FUTURE FARMING IN CUBA
The possibilities latent in Cuba’s splendid agricultural resources are
incalculably great. It is practically certain that at some day, not
distant as the lives of nations go, this Island will be completely
covered with plantations and farms, scientifically worked by intensive
methods, and sustained by the capital of many large corporations. There
is hardly room to doubt this conclusion. The demands of America and the
great manufacturing countries of Europe for food supplies are constantly
on the increase and must grow ever greater with the increase of their
populations and the further development of their mechanical industries.
There are few agricultural regions better situated and conditioned to
take advantage of this demand. But before this can be done a complete
reformation in the agricultural methods of Cuba must be brought about.
Capital must be attracted, not in independent driblets, scattered the
country, but in large sums, concentrated upon particular districts and
devoted to definite developments. In a word, the arable lands of Cuba,
now lying idle, or being wasted by a ruinous method of cultivation, must
be subjected to a process of exploitation similar to that which has
brought the sugar and tobacco industries to their present conditions of
high development. Such a movement must necessarily tend to the uplift
and prosperity of the individual farmer. It must influence his methods
and his product for the better. It must open new markets to him and
afford him increased facilities for transportation. Organized
enterprise, with ample capital, could make Cuba a great exporter of food
stuffs. Under good management the investments in such enterprises would
undoubtedly be safe and profitable. Coincident with a movement of this
kind a national agricultural bank should be established, and conducted
somewhat after the manner of the Egyptian Agricultural Bank, which has a
counterpart in the Philippines. In Cuba, almost more than anywhere else,
the small farmer needs loans and credit on moderate terms. At present,
if he can borrow at all, he must pay an exorbitant rate of interest.
Cuba is now importing annually forty millions of dollars’ worth of food
supplies. More than half of the commodities making up this purchase,
enormous for an agricultural population of two millions, might be raised
in the country, at lower cost and of better quality.
There is here an excellent opportunity for foreign capital. One or two
such companies as have successfully developed new tracts in our Western
States would find a profitable enterprise in the business of supplying
Cuba’s food demands from the product of Cuban soil. This statement is
made on the assumption that such concerns would avoid the errors into
which several colonization companies, which otherwise had good
prospects, have fallen. No such project should be started, except with
well defined plans, plenty of capital to carry them through, and, above
all, a management familiar with Cuban soils and conditions.
To begin with, the acquisition of one thousand acres of the best arable
land, well situated for the transportation of produce, will require the
investment of one hundred thousand dollars, which would, however, cover
the cost of buildings, water supply, and other necessary permanent
accessories. Each acre would then call for the further investment of
one hundred dollars, which would include all expenses until the first
crop should be secured. The expense of cultivation would average about
fifty dollars an acre, and an average return of one hundred dollars
could be looked for. This estimate of fifty dollars gross profit per
acre will appear excessive, and doubtless most Cuban farmers would call
it ridiculous. Nevertheless, there are directors of experimental
stations in Cuba, who are prepared to demonstrate the feasibility of
accomplishing it with ordinary staple crops, and several experts,
familiar with local conditions, who endorse it. If it is possible to
produce thirty, or even fifteen per cent. net profit from the
cultivation of Cuban farm lands, then the fact is the most striking
evidence of the shortcomings of the present methods of agriculture. Of
course, a large proportion of the estimated results would accrue from
the economies in production which a well-capitalized corporation could
effect by the employment of labor-saving mechanical devices, and the
economies which would naturally arise from shipping in great bulk.
In Hawaii, Mexico, and other tropical countries, the agricultural
development has been
[Illustration: ORANGE TREE.]
effected mainly by large corporations, and in the majority of cases the
enterprises have enjoyed financial success. All things considered, the
prospect for such a project would be unusually good in Cuba. One such
undertaking would be a revelation to the Cubans, and to the world at
large. It would attract additional capital to the same field and
otherwise work such benefit to the country that the Government and the
railroad which would be immediately affected by it might reasonably be
expected to lend substantial aid in its establishment and operation.
