New-York tribune., 1900-07-08
A FERTILE LAND.
LAzINESS THE BESETTTNG SIN IN SAN
DOMINGO-OPPORTUN FOR
INVESTMENT.

greatly improved since the revolution, but pres
ent there is temporary lull somewhat trying TO
those having commercial interests at stake. This
is mainly due to the reaction following the BOOM
There is absence of money. and few new enter
prIses are being undertaken. II is hoped by the
Administration that foreign capital will be at
tracted to the republic. and 1t Is probable many
concessions will be made TO bring that about
Many fine fortunes have been made in San Do
mingo The late J. B. Vicini left an estate valued
so 900 OO0 consisting Of sugar estates ships and
loans TO the Government The loan. amounting to
something over 81 900 Oo0 is not worth at present
over 20 cents the dollar but there
estates, each worth close to 100000. Vicini
italian by birth, who came 10 San Domingo
few years ago without cent and earned his lv
ing at first taking Of horses. This large
fortune he made by intelligent industry and
shrewdness in investment He devoted himself
largely to the cultivation OF sugar though he found
other products profitable.
The Island Of San Domingo will produce almost
anything that grows in the United States besides
the usual tropical plants with and three crops
a year. II there is any difficulty with the soil it
is that 1t Is too rich and fertile. The temperature
IS so even and the rainfall regular that there
are practically seasons. yet there is what is
called wet and a dry season. and the rain
fall varies at different parts Of the island In
some Of the mountain regions, for instance there
IS light rainfall daily. At Samana Bay at the
mouth Of the Juna River. there is a light rainfall
every afternoon about o'clock the year round
This river flows through the La Vega Valley. one
of the most fertile on the island
Notwithstanding these conditions the absence Of
capital for investment in smaller industries is the
cause of much Of this fertile land remaining un-
cultivated Strange to say large percentage Of the
food used by the better classes is imported. Rice
which is a staple article of food is one OF the
easiest crops 10 raise along the river bottoms yet
the rice of commerce comes from the United
States. The mountain ranges furnish great num-
bers of rivulets with water in abundance at all
times of the year and sufficient fall for inundating
the lower lands The Ozama River. for instance.
which empties into the ocean ar San Domingo
City. flows from the mountains. twenty miles in the
interior. 1t is fed by numerous streams with
waterfalls and cataracts. On either side broad
expanses Of fertile soil almost uncuItivated The
river is navigable for small steam vessels bark
Of 400 tons. loaded with machinery for a sugar
estate in the interior able to make trip elev-
en- miles up this river. showing that crops raised
on these bottoms could be easily got 10 market
Fruits and vegetables sufficient for the domestic
trade. and probably a surplus Tor export to the
United States. could he raised with very little trou-
Die This soil will produce three crops of corn a
year yet the also is imported What little
is grown Is cut up for fodder before It ma
lures Cornmeal is practically unknown The -four
also comes from the United States though there
are other products almost as nutritious much Of
which is used. There is -four made from the
cassava, which is eaten by the natives. The -four
itself is said to be poisonous unbaked. It is
into large, fat. round cakes much resembling a
barrel head which very hard There is also
similar -four made from the yucca which is a root
somewhat resembling the potato. It is scraped
fine and the starch is extracted from It, Bread IS
made from the residue.
THE NEED OF INDUSTRY.
There is no apparent reason why starch should
be imported On the other hand the manufacture
Of it for export ought to be very profitable Many
OF the tropical plants have roots rich IN starch
The Gualliga Is plant that grows wild and In
great abundance. the root OF which Is al
most pure starch. 1t is gathered wit little dit-
fculty, and the manufacture OF the starch ttsAIs
by the natives IS a very simple process A niece
OF cloth is stretched over four sticks stuck up
right In the ground The root is crushed by hand
over the cloth. water being poured constantly
The portion passing through the cloth IS white
starch TO all appearances pure as the starch
or commerce. The water is poured off and the
solid mass broken into small pieces and allowed
to harden There is no great amount of labor re-
quired to gather raise this product and the
manufacture of starch by machinery from II
ought to be profitable The potatoes grown in
san Domingo are also very rich in starch and the
crop is grown with little difficulty 1t Is possible
to obtain new potatoes almost any month in the
year The potatoes do not seem TO be very hardy
and probably would not stand shipment but they
are very excellent. Nearly all that are used are
imported from New-York The peas and beans
grow in plenty and excellent but large ouan-
titles are imported. Very little attention is given
TO staple articles of this sort the native fruits fr
nshing food for the poorer classes and the
weather. people devoting themselves to more i'm
portant industries
The indigo, like the starch comes from America
The plant from which this bIuinR is extracted
grows wild. but the natives find 1t too much
trouble to prepare the article for the market
When the native wants bluing and has no money
or credit he manufactures a little for his own
use The leaves are placed In warm water and
gently rubbed until a sufficient is ex-
tracted. The indigo industry is said 10 have hoo,
decay by reason OF the difficulty in getting native
States took it's place All the Manila roDe ISed
In the United States could be produced on a few
lhousand acres OF San Domingo soil. but not a
Manila by the way OF New York. In reply TO the
% %auestlon M why Is this So II is said that the
and more economical. and that it is not possfbIa
TO compete with their product It is rather sngI-
pete with the Philippines, several thousand miles
further away from New-York. So far as the
to discover any material difference in the man
ufacture OF this product The experiment certainly
would seem TO be worth the effort
AMERICANS SEEKING INVESTMENT
There many evidences to show that surplus
American capital is seeking investment in the
the business situation would be far better in San
Domingo but for the question of labor. Columbus
was very great genius. and more progressive
relatively because he was far In advance Of a
nation practically at a standstin. The Spanish
yoke impressed on San Domingo more the hatred
for tyranny than love Of labor. The experiments
winch nave been made in the tropics in import
ing labor have been failures. Vice or cIimatic in
huences or race prejudices interfered with the re
suit that the natives neither learned to labor from
the Spanish nor permitted imported labor to take
their place San Domingo was the original Pearl OF
the Antilles. but never attained the agricultural
growth that II should have attained and Cuba