I" II E CUBA R E \' I F, \V 



that all the obstacles mot herotofore will 

 be overcome if not entirely then sutticient 

 to produce results. 



A NEW CANE PEST 



The BuUclin Acjricole of Mauritius for 

 July last contains a brief note on the oc- 

 currence of an insect pest attacking the 

 roots of sugar-cane plants in .Mauritius. 

 The insect is a beetle, the larval stage of 

 Avhich occurs in the ground, where, by 

 feeding on the rtiots. the larvae inflict v^ry 

 serious injury on the growing canes. It 

 has not been indentihed, but it is believed 

 to be a recentli' introduced form, in con- 

 ■nection with imported plants. Collecting 

 the larvae was tried at first as a remedial 

 measure, but as this did not appear to be 

 satisfactory, more drastic means of control 

 were employed. The canes were dug, and 

 ty the use of kerosene (p6trole) tV.ty and 

 the soil were thoroughly burned. This 

 seems a very severe practice, but if it has 

 the effect of completely destroying a se- 

 rious pest before it becomes widely dis- 

 tributed, it will be well justified. — Ayri- 

 ^iiltiiral Xcz^'s. 



CHINESE LABORERS SUGGESTED 



The Chinese minister has approached 

 the government of Cuba, after conferring 

 "with a number of the more important 

 planters, in connection with a proposition 

 to bring over from ]Mexico (or China di- 

 rect ) the labor that may be required for 

 the proposed increase of sugar acreage in 

 the central provinces, says the Picayune 

 (New Orleans). The admiral of the 

 Oriental warship "Hai Chi," recently in the 

 port of Havana, visited several of ^^latan- 

 zas and Havana centrales, accompanied b}' 

 a scientific and agricultural expert of the 

 legation staff. He talked before his final 

 departure with a number of politicians and 

 planters, emphasizing the fact that the 

 Chinese coolie is industrious, obedient and 

 patient, and never attempts, as do many 

 of the Spaniards brought here, to create 

 strikes and mix in the internal politics of 

 the country, being neither agitators nor 

 anarchists. 



It is expected that many Chinese will 

 come to Cuba during the next twelve- 

 month, neither merchants nor laundrymen, 

 liut agriculturists, and a company- has been 

 formed to employ some of them on (ex- 

 perimental ) rice farms. 



That Texas tobacco is packed by the 

 middlemen in royal palm leaves and fibre 

 rope brought from Cuba, and sold as a 

 Cuban product, is the statement made re- 

 cently bj' B. Youngblood. director of the 

 Texas experiment station at the Agricul- 

 tural and ^lechanical College of Texas. 



EFFECT OF LOWER DUTY 



A reduction of the duty on foreign im- 

 ported sugar, or the placing of sugar on 

 the free list, would at once affect the sugar 

 which now enters free from American 

 possessions, the Hawaiian Islands, the 

 Philippines and Porto Rico, says the 

 Journal of Coiiinierce. Under treaty pro- 

 visions with Cuba, sugar from that island 

 enjovs a preferential reduction of 20 per 

 cent from the duty imposed on other for- 

 eign countries. The full duty being L6Si-j 

 cents per pound for the grade 96 degrees. 

 Cuban sugar is charged l.rUs cents per 

 pound. Thus the sugar from American 

 insular possessions coming in free will 

 lose its market advantage should the duty 

 on foreign sugar be reduced or taken off 

 altogether. 



OPTIONS ON SUGAR ESTATES 



The same newspaper states that the 

 Spreckels sugar interests through their 

 agents hold options on several of the larger 

 estates in Santa Clara, Matanzas and Ha- 

 vana Provinces, and that Mr. Rudolph 

 Spreckels expected to make a personal in- 

 spection of several of the principal centrales 

 and look over the adjoining lands deemed 

 to be available for sugar cane culture be- 

 fore closing contracts for the purchase of 

 the game. 



NEW CROP ESTIMATE 



Careful estimates of the sugar crop in- 

 dicate that it will reach between 1,600,000 

 and 1,700,000 tons. The latter figure, it is 

 said, is likely to be reached should warm 

 weather, which is favorable to the growth 

 of the cane, continue throughout Novem- 

 ber. If cold weather should come, how- 

 ever, it would check the growth of the 

 cane and therefore reduce the production. 



DROUGHT IN TOBACCO REGION 



Reports from the tobacco-growing sec- 

 tion in western Pinar del Rio Province are 

 not reassuring for good crops. In the true 

 \'uelta Abajo district there has been a 

 great deficiency of rainfall, and in the 

 Guane and Remates districts practicallj' no 

 rain at all during the period when plenty 

 should have fallen. Although it is yet too 

 early to plant to any extent, conditions are 

 said to be getting more difficult each day, 

 and under a continuance of the drought 

 there will surely be more or less poor re- 

 sults. — United States Daily Consular and 

 Trade Report, November 13, 1911. 



The tobacco leaf merchants of all Cuba 

 are to be organized for the purpose of 

 mutual protection, legislative defense and 

 (^ ther co-operative policies. 



