The evening times., 1899-02-07
THE CROPS IN PORTO RICO.
Promising Conditions of the Islands
Agricultural Inferests

The climate and crop service of the
Weather Bureau has just issued its third
weekly bulletin of the Porto Rico section
headquarters at San Juan. The report is
for the week ending January lG last, and
follows:
During rhe week the rainfall has been
slightly above the normal At San Juan
it was 20 per cent above t0.S4 inch nor
NAL eco AT Humacao the rainfall was
0.92, at Vieques l33, at Fajardo lS5 inches.
For the past December at San Juan the
temperature was 76 degrees, or degrees
below the normal (79 degrees) of many
years. The rainfall was 5.34 or 90 per
cent above the normal t4.30) of twenty
eight years. At Hacienda Perla near Fa-
Jardo the temperature for December was
- degrees, or l degree above the average
and the rainfall was 927 inches. or II per
! cent below the average of three years
tlo.6S inchesD. With increasing rainfall
the temperature usually falls.
On January ! at Nieques at ) p. IN there
were two earthquakes In succession and of
short duration.
The condition oi the crops is unusually
favorable. Tobacco has very excellent
weather for its growth. The coffee crop
Is closing with good and abundant ber-
ries and The cane harvest is Just begin
ming with good promise except where the
rainfall is too heavy, which retards the
milling and makes the sap more thin. In
the southeast the rains are unusually fa-
Norable. The minor crops are all doing
we'll
"Nieques-Ag I'm Vieques is
chlefiy devoted to the cane. There are four
milling centres, of which three are active.
One Is steam power establishment for
making muscovadO sugar: the other Two
oy oxen. The total available cane for the
present crop has an acreage of . 500 to q
GOO, and the promise is of satisfactory
average crop; the yield can not be deter
mined yet. Two centres have begun mill
ing. The density of the syrup varies from
to 3 IL degrees
'Guayama-The cane is quite good this
year, and ii is a pity that the fires and
arsons due TO the hatred of the Spanish
came to interrupt its good progress While
the plantations have suffered from the
scarcity of rain from November, III. to
January, 1885 they have had since that
time regular and abundant rainfall Under
this stimulus the plant has started afresh
and grown well, giving an abundant Juice
of degrees. which if there is normal rain
in these days Will rise to 10 or II degrees
by the middle of February. If this district.
by the nature of its fertile soil the richest
OF the island, could become possessed of an
irrigation canal, two or three central sugar
works and a farmers bank which would
furnish money equitably, the district would
be freed from stringent money relations
and become an emporium of wealth
"Patillas-The new year begins under
favorable auspices. The meteorological phe-
nomena in general have favored the veg
citation. Since the new suZeran has in
itiated movement of scientific and eco
nomic character TO which this country has
not been accustomed commissions have ar
rived TO study the flora the geology. and
mineralogy of the island the condition of
its fisheries in order to benefit them. and
the agricultural credit is an object of in
terest 10 houses OF the states which offer
money on sufficient guarantee. The list of
Improvements is still longer, and in it will
be found this climate and crop seryiec.
All this augurs well for good future, and
indicates that We all soon pass out of
the agricultural marasmus in which we
live by adopting approved processes leading
TO greater progress Of our agriculture