It is to be feared that capitalists who have considered such an
enterprise, have been deterred from entering upon it by knowledge of the
failures of some of the ill-judged colony projects. Several of these
were doomed to failure from the outset. In some cases the promoters had
bought poor land at low figures, which they sold to inexperienced
settlers at high prices. Not infrequently these were invalids, or men
looking for a life of ease, to whom it was represented that anyone might
make a comfortable livelihood, if not a fortune, from Cuban land, with
little effort and the investment of a trifling amount. The principal
object of such companies is to dispose of their property as quickly as
possible. They do little, or nothing, for the community which they
create. The natural result of such a combination of unfavorable
conditions is failure in its worst form. Cuba has suffered incalculable
harm from the effects of dishonest and ignorant exploitation by American
and Canadian land companies. But the fact remains that there are few
more inviting fields for effort in agriculture, if intelligently
undertaken with sufficient means.
The future development of Cuba must be along agricultural lines and it
must depend mainly upon foreigners, of whom the greater proportion will
unquestionably be Americans. The colony, or community system, is the
best means of promoting this development, and there are a number of
large companies engaged in it under admirable methods. These
corporations are affording every possible aid to the settlements for
which they are responsible, and are encouraging none to take up their
lands without the means of profitably working them.
One of the greatest present requirements of Cuba is a revival of its
old-time stock industry. The annual imports of cattle, horses, and
mules
[Illustration: “A SUGAR PLANTATION OF FIFTEEN HUNDRED ACRES WILL NEED
ABOUT THREE HUNDRED OXEN.”]
are large, and would be much larger if the peasants had the means of
buying the animals that they sorely need. There is probably a shortage
of not less than half a million head of various kinds of stock in the
Island. The demand is constant and great. Horses and mules are
everywhere employed as beasts of burden, and the ox is the universal
draft animal. A sugar plantation of fifteen hundred acres will need
about three hundred oxen, besides perhaps fifty horses and mules, and
will slaughter twenty-five or more head of cattle monthly for meat.
There is no doubt but that several large cattle ranches and
establishments for breeding horses and mules might be run on American
lines with profit to the owners. As in the case of farm products, the
first object to be aimed at should be the supply of the domestic demand.
After that has been accomplished, there should be no difficulty in
finding markets for all the surplus cattle that Cuba can raise. Europe
is in need of constantly increasing meat supplies, and the United States
will soon be a heavy importer of animal foods. Provided that the
industry is conducted upon modern methods and the breed improved, as it
may be without difficulty, Cuba should be able to compete with any of
the foremost cattle raising countries.
In this connection attention may be called to the neglect of alfalfa in
Cuba. It has been ascertained that the plant can be grown in the Island
with the best results. It is well known to be a powerful soil fertilizer
and an excellent crop with which to rotate. The abundance of fattening
grasses and the quantity of refuse from the sugar mills available, make
it improbable that alfalfa could be profitably used as fodder on Cuban
farms. There is no doubt however, about its ready sale in the place of
the hay which is now imported to the extent of several hundred thousand
dollars annually, and at a cost of forty dollars a ton. The market for
alfalfa hay could be greatly enlarged by supplying the small towns to
which the Cuban farmers carry pack-horse loads of grass, to be sold in
the streets at five cents for two armfuls.
One of the first steps in the improvement of Cuban farming must be the
attainment of greater yield and better crops from the land. Let us take
corn as an illustration of present conditions and future possibilities.
For long past, Cuba has been importing this grain in constantly
increasing quantities and at present is paying two million dollars a
year for it. This is one of the most glaring instances of neglect. The
Island should produce every ear of corn that is consumed in it and much
more. As it is, a comparatively small area is devoted to this crop,
which is deficient in both yield and quality. This is fully accounted
for by the haphazard method of cultivation. In very rare cases is any
other cause responsible for the poor results.
Tests, made at one of the experiment stations, of several parcels of the
seeds usually bought for planting, showed that from forty to sixty per
cent. were sterile, whilst the remainder were far from uniform in size
and vitality. By using such seeds the farmer is wasting half the ground
planted and paying six dollars per hundred pounds for the half that
germinates. Under such circumstances he can hardly raise a crop from
rented ground that will sell at a profit. Instead of attempting to do
so, he grows enough to feed his few head of stock and takes no note of
the cost.
