farm on wdiich, under proper manage- 

 ment, might be produced magnificent 

 cattle, hogs, mules and horses. But as 

 it is, one is very much discouraged over 

 the hopelessly scrawny cattle, and the 

 mere sight of the hogs spoils the appe- 

 tite for pork. The guiding principle at 

 present seems to be simply a "blind 

 trust in Providence." 



Careful inspection fails to show a 

 single operation on this farm tending 

 toward permanent improvement and the 

 augmenting of its present value. Mod- 

 ern agricultural methods demand two 

 things in farm management, — output, and 

 at the same time permanent improve- 

 ment. Here is a farm from wdiich croos 

 — such as they are — are each season be- 

 ing removed, — while as for fertiliz- 



*67 acres. 



Old Castilloa — Rubber Tree. Grows to a great 

 height in Cuba. (See article on page 20.) 



Un arbol viejo de caucho en Cuba, cuyo 

 nombre cientifico es Castilloa elastica. Es de di- 

 liiensiones gigantescas, teniendo mas de dos pies 

 de dianietro al pie. El rendimiento cada aiio de 

 ■ip'-ido V parecido a la crema de estos 

 arboles grandes suele ser de una a dos libras. 

 Terrenos plantados con arboles de caucho deben 

 producir de $300 a $500 el acre, sin gastos por 

 abonos y cultivo. Hace tanto tiempo como el 

 aiio de rS^o que los' Jardines Botanicos de la 

 Habana distribuyeron entre los hacendados las 

 semillas de este arbol. 



