The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1899-02-09
Some Of the Industrial Possibilities of
Puerto Rico.

Dairy farming is another opening
which has a future, Notwithstanding
the attendant drawbacks of hot eli
mate no cold springs for cooling the
milk, and ice at premium. If enter
ed into on sufficiently large scale to
warrant the installation of an EGGPLANT
the returns would leave large margin
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 be-
cause, as one Of the army officers put
it, 'sThls damn Puerto Rican milk is
so poor that never a particle of cream
can rise," but because it is never suf-
fciently cool for cream to rise. Canned
butter sells for from 60 cents to ST. a
pound; in two, three, and five pound
tins. This article, which delicate
people should never have analyzed
was imported IN 1895 to the extent of
365,ooo pounds.
Cheese, another OF the by-products
OF the milk-farm, is annually imported
to the amount of million and quar-
ter pounds. Also, there is made on
the island good, palatable, hand press
ed cheese, too white, too dry, and too
tasteless for the average foreigner, but
largely consumed by the natives.
Diaries established with proper re.
frlgerating 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 a ready market at prices--for the
present, at least-much higher than
those Of America.
Poultry-cuture as it exists to-day,
seems to consist mainly of breeding
game fighting cocks. Miserable little
chickens OF pound and a half bring
50 cents each. Eggs are to be had in
limited quantities at sliding scale
prices, ranging from 80 cents to SO
cents a dozen, determined largely by
the age of the hen-fruit, which becomes
painfully over-ripe 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 condi-
ton. Wool-growing would not be
success, unless hair cloth became fash
ionable, as the imported lamb soon
turns into a goat, judging by his bristl-
ing coat.
Pork, to the amount of 100000
pounds, is annuallyimported by Puerto
Rico, and is almost wholly purchased
from the United States. The raising
Of hogs in large numbers would, how
ever, be a doubtful experiment. owing
to the high price of corn, though there
is much mast in the mountain regions,
upon which they are SAID to grow tat.
The Indigenous animal is an extremely
Door specimen of the razor back species
Corn Is scarce and high-prced, and
cannot be raised with much success on
the northern half of the island, on ac-
count of the quantity of rain. The
lands OF the drier southern portion of
the island are capable of producing
very excellent corn, though during ex-
ceptionally wet seasons it is apt to
mature badly and be injured by cank-
| er 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 10000
bushels, and falls in other years to one
fourth this amount. This year (I89S)
the island crop is very promising, and
| in the Yauco and Mayaguez districts
several 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 50 cents to 95 cents a bushel, it
| is not at all probable that in the future,
with open markets, island corn can
compete with the American product.
The benefits, therefore, will accrue to
American exports of maize.-Harper's
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