The use of good seed is one of the urgent needs in Cuban farming, but so
long as dependence is had upon imported seeds, which invariably
degenerate in the new environment, no appreciable improvement can be
looked for. Nor would a campaign of education in seed selection, such as
has been carried on in various parts of the United States, be
economically feasible. The most direct and effective remedy will be
found in the establishment of one or more seed farms, run on modern
methods, with modern machinery. Such enterprises would not fail to
return large profits on the money invested in them.
The national and other experiment stations have not been established
long enough to permit of wide effect from their efforts. In their
immediate vicinities the improvement in farming due to their influence
is marked and there is every reason to count upon its extension. The
most interesting of these stations is that maintained by the Cuba
Railroad, under the direction of Dr. Paul Karutz. It covers about six
acres of land, immediately contiguous to the Hotel Camaguey.
Here may be seen an acre of cotton, all the plants healthy and vigorous,
and most of them bearing more than one hundred and twenty pounds each. A
model citrus fruit grove, with
[Illustration: HOTEL CAMAGUEY.]
mulched trees, and velvet beans growing between, will encourage those
who still have faith in the citrus fruit industry of Cuba. An acre of
peanuts, in remarkably good condition, yields a crop of fourteen hundred
pounds. Broomcorn, cassava, arrowroot, jute, and many other commercial
plants, may be seen in different stages of growth and development.
Experiments with corn are constantly in progress, with the object of
producing a serviceable seed by crossing Cuban, United States, and
Argentine varieties. Three new varieties have been secured, each having
long ears, large kernels, and thin cobs. The station is distributing
small parcels of this seed-corn to such farmers as show an inclination
to improve their crops.
Failure has fallen upon the efforts of a large proportion of the
thousands of Americans who have taken up farming in Cuba. This has been
due to a variety of causes. The chief of these has been insufficient
money to make a fair start. Too often the settler comes out with little
more than enough to pay for his land, build a modest dwelling, and buy a
few pounds of seed. He is forced to depend upon his own labor solely,
with inadequate mechanical equipment, and the land must support him
from the first crop, or he is faced by starvation. In other cases, where
the immigrant has money enough to buy good land and proper farm
equipment, he approaches the task in complete ignorance of the peculiar
conditions of agriculture in Cuba, and often with the additional
handicap of preconceived ideas that are entirely wrong. He plunges into
the cultivation of certain crops without any previous study or
experience, and regardless of shipping and market conditions. Sooner or
later he awakes to his mistake, but seldom before the loss of time and
money has seriously crippled his resources. Many failures are to be
attributed to the widespread tendency among American settlers in Cuba to
take to fancy farming. They are fired with the desire to do something
out of the ordinary and to produce something that no one else is
growing. It is usually the pure amateur who is afflicted with this
mania, which always costs him dearly. He generally ends as a man whose
sole possession is a theory.
There is no question about the assured success of the man who may
undertake farming in Cuba with the proper equipment. He must have ample
capital,--that is to say, enough for all calculable requirements and a
little over. He must defer serious work until he has made a thorough
study of the conditions. He should then devote his efforts to the
production of the surest crops, those entailing the least hazard in
cultivation, and for which there is a permanent market with a steady
demand. If, furthermore, he uses intelligent methods in the cultivation
of his land, he can not fail of success.
After all, so much depends upon the character of the individual. One man
will force success under conditions which completely crush another. Here
you will find a flourishing farm, due to the natural aptitude of the
owner for his work. On the other side of the fence, a misguided
individual, with better opportunities than his neighbor, is making a
miserable mess of it, because he is entirely unsuited to the job. The
literature of certain land companies is responsible for the presence of
many amateur farmers in Cuba. One of these pamphlets assures the reader
that he may safely embark in farming in Cuba without experience or
knowledge, and after the first year the land may be depended upon to
yield him a handsome income. This statement is supported by figures
showing profits realized from the cultivation of certain staples, but
no mention is made of the fact that these results were produced by
corporations operating with advantages from which the individual farmer
is precluded.
