AND AGRICULTURE OF CUBA. 303 
ceptibly inferior to that of the richest commercial 
_ cities in Europe, a rudeness of manners prevails in 
the small towns and plantations. 
The common cereal grasses are cultivated in Cu- 
ba, together with the tropical productions peculiar 
to these countries ; but the principal exports consist 
of tobacco, coffee, sugar, and wax. The sugar-cane 
is planted in the rainy season, from July to Octo- 
ber, and cut from February to May. The rapid 
diminution of wood in the island has caused the 
want of fuel to be felt.in the manufacture of sugar, 
and Humboldt, during his stay, attempted several 
new constructions, with the view of diminishing the 
expenditure of it.* 
The tobacco of Cuba is celebrated in every part of 
Europe. ‘The districts which produce the most aro- 
matic kind are situated to the west of the Havannah, 
in the Vuelta de Abago; but that grown to the’ east 
of the capital on the banks of the Mayari, in the 
province of Santiago, at Himias, and in other places, 
is also of excellent quality. In 1827 the produce 
was about 113,214 ewts., of which 17,888 were ex- 
ported. The value of this commodity shipped in 
1828 was £105,991, 13s. 4d., and in 1829, £142,910. 
Cotton and indigo, although cultivated, are not to 
any extent made articles of commerce. | 
Towards the end of April the travellers, having 
finished the observations which they had proposed 
* By the Custom-house returns, 156,158,924 lbs. of sugar were 
exported from Cuba in 1827; and if the quantity smuggled be 
estimated at one-fourth more, the total amount would be nearly 
200,000,000 Ibs. In the same year the exportation of coffee 
amounted to upwards of 50,000,000 Ibs., but it has since fallen off 
po aa Macculloch’s Dict. of Commerce, art. Havan- 
nah. 
