The evening times., 1900-01-01
PORTO RICAN PRODUCTS
Some Of the Agricultural CropS
Which Tlrive in The Island.
Coffee Largely Raised and Sold Most
Iy i'm Europe-Forace Plants NJ
The Guadure. "a Bean Growing on u
Bush = Cotton Fiourishes There

The Department of Agriculture has IN
course Of preparation an interesting trea-
tiso on The various crops that are raised
i'm Porto Rico. and which will be issued
shortly. r NJ Wilson is the author OF
the document. and after speaking OF the
new methods used in preparing conee Tor
he market. he says:
The variety grown generally As OF eA-
cellent flavor. As yet little Of it reaches
Inc American market, chiefly because OF
the export duty nov placed on it, ana De
cause il commands a much higher price
in the European than in the American mar
ket The better varieties ae sold by he
sack by commission in Porto Rico at l3 20
is cents a pound This is i higher price in
Porto Rico han is paid in New York by
coffee importers Tor The best grades of Bo-
gata. Caracas. and other fine Central Amer
lean varieties.
AS the coffee Of Porto Rico is not well
lpowu in the American market. importers
will not offer more tnan 10 TO u cents Tor
it, Much of it. however. reaches The United
States chiefly that of the poorer grades,
being shipped TO Europe in transit. After
it has remained some time in the bonded
warehouses il is Withdrawn under The
names OF Java and Mocha. The American
coffee buyer purchases largely on the ap-
! pearance OF the bean. and accepts that
/ which has dull and luslrous appearance.
. IN Europe however. coffee having bright
! gloss is preferred and for this reason Porto
Rican coffee is at present extensively
treated with a wash of gum arabic and
charcoal or some similar preparation,
which gives il this gloss. This process in
/ lures the sale of the article in the Amer
lean market Those who have used Porto
! Rican coffee however insist that its flavor
/ is equal to the best sold in the country.
and that when better known it Will com
mand higher price and will dispiace the
very best of The Central American prod
uct"
! Among other valuable agricultural prod
nets of the island Mr.. Wilson mentions the
j forage plants, and says in regard TO them:
! ''The most important variety is guinea
/ grass. a succulent plant having blade or
] leaf two TO three feet in height and fully
oup-half an inch in width 1T yields about
! three tons 10 the acre and grows quickly
and luxuriantly. Cattle and horses thrive
on il. and on a nutritious, lesuminous
plant called 'malahojilla, which is a
variety of the wild pea pine. On the south
: eru foothills the chief forage plant is a
) short, dry-lookDS grass, boA hhiihe tns
Southwestern bunch or buffalo grass The
leaf and stalk Of maize and the pods oi
various acacias. which are gathered green
are also used.
Maize Is grown extensively in the wide
parting valleys in the southwestern portion
of the island. In the game region, and IN
the beds of many of the streams which
flow into the west coast, lentils are Srowr
in large quantities. There are number
of varieties Of these. chiefly beans. includ
ing the green string bean and the Whit
and liver-colored bean. which when cooked
are the 'frijole' OF Spanish America ant