Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/552

 648 CUBA Sugar 75,000 Ibs. Corn 20,000 Ibs. Coffee 12,500 " Kice 50,000 " Tobacco 9,000 " Sago 88,000 " Cacao .. 25,000 " Bananas 2,000'bunches. Cotton 6,000 " Yuca 50,000 Ibs. Indigo 1,500 " Cattle raising is largely carried on, and although it does not fully supply the demand, it repre- sents a large amount of capital. The alternate system of pasturage has been recently adopted, but the plan of natural pasturage finds most favor. Estates on which cattle and horses are raised are called hatos, and those where hogs are bred, corrales. Of late years very good stock, including Durham and Devonshire bulls, has been imported into Camaguey, but the in- surrection has swept them away. The establish- ment of artificial pastures (potreros), and the importation of good stock, have tended to im- prove the breed of cattle. The grass chiefly sown in the artificial pastures is the Para grass, which has lately been introduced. The 3,285 breeding estates produce annually $5,286,180. Cuba contains 1,059,432 caballerias, equal to about 35,000,000 acres of land, distributed as follows : In agriculture proper " barren lands 225,195 tt forests 466,831 " natural pastures. " artificial " Total. The production of sugar and molasses has de- creased somewhat since the breaking out of the civil war. The following exhibits the amount of these staples in tons produced du- ring the first four years of the war : YEARS. Sugar. Molasses. Total. 1868 749,889 286,161 1,035,550 1869 726 237 279550 1 005 787 1870 725,505 245,870 971,375 1871 546,479 184965 731 444 The value of the products from sugar cane, tobacco, and the honey bee, for 1871, was $78,371,897. The mineral productions of Cuba have been hitherto but little developed. The precious metals do not exist in sufficient quantities to pay for working. Copper mines were opened as early as 1515 to obtain metal for casting cannon, but they were soon aban- doned on account of the restrictions placed by the government on the business. In 1741, when Admiral Vernon took the bay of Guan- tanamo and founded the town of Cumberland Harbor (now Pichardo), copper money was coined by order of Governor Cajigal. From this time up to 1830 the mines were unworked. In the latter year foreign companies reopened them, and a native company, called the " San Jos6," was organized soon after. A mining excitement followed, and in 1844 there were 227 mines in operation. Many of these were afterward abandoned, but two foreign com- panies and the company of San Jose, in the Sierra del Cobre, were in operation at the be- ginning of the war. Those of Buyatabo in the Central department, of Los Pobres in Tri- nidad, and of the Vuelta Abajo have given but poor results. Iron ore of fair quality has been discovered in the jurisdiction of La Ha- bana, but has not been worked to much ex- tent. Mines of alum and copperas were once worked in the mountains of Juragua, but were soon abandoned. Salt being a government mo- nopoly, the natural salt mines are not worked, but salt is collected in considerable quantities along the coast. Over 100,000 Ibs. are made yearly at Point Ycacos and at Choco. There is some doubt whether mining would be very profitable in Cuba, even if it were not para- lyzed by taxation. The manufacturing indus- try consists chiefly in the preparation of sugar, molasses, and coffee, the bleaching of wax, and the making of cigars. Other manufac- tures are of little importance, the people gen- erally being disinclined to mechanical pursuits. Previous to 1762 Cuba had no commerce. At that date permission was given to subjects born in Spain and coming from certain places to trade freely. The laws of 1789 and later ones aided the development of trade, but the interests of the island were in perpetual con- flict with interests in Europe. At one time the port of Seville had the monopoly of the trade ; at a later period it was given to Cadiz. For over 200 years these were the only ports allowed to carry on commerce with the Indies. In 1778 Charles III. made an effort to foster commerce by making all the ports of Spain free for trade with Cuba. In the first period of Cuban history, from the discovery of the island to 1762, the country lived in great part by smuggling. In the second period, during which trade with Spanish ports through the port of Havana was permitted, the commerce was not sufficient to feed the island, and at times it was found necessary to allow trade with foreign ports, which soon grew into im- portance. These exceptional years and the value of imports from foreign countries were as follows: 1792, $1,904,339; 1798, $917,307; 1799, $2,003,564; 1805, $10,541,138; 1810, $10,875,789. In the succeeding years up to 1818 there was always some trade carried on under foreign flags, which at times exceeded $9,000,000, and was never under $2,557,000. The third period of the commercial history of Cuba, beginning with 1818, when foreign trade was allowed, is marked by her growth and prosperity. Passaron, in his work on the "Re- sources and Commerce of Cuba" (1858), proves that Spain herself had been benefited by this concession, and that in 1854 her exports to Cuba exceeded those sent by her to all America in 1792. In 1859, when the statistical bureau was better organized than ever before, the total exports of Cuba were officially estimated at $57,455,185 32; imports, $43,465,679 57. The exports of sugar and molasses in tons for 1870 and 1871 were as follows: