Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16
DIRECT FROM THE COW.

buying is universal among the poor of
Porto Rico They make their purchases
by the centavo, and if man has y cents
to spend for one thing, he will preferably
go to five dealers, Directing strenuously to
the amount received from each and get
ting all he can for his money.
All classes of Porto Rican men smoke.
They use both cigars and cigarettes. The
women of the better classes do not use to-
bacco in any form but those of the poems
smoke both cigars and cigarettes. So far
I have seen no snuffing, and do not know
that the custom exists.
Tobacco Farming for Americana.
should think some Of our tobacco men
might come here and make money. The
method of curing the tobacco in open sheds
is not good, and the establishment of to-
bacco barns heated by furnaces or coils OF
iron pipe such as are used in our southern
states, would produce a higher-priced ar
ticle. Tobacco lands can be bought for
from $50 to 500 per acre and labor is very
cheap.
There is, however, a great deal Of work
necessary to raising tobacco. The seeds
must be first planted in nurseries, just as
we plant cabbages and tomatoes. After
the plants have come up they must be set
out in the field where they are to grow.
The land must be made mellow and the
plants must be hoed and kept free from
are picked off from time to time as they
get ripe and hung up in the tobacco sheds
1t takes from a month to six weeks to cure
them for the markets, and the greatest
care must be taken that they do not mill
dew or spoil The carrying of the tobacco
from the fields to the drying sheds is done
upon poles, each pole resting on the Shout
ders of two men. When they arrive at the
shed the pole is hung up to the rafters and
the leaves remain there until cured.
Porto Rican Cattle.
Porto Rico is a great cattle-raising coun-
try. TIE grass Is green here all the year
round. There Is not q barn on the island,
and all kinds of stock feed themselves.
There are large grazing farms, some of
which contain hundreds of fine animals. I
have never seen better cattle than drove
which was brought here today to be ship
ped to Cuba. The animals were great,
heavy beeves of dun color. with limbs as
finely formed those of Jersey. but
with horns as long as those of Texas
steer. They were fat and clean looking,
and many of them would I venture, have
taken the premium at any Ohio or Penn
sylvania county fair.
The cattle here are the descendants OF
the Andalusian and African cattle which
were brought here centuries ago. They
look like aristocrats, but are as heavy as
Durhams. They have been inbreeding for
years. but they are remarkably free from
disease. Out OF 40 which were teSteu DIT
the government farms for tuberculosis, be-
fore inoculating them for vaccine matter,
only three had any signs OF disease. This
was less than l per cent Mr. r. P. Sted-
ham of the bureau of animal industry of
our Agricultural Department. who has been
here investigating the condition of the cat
tle speaks very highly Of them. He tells
me they are remarkably free from disease;
he thinks they might be very much I'M
proved by crossing them with the best
breeds of Europe and the United States.
At present a great many beeves are being
shipped from here to Cuba. They are
bringing high prices. and the cattlemen are
getting rich. ! know Of one Of our army
surgeons who has invested $4,000 in Porto
Rican cattle this year. He expects to dou-
BILE his money within twelve months.
Oxen Do the Work.
Cattle are the draught animals of Porto
Rico. All heavy hauling is done in OK
carts. From two to twelve oxen are yoked
to each cart. The Jokes are not fastened
about the necks as with US. They rest just
back Of the horns and are tied to the horns
by ropes or thongs. Sometimes a pad Is
put around the head over the eyes to pro-
tect the forehead. but more often not. In
moving the cart the animals pull 1t along
with their heads and horns. the weight of
the load being carried by the neck I am
told that Gen. Miles ordered lot Of Amer
lean Jokes during his stay in Porto Rico,
but that the Porto Ricans would not use
them because they said by doing so they
lost all the muscle Of the OK in front Of its
shoulders.
The Porto Rican method of yoking is ex-
tremely cruel When the animals are thus
fastened they must move together. There
is no swinging Of the heads to knock off
flies. If one OK lies down the yoke pulls
the head Of the other Sideways and in case
Of a scare the horns are sometimes torn
off.
The Porto Rican peon Is as cruel as the
Chinese. He has absolutely no regard for
the feeling of his animals. The oxen are
driven by goads from eight to twelve feet
spike about an inch long. with a point like
needle. As the driver moves his cart
along he pokes this spike into the TANKS or
sides Of his oxen. / have seen some. the
t0lRbS Of ur4af,f haA hoo M.