The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1900-04-14
PUERTO RlCO'S RESOURCES.
The Extensive Cultivation Of Coffee
and Tropical Fruits Seems to be
the islands Best Outlook.

=
United States survey for the Agri-
cultural Department, has recently
been at work in Puerto Rico. His
report states that the island is nine
ty-fve miles long, thirty-five wide,
and has an area Of 1868 square
miles, which exceeds that of Della
ware, Rhode Island and the Dis
trict Of Columbia combined, 1T 10
not only one Of the most productive
but most densely settled of any Of
the West India group. II has a
coast line of goo miles, The last
census reports shows 43s sugar es-
tates, 36I large coffee estates and
4I84 small coffee farms. 1t has al
so numerous tobacco estates, and
$4,000 small farms devoted to small
fruits and miscellaneous cultivation,
Including the cattle farms there are
26,6So farms in Puerto Rico-or
IN farms to the square mile.
Among the fruits growing luxur.
iously are oranges, mangoes, aqua
Gates, breadfruit, mameys, olives
the sage palm, coffee palm, cocoa
palm, tamarind, pawpaw, and
variety of other food trees. Banan-
as are grown Oil almost every farm
and in every garden. There are
several varieties Of these FRUITS
which are eaten raw, or are cooked
in a variety Of ways. Vines, fig
trees and pornegranates bear fruit
the year around,
The coffee industry is far more
profitable than the sugar industry,
yet if American capital with modern
machinery should go in there, and
the sugar from that island be adj
United into our ports with only
nominal duties, the 433 sugar es-
tates might become rivals that
would greatly retard, if not ruin
the sugar industry in this country.
Secretary Wilson, in his annual
report for 1899, suggests the fol-
lowing: "Our imports of tropical
plant products are about $780, oo-
900. Nearly all these could be pro.
duced in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and
the Philippines, if the best use
were made of the agricultural pos
sibilities Of those islands in connec-
ton with American industry, inge-
nuity and financial resources. Our
tropical plant imports are four times
as great as the total exports Of Ha-
wall, Puerto Rico and the Philip
pines. For COTE and sugar we pay |
an amount exceeding by more than
$50, 600, 900, the agricultural and
all other exports of those islands. |
Omitting sugar and tobacco, Our
tropical plant imports still greatly
exceed the total agricultural exports
of these dependencies. Our i'm
ports of oranges, lemons and cocoa
nuts have about the same value as
the sugar and tobacco exports of
Puerto Rico, and could readily be
produced on that island.
There are several staple agri-
cultural imports Of the United States
other than oranges, lemons and co.
coanuts, to which attention should
especially be called as worthy of
consideration for introduction into
Puerto Rico; such as vanilla, our
imports Of which vary in value
from S27e.7s5 to $r,o1s,6os per
year. The Improvement and ex-
tension of coffee culture in Puerto
Rico are we'll worth careful investi.
CATION and encouragement, since
Our total coffee imports in 1898
amounted to SOS, o67,631. There
Is every reason to believe that a ,
portion of our banana imports,
which during 1899 reached a value .
OF 5,665, $50, may to good advan-
tage be grown in Puerto Rico" l
By removing the tariff from cof-
Tee and all tropical fruits and re-
tanning the duty on sugar, both 8
Puerto Rico and the United States 9
would in few years be the better b
Tor it. By this means we should be !
to make our own sugar, at