Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-09-16


isIl you something about tho big farms
on Uncle Sans now island. II will
,ssm queer to many that there are
large farmn In Porto Rico. We look
uu5n the island as patch upon the
face of the Caribbean sea. We think Of
10 aa divided into little garden spots
with huts connected with them. Porto
Uco n nothing u the kind. II has
hundreds Of thousands Of huta Il II
trHa. but It's lands largely consist o. big
.aatea Fully onc-hnif Of the island Il
made up OF large tracts. II has sugar
LIMITATIONS OF thousands Of acres. II
be- coffee estates which produce tens
Uf thousands Of dollars n year. and
there are regions In which you may
fIIo Tor miles and not be out Of slght
n tobacco.
The town Of Ponce. where this letter
De- dated. IL down on tho coast Of tho
Caribbean sea. For miles above and be-
low 10 the country IA covered with the
rfle. siohy green uf luxurinntly grow
IHg sugar cane. There are large plan
ut1us of sugar cane upon ail the coast
ilrla of the Island. They form a pnlo
green binding about Porto Rico. rum
rHr from the ftn back to the blue foot
lTs II the mountuluH From them are
produced between tl,Ooo.O0O and NO0o.-
I0o worth OF sugar @ year Upon them are
made millions Of gallons VI rum and
out " their factories annually flows
enough molusscH 90 give an the children
uf the United States % tnny pulling.
THE SUGAR KINGS OF Porto
RICO.
an ~ these plantations arc valuable.
ID OF H#a ram NAHfF
Hul those who own them may be called
thU guKnr kings OF Porto ltlc0. They
UU the uuhuhH u our West indian pose
session. Many ~ them have Incomes %
iHHH Of thousands " dollars year and
HHi a few Ect from ~ 20 % per cent on
90. capital they have invested.
Who are thCy2
no Dr. hard 60 say. Not r. few are
EmulurlH. who live IN Barcelona and
other spanish cities, ana manage thclr
estates through agents, one big sugar
planter n a frcuchmnu. several are
Americans ana large number are
Porto ltcanr. Some NJ them have been
living beyond their Incomes, notwlth-
standing their large profits. They have
uHrtgarcd their estates and tho mort
cages are now being bought By Amer
leans. other Americans are investing
Do sugar lands, one % the largest ca-
fItaH on the island. near Guhyamo. hnv-
l1g recently gone Into tho hands N
llustun parties. / believe the day will
come when the most of tho sugar lands
WIN b. owned by our native citizens.
ana that under. their management they
will pay even better than they are now
doing I should not be- surprised 10 see
o. fugtr trust formed 20 buy up aud
operate the Porto iticnn plantations.
Such ln organization could make n big
profit u could water iiH stock 900 por
cent and rtll pay dividenda.
MONEY ~ SUGAR.
Sugar plantations need large capital.
Much NJ ihe profit comes from tho econ
um.ell handling NJ the cane. and the
better the machinery tho greater the
Income, To-day the hoHt sugar plhutu-
iIHnH hero produce about 1000 pounds
per acre. Fifty years ago some Of thom
produced nH much uH 1000 pounds. and
Oh. lands were cropped again ana again
without repI1ntiug. The cane was cut
down, new shoots NO once aUr1uted up
about the Ola stalks and within % few
months there was another crop ready
Cor cutting. IN Louisiana believe thuy
cur about two crops Ia three years.
when the cane must be- rDplnntDd. In
ih' past Porto iuCIn plantations proc
uu".l Tor httgcn years la succession
Nagl NJ the Porto l,lcan estates now
lara ut thy island some continue u
NIIl for seven years
INu machinery ~ Porto Rico ~ not
On. most modern. Most NJ the mills ura
'H.flHhluuod ana wuHtoful Some are
moved hy oxen and with two cor three
's'HUuun7 none nro up Go date Some
~ ihu Louisiana mills cost hundreds
" thousands Of dollars. They make
th.Ir profits because absolutely every
lh.nF IN the cane IL turned into money
ono NOT ID cent goes 10 waste.
ON q few of the plantations here
Moro are railroads frun tho fields 90
lUH mctury. one or two estates have
steam engines 10 pun the cars over the
Uach. while ON othorH this work ~
d0nr by oxen. Upon the smaller plan
hunnH the cane II hauled IN OK carts
tnl ncnrly everywhere the sugar when
manufacturcd Is carried TO the hcabonrd
lN oxen.
The labor on the plantations here ~
lH than half the price paid In LDulsi-
ana The work ~ done by the poems,
VINO receive from 30 20 20 cents "a day
unl board themselves They pillow the
cane. They keep u free from weeds,
!Nl when u a. ripe cut II down ana
Lad IL on 90 the cars Tor the factories
lhgy labor from daylight until dark
ana never strike
IN THE TOBACCO PLANTATIONS.
] have spent some time IN travelling
IN ihr tobacco districts Of Porto Rico.
These are 10 be found up In the noun
'InH hirh above the sugar lands They
ufo exceedingly rich, the dark green
plants covering the hills and climbing
o., % We're. clear To the SUBMITS Of
W. mountains Many NJ the tobacco
1919 are on the sides uf hills Fp steep
lHli YOU would think the plants would
li|l our ot the soil, ana some ~ them
i.up that the men have 10 almost
l.In haC kwnrd 20 hoe the crop, which
NgHf almost straight over them.
scattered here and there through the
lIH'"au fields are long, matched sheds
IN N.'ch the leaves ARE dried and cured
lnH market, Some uf the sheds nre
lH'It up and down the steep hills tho
t.U.n NJ the hill forming the fan which
makes tho rain roll on
one ot the richest tobacco districts
mat Of Caycy. about half way across
goo itlund, The tobacco raised here
Ag ino M the best Havana tobac-
Co. II commands hlgh price In the
LnI'n luom markets. Much NJ Il ~
,l'upnd Ia Havana ana there made into
havana cigars 10 be exported 10 the
United states
A GOOD CIGAR FOR a CENT,
doubt, In fact, whether you can get
l.Hl elgurs anywhere Ho chcaply as IN
In'tu Rico. / can buy a cigar Tor "a
cent here IN Ponce which is as good
,7 the best straight b-Cent cigar sold
lh tho United States, and for 2 cents I
can get "a better cigar than you can
luN IN New York for 10 cents Very
ire medium-HiZod cigars ARE sold nj
"a 70. a.