Races of Maize in Cuba (1957) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 49-58
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From page 49... ...
48 RACES OF MAIZE TABLE 2 COMPARISON OF ZAPALOTE CHICO WITH THE WHITE DENT CORN FOUND IN CAUJERI, ORIENTE Plant Characters Height (m.) Number of leaves Width of leaves (em.
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From page 50... ...
HOW CORN IS GROWN IN CUBA HOW CORN IS GROWN IN CUBA METHOD OF INTERVIEWING: 1954-55 49 Field studies in 1953 suggested that much Cuban corn was undergoing a process of "mongrelization." The construction of a modem highway system had tended to destroy regional isolation, and introduction of foreign varieties for which grain dealers in cities paid high prices had induced many farmers to abandon lines inherited from parents. In order to estimate the importance of these disturbing factors, seventy-one farmers were interviewed by questionnaire in 1954 and 1955.
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From page 51... ...
50 RACES OF MAIZE The western division, containing the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Habana, Matanzas, and Las Villas, sells very little corn in the national markets as grain. The chief cash crops are sugar cane and tobacco, although cattle and coffee are important in Las Villas and rice increasingly so in Pinar del Rio.
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From page 52... ...
HOW CORN IS GROWN IN CUBA 51 These data illustrate the great importance of latifundios in eastern Cuba, where in 1945 more than 49 per cent of the total value of agricultural production was produced on only 12.9 per cent of the farms. In general, in those provinces cane is a rich man's crop.
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From page 53... ...
52 RACES OF MAIZE NUMBER OF YEARS ON FARM The 1946 Agricultural Census provides data which indicate the tendency toward mobility of persons who operate Cuban farms. The data presented in Table 5 have been calculated from Table 14 of the Census.
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From page 54... ...
HOW CORN IS GROWN IN CUBA 53 Ten farmers stated that they used machinery, chiefly tractors, in their work. Still by far the most common method of plowing in Cuba is the use of a team of oxen hitched to a metal-tipped plow.
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From page 55... ...
54 RACES OF MAIZE NUMBER OF VARIETIES GROWN BY A SINGLE FARMER Table 8 illustrates the strong tendency for Cuban farmers to grow at least two varieties of corn in regions where more than one race is available. In addition, 54 per cent of all farmers reported that they had formerly grown at least one other variety.
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From page 56... ...
HOW CORN IS GROWN IN CUBA TABLE 9 FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF FARMERS REPORTING SEED HELD FOR INDICATED NUMBER OF YEARS Years Held 1 2 3 4 5 6 to 10 10 to 30 "always" % 12.1 15.5 10.3 3.5 1.7 5.2 13.8 37.9 55 Such practices make it easy to understand Brown's statement ( 8) that Caribbean corn at first sight appears to be a "hopeless mess." Hybridization and migration are evidently occurring constantly and on a relatively large scale.
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From page 57... ...
56 RACES OF MAIZE these are always shelled off before planting. Table 11 indicates types of grain preferred by the Cuban farmers sampled.
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From page 58... ...
HOW CORN IS GROWN IN CUBA TABLE 13 FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF FARMERS STATING PREFERENCE FOR INDICA TED TYPE OF COB Cob Type Thin cob Thick cob Medium cob No preference o/o 45.3 22.4 4.5 29.9 Reasons given for selection of Cob type are listed in Table 14. TABLE 14 FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION OF FARMERS STATING INDICATED REASON FOR PREFERRING COB TYPE Reason for Preference Higher yield Characteristic of general type of com preferred Easier to shell Resists weevil Produces better grain Prettier % 69.7 15.1 6.1 3.0 3.0 3.0 57 High yield was usually given as the reason for preferring the thin-cobbed Canilla race.
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