The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17

classes chews. One centavo's worth or
six-tenths of cents worth is the
amount Of tobacco bought at one time
If a peon wants Q cents worth he will
not buy all of one dealer. Cutting off
the tobacco is to some extent matter
of guess, and by going to two dealers
and insisting on large chunk from
each he gets more than If he bought
all Of one. This custom of buying is
universal among the poor. Of Porto Rico.
They make their purchases by the CEN
tavo, and If a man has cents to spend
for one thing, he will preferably go to
five dealers, sobjecting strenueusly to
the amount received from each and get
ting all he can for his money.
All classes of PortoA Rican men smoke
They use both cigars and cigarettes.
The women of the better classes do not
use tobacco In any form, but those Of
the poems smoke both cigars and cigar.
cites. So far I have seen no snuffing,
and do not know that the custom ex-
lists.
TOBACCO FARMING.
1 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 estab-
lishment of tobacco barns heated by
furnaces or coils of iron pipe, such as
are used in our Southern states, would
produce a higher-priced article. 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 toma-
toes After the plants have come up
they must be set out in the field where
they are TO grow. The land must be
Ill -
hoed and kept free from weeds until
they are grown. The leaves are picked
off from time to time as they get ripe
and hung up in the tobacco sheds. It
takes from a month to six weeks to
cure them for the markets, and the
greatest care must be taken that they
do not mildew or spoil. The carrying
of the tobacco from the fields to the
drying sheds is done upon poles, each
pole resting on the shoulders 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 great cattle-rafsing
country. The grass is green here all the
year round. There is not a barn on the
island, and all kinds of stock feed them
selves. There are large grazing farms,
some Of which contain hundreds of fine
animals. l have never seen better cattle
thana drove which was brought here today
to be shipped to Cuba. The animals were
great, heavy beeves of dun color, with
limbs as finely formed as those of
Jersey, but with horns as long as those
Of a Texas steer. They were fat and
clean looking, and many of them would,
1 venture, have taken the premium at
any Ohio or Pennsylvania 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 AGO which were tested at
the government farms for tuberculosis,
before inoculating them for vaccine mat
ter only three had any signs of disease.
This was less than l per cent. Mr.. r. =.
Stedham, Of the bureau of animal indus
try of agricultural department, who
has been here investigating the condition
of the cattle, speaks very highly of
them He tells me they are remarkably
free from disease; he thinks they might
be very much improved by crossing them
with the best breeds Of Europe and the
United States
AT present great many beeves are be-
ing shipped from here to Cuba They are
bringing high prices, and the cattemen
are getting rich. l know of enc of our
army surgeons who has invested $4,000
in Porto Rican cattle this year. He ex-
poets to double 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 yokes 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 pad is put around the head
over the eyes to protect the forehead but
more often not. In moving the cart the
animals pull it along with their heads
and horns, the weight of the load being
carried by the neck am told that Gen.
| Miles ordered a lot of American yokes
| during his stay in Porto Rico. but that