It is difficult to hold the publicity man down to a consistently honest
story. He must be an enthusiast to serve his employers well and, with
perhaps the best intentions in the world, he shuts his eyes to the
disadvantages which pertain to farming in Cuba as well as to farming in
any part of the world, and expends his eloquence solely on the roseate
aspects of the situation. The literature of the best of the land
companies is deceptive inasmuch as it draws a picture of the results
attainable under the most favorable conditions, and not those which the
average settler will experience. On the other hand, if the officials of
such companies are approached, or even the publicity man himself, a fair
and honest statement can usually be obtained.
It is not intended that anything in the foregoing should convey the
impression that all, or even a majority, of the land companies in Cuba
are untrustworthy. Many of them are fulfilling their obligations to the
utmost and several are exceeding them, with a generosity that must meet
with deserved reward in time. No matter how reliable the company,
however, the prospective settler will do well not to purchase land until
after he has seen it and had a chance to compare its situation and other
conditions with property offering elsewhere. The man who can not spare
the time and money to look round before making his investment has not
sufficient means to justify his embarking in the contemplated
enterprise. The information to be gained on the spot, although it must
be accepted with discrimination, is worth more than a cart-load of
literature.
Unless the intending settler has the capital and experience to justify
his “going it alone,” he had better attach himself to a colony. This
will give him social and economic advantages which he might not be able
to secure otherwise. There is a string of colonies from one end of the
Island to the other. A leisurely tour through these could not but
largely repay an observant man, and would qualify him to make
intelligent selection of a location for his own venture. He would gain
much useful information regarding crops and methods of cultivation. He
would learn from instances of failure what to avoid, and from instances
of success would get examples to be followed. Too much stress can not be
laid upon the advantage of this plan of “projecking around,” as Uncle
Remus calls it, before settling down. Several American farmers, whom the
writer has met, attribute their prosperity largely to having proceeded
in this manner.
Without assuming the responsibility of giving advice, it may be said
that the opinion is quite widespread, and apparently well-grounded, that
Oriente will be the seat of the greatest agricultural development in
Cuba. There are in this Province a number of flourishing colonies, under
the direction of well-capitalized and well-managed companies. Whether or
not a settler takes up land in one of these developments, he will be
wise to look them over before making a decision as to his ultimate
location.
The prices of land in Cuba vary according to the character of the soil,
the location, the size of the tract, its situation, and the terms of
purchase. Thus, land may be had at from three to one hundred dollars an
acre.
There is room for a great deal of deception in selling land to persons
at a distance and
[Illustration: A ROAD IN THE PROVINCE OF ORIENTE.]
some agents and colony promoters take the fullest advantage of this
fact. A prospective purchaser should, unless he is dealing with a
corporation whose reliability is beyond question, have the titles to the
land offered examined by a capable attorney, and should get a
certificate from the registrar of property in the district in which the
property is situated as to the encumbrances that may exist against it.
This precaution should always be taken before making a payment. The cost
will be but a few dollars, but the outlay may save a great deal of
subsequent worry and trouble. Verbal assurances on these points can only
be accepted with hazard. A promise made to remove a cloud upon a title
is often avoided after payment has been made. Trouble may be obviated by
depositing the required sum in a bank to be paid over to the seller when
the purchaser’s lawyer has declared his satisfaction with the
transaction. On no account should quit-claim deeds be accepted, nor
payments made on lands in Cuba, without the execution of the proper
legal documents. At least as much care should be exercised in buying
Cuban property as would be considered necessary to a similar transaction
at home.
It is extremely hazardous to make deposits and undertake obligations on
the strength of a simple paper promising to convey property after the
completion of a certain number of instalment payments. There are
concerns offering Cuban lands for sale which have defective titles, only
an equity interest, or perhaps no more than an option.
Land titles in Cuba are generally good and no money need be lost on
account of them if proper care is taken in the preliminaries of
purchase. A transfer costs more than it does in the States, but there is
absolute security in it when properly executed. No real estate agent
whose intentions are honest will object to a full investigation of the
title he offers. There are many reputable agents in Habana and other
cities, who have spent years in the study of Cuban properties. It will
generally be better for the inexperienced purchaser to deal with one of
these, and pay him his legitimate commission, than to do business
directly with the owner. The real estate agent can often give valuable
information and advice. In this matter, as in that of location, the
important point is to investigate first and be sure of connecting with a
desirable man.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE CITY OF HABANA]