The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-01-01
PORTO RICAN PRODUCTS
Some of the Agricultural CrOpS
Which Thrive in The Island.
Coffee Largely RAISED and Sold NOst-
~ in EuroPc-For"Ee Plants NJ
merous and Of Excellent Quality.
The GuHdurc. "a Bean Grow ing On u
Bush - Cotton EI0urisheS There.

The Department OF Agriculture has in
course Of preparation an interesting Urea
tisc on the various crops that are raised
in Porto Rico. and which viii be issued
shortly r. NJ. Wilson is the author OF
the document. and after speaking Of the
new methods used in preparing conee Tor
the market. he says.
The variety grown generally is OF cN-
Celleut flavor. As yet little OF IL reaches
the American market. chiefly because OF
the export duty nov placed on 10. and be-
cause il commands a much higher price
in the European Than in The American mar
ket. The better varieties ae sold by the
sack 10y commission in Porto Rico at - 20
IS cents a pound This Is 4 higher price in
Porto Rico han is paid in New York by
coffee importers FOR The best grades of Bo-
gaia. Caracas. and other fue Central Amer
lean varieties
AS the coffee Of Porto Rico is not wei
known in the American market. importers
will not offer more tnan 10 TO y cents for
IT, Much Of it, boWeve reaches the United
SJates chiefly that Of the poorer grades
being shipped TO Europe in transit After
it has remained some time in the bonded
warehouses it is Withdrawn under the
names OF Java and Mocha. The American
coffee buyer purchases largely on the ap-
pearancc OF the bean and accepts that
which has a dull and luslrous appearance
IN Europe. however coffee having a bright
gloss is preferred. and for this reason Porto
Rican coffee is az present extensively
treated with a wash of gum arabic and
charcoal. or some similar preparation.
which gives it this gloss. This process in
jures the sale of the article In the Amer
lean market. Those who have used Porto
Rican coffee, however. insist that its favor
Is equal TO the best sold in the country.
and that when better known it will com
mand q higher price and will displace the
very best Of the Central American prod
uct"
Among other valuable agricultural prod
ucts of the island Mr.. Wilson mentions the
forage plants, and says in regard to them:
The most important variety is guinea
grass, a succulent plant having a blade or
leaf two TO three feet in height and fully
One-half an inch IN width. il yields about
three tons 10 the acre and grows quickly
and luXuriantly. Cattle and horses thrive
on IT, and on a nutritious, leguminous
plant called malahojilla,' which is a
variety of the wild pea pine On the south
ern foothills the chief forage plant is a
short. dry-lOOlIing grass. not unlike the
Southwestern bunch or buffalo grass. The
leaf and stalk Of maize and the pods Of
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 same region, and In
/ the beds of many Of the streams which
] flow into the west coast, lentils are grown
/ in large quantities. There are A number
Of varieties Of these. chiefly beans. includ-
/ ing the green string bean and the white
! and liver-eolored bean, which when cooked
are the friiole' OF spanish America and