The evening times., 1899-11-22
FOR COLONIAL PROGRESS
The Department of Agricul ure's S
Scientific Scheme.
All Kinds of Modern American Farm
Machinery 10 BE Introduced Into
Cuba. Porto Rico. and the Philip
pfnes-PrOducts TO Be Cheapened.
What Has Already Been Done.

Plans are being rapidly perfected at the
Department of Agriculture for putting the
cultivation of the products of the Philip
pines, Hawaii Cuba, and Porto Rico on a
scientific basis. Chief Botanist Frederick
V. Coville has these plans in charge, and
besides establishing the experimental sta
tons already described, he is perfeeting
the scheme for the development OF the
native agriculture.
1T is well known that the fruits of these
countries are by no means what we have
a right TO expect said Mr.. Coville, in
speaking of the matter today. Thirty
years ago the Florida orange was still un-
born. During that period hundreds OF va
rieties have been evolved on Florida sol,
purely the result OF intelligent American
activity. A hundred of these at least have
superior merit. In grapes We have devel-
oped in less than century from fe
wild American species. originally sour or
musky an almost endless series of deli
cious products
In a somewhat longer period, We have
given American apples a worldwide repu-
tation. developing from tree of Old World
origin az least three thousand wei estab-
lished yarig ties. American straw Derr. .es
are unmatched in Europe, and we are fast
following with the blackberry, the dew
berry and the red plum
However much snail be accomplished
by Americans in these tropical islands o.
ours in popularizing the agricultural prod
ucts OF Tn tropics, the most important
effect of American activity will probably
lie in the cheapenirg of products. The
application of machinery in agricul
ture, particularly the substitution of ma
chine work for hand labor will do this.
According TO MUlhall, the value of the agri-
cultural products. per capita, of the agri-
cultural population in Europe in the year
1887 was S215, while for the United States
it was $425. The efficiency of an agri-
cultural laborer in the United States, in
other words, on his capacity for produc-
ton, is double that of the agricultural
laborer of Europe. The difference is un-
doubtedly due chiefly to the wider and more
Intelligent use of improved agricultural i'm
plements in America. The same thing will
happen in the tropics.
1T is the purpose of the Department Of
Agriculture to stimulate the introduction
of our advanced methods in vogue at home,
into the new fields which have been opened
to US.
In the manufacture of cane sugar. con-
tinued MIR. Coville. probably the most i'm
portant advance of recent years is due to
American invention, and this will find
ready application in these islands which
the United States has acquired. The cane
is passed between heavy steel rollers, and
the sugary juice extracted. The crushed
refuse known as bagasse, is used as fuel
to run the mill.
This bagasse required drying in the sun
before 1t could be burned in the furnace,
and for this purpose force of men and
teams was needed to carry out and back the
crushed cane stalks. A system has now
been devised by which the bagasse is
taken directly from the rollers on a mov-
ing platform and dumped into a specially
constructed fire-box. which is Of large di-
mensions, furnished with an air blast, and
so arranged that the bagasse becomes
available for fuel at once, drying as it
burns.
by this system a large mill dispenses
with 200 men, their mules, wagons, and
tools. and substitutes this simple machin-
cry with two men to look after il. This
process is already in use in the large Gu
ban sugar plantations, and is an important
factor in the reduction of the cost of man
ufacture. This high grade of efficiency
will ultimately be extended to wherever
there are sugar plantations in our new
colonies.
Manufacturers and dealers in coffee ma
ehinery say that the American inventions
in their line are confined to such ma
chinery as is used in handling coffee after
1t reaches the country of consumption.
This is significant, as is also the re-
mark that from the condition In which cof-
fee Is received at our home ports,
there is evidently room for improvement in
the coffee cleaning machinery now used in
the country of production.
1T is interesting to know here that the
Hon. James Wilson. the present Secretary
OF Agriculture. has made the prediction
that before many years coffee will retail
In the United States at 10 cents pound.
Rice continued Mr.. Coville, sis grown