The hatchet. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1883-19??, 1900-05-27
PORTO RICO'S CONDITION.
What a Government Agent
Says About 1t,
CULTURE OF BANANAS
A Wide Range Of Tropical Products
Coffee Cuture-No Man Should Go
There Who Has No Capitalize
Climate and the People.

tuTe, has returned from Puerto Rico
and has made preliminary report to
the Secretary. Notwithstanding the
numerous books and magazine arti-
Cles which have been published, there
was still very little definite informa.
ton available concerning the agricul.
tural conditions and economic plants
Of that island.
At present very little in the way OF
plant products Is exported from Puer-
to Rico out side of coffee, sugar and
tobacco, All other crops are desig.
mated minors" and these being con
sidered unworthy Of the serious at
tention OF the planters, their cultiya-
ton is generally left to he desultory
efforts of the poorest and most ignor.
ant Of the population. As a result
there has been little attempt at the
Improvement of varieties either by Sc.
lection or by the introduction Of su.
periOr seed Much of the fruit and
Puerto RiCan cities Is of very inferior
quality and quite unsuitable for eX.
port The Department will assist the
more enterprising farmers both
Americans and Puerto RiCans, in eX.
periments, which many Of them have
already undertaken, in order to find
out what new crops suitable for our
markets can be grown there.
As already pointed out in Secretary
Wilson's annual report, we are paying
over $200O000O0 for tropical plant
products part of which could be
furnished by Puerto Rico. Instead
however, Of entering upon too many
suggestions at once, it is desirable to
settle uUon few of the more promis-
ing crops and encourage the produc.
ton of these articles on a scale sufi.
Cient to give them a recognized place
I'm commerce. For bananas, for in
stance, we paid in 1898 over $1,000
600, mostly in Jamaica and Central
America. In Puerto Rico the banana
has scarcely been considered as a
source Of income or an article Of eX-
port It has been planted principally
for shade in the coffee plantations,
and as one variety was as good as
another for this purpose, most of the
bananas are unstable. The variety
almost exclusively imported into the
United States Is not generally cult
waited. As the conditions for com
mercial banana growing are very fav-
Orable. It may be expected that at
tempts I'm this direction will soon be
made. Il is necessary, however, that
at least five hundred acres be put
under thorough cultivation, for the
product of less land can hardly be
marketed to advantage, Unless
company with ample capital will UNI
dertake the experiment, 1t can be
,F,1yr thrnttpln a. nj aHeAVf
by the landowners of some favorable
locality.
In the meantime It is Of great i'm.
portance that the existing industries
of Puerto Rico be improved Sugar
lands are receiving attention from
American capitalists, and large factor.
les with the most modern facilities
are being built. Coffee has, however,
been the chief product of the island,
and is, perhaps, that in which the
greatest expansion is possible. over
$13.O00,O00 worth Of coffee has been
exported in a single season from
Puerto Rico, in spite Of the fact that
methods of cultivation are of the most
primitive character, Instead of seed.
lings grown i'm nurseries, those which
sprung up by chance in the heavily
shaded plantations are used. These
are already weak and spindling in
order to keep them alive heavy shade
IS necessary, and this is continued
throughout the life of the plant. This,
together with the overcTowding and
lack of proper care, brings the aver
age crop down to one-third or less of
what might be obtained through bet
ter methods of cultivation, There is
also a large amount of land suitable
for coffee culture, but not now plant
ed so it is not unreasonable TO be.
lieve that if this industry were proper
~ developed Puerto Rico might sup.
ply at least half of the enormous
quantity consumed by the United
States, our imports in 1898 being
valued at over $65 900 600.
There are, however, few Americans
interested in coffee growing, and the
capitalists, who have canyassed Puer
70 Rico for profitable investments
have been giving little attention to
the possibilities of coffee doubtless
because of the depressed condition of
the market, the result of overproduc.
ton of inferior grades in Brazil and
elsewhere. The superior quality of
the Puerto Rican article has, however,
long been recognized in the European
market, and there is every probability
that an increasingly large amount
will be required in the United States.
For men without capital or expert.
ence in the industries of tropical
countries, there are no openings in
Puerto Rico, but with the improve
ment of means of transportation there
will be much to encourage the settle.
ment of farmers of sufficient enter.
prise and intelligence to carry on di.
verslGed farming and profit by the
advantageous local conditions.
But from information gained from
the most reliable sources, we must
take exception to some Of Mr.. Cooks
statements. He says the soil and eli
mate is exceedingly diverse. This is
hardly so, The soil is simply divided
into upland and lowland, and is less
diversified than that of any New Eng
land state. The climate is hot, and not
one that the average citizen OF the
United States can Withstand for a
long period.
Mr.. Cook also says the island is not
thiclily populated, and here, perhaps,
he may give a wrong impression. It
Is about as thickly populated as the
State of Connecticut, which most
Americans would consider a fairly