Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1899-03-09
WAYS TO MAKE MONEY.
Some of the Industrial Possibilities
IF

of Puerto Rico.
Dairy farming is another opening
which has a future, Notwithstanding
the attendant drawbacks of a hot eli
mate, no cold springs for cooling the
milk, and ice at a premium. If entered
into on sufficiently large scale to war
rant the installation of an EGGPLANT,
the returns would leave a large mar
gin of profit. AS things are to-day, the
cattle are MIXED but once in twenty
four hours, before daylight each morn
ing. The warm milk must reach the
consumer in very few hours, or be
lost by souring. The selling price
ranges from eight to twelve cents
quart Cream is unknown; not because,
as one of the army officers put it, This
damn Puerto Rican milk is so poor that
never particle of cream can rise," but
because it is never sufficiently cool for
cream to rise. Canned butter sells for
from 60 cents to 81 a pound, in two,
three and five pound tins. This article,
which delicate people should never
have analysed, was imported in 1895
to the extent of 5000 pounds.
Cheese, another Of the by-products of
the milk-farm, is annually imported to
the amount of million and q quarter
pounds. Also, there is made on the isl
and good, palatable, hand-pressed
cheese, too white, too dry, ara too
tasteless for the average foreigner, but
largely consumed by the natives.
Diaries established with proper re-
frigerating facilities, near any Of the
larger towns, will be more than able
to compete with the methods in vogue.
Cream, fresh butter and cheese would
find ready market at prices-for the
present, at least-much higher than
those of America.
Poultry culture, as it exists to-day,
seems to consist mainly of breeding
game fighting cocks. Miserable little
chickens of pound and half bring
80 cents each. Eggs are to be had in
limited quantities at sliding-scale
prices, ranging from 80 to so cents
dozen, determined largely by the age
of the hen-fru.,, which becomes pain
fully overripe in forty-eight hours
Fresh mutton is always in demand in
the market, and it is an easy matter to
keep sheep fat and in good condition.
Wool growing would not be success,
unless hair cloth becomes fashionable,
as the imported lamb soon turns into
goat, judging by his bristling coat.
Pork, to the amount of nearly 10000
900 pounds, is annually imported by
Puerto Rico, and is almost wholly pur-
chased from the United States. The
raising of hogs in large numbers
would, however, be doubtful expert
ment, owing to the high price of corn,
though there is much mast in the noun
tain regions, upon which they are said
to grow fat. The indigenous animal is
an extremely poor specimen of the
razor-back species.
Corn is scarce and high-priced, and
cannot be raised with much success on
the northern half of the island, on &C
count of the quantity Of rain. The
lands of the drier southern portions Of
the island are capable of producing
very excellent corn, though during eX-
ceptionally wet seasons it is apt to ma
ture badly and be injured by canker
and must. The failure Of corn crops
in certain years is made apparent by
the variable importation Of this grain,
which sometimes rises as high as TO-
900 bushels, and falls in other years to
one-fourth this amount. Last year the
island crop was very promising, and in
the Yauco and Mayaguez districts sew
eral thousand acres of this cereal wave
ten feet high, usually bearing two
large ears to the stalk. While the local
price of corn is high, ranging from 80
cents to 95 cents bushel, it is not at
all probable that In the future, with
open markets, island corn can compete
with the American product. The bene-
fits, therefore, will accrue to American
exporters of maize.-Harper's Weekly.
Chicago Great WeRtern Increase.