The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-01-30

may be regarded as second in import
ance to coffee growing. The scarcit.
of fuel is one of the stumbling block
in the path of the sugar-maker, as I'M
island has been almost entirely denud
ed of wood and no mineral fuel ha'
as yet been discovered there, but possl
bly this problem will be solved IN INT
future by the use of electric power
The evolution of the sugar 1ndustr }
may be studied on the island of Puerto
Rico effectively from the old wooden
crusher, driven by slow-paclng oxen
which may be seen in operation IL
some of the out-of-the-way places
through the little mills which dot the
valleys of the sugar districts, turn Ing
out the lowest grades of muscovado
sugar, up to the great central factories,
which are graduallye replacing tne
smaller plants. Mr.. Dlnwlddle
estimates that the sugar raiser Will
probably lose 81 an acre the first year
and net $40 an acre the succeeding
four years, but thinks it doubtful j
his profits year after year would con
tinue to reach this estimate. However
if this is possible on lands which have
never been fertilized nor irrigated, Il
the cane. needs to be planted only every
four years, instead of annually as IN
the United States, and if it brings an
verage per acre double the crop of the
United States, there must be remun'
erative future for this industry in
in Puerto Rico for just such men as
have struggled for hundred years
in Louisina to raise sugar cane IN
artificial environment.
TOBACCO RAISING IN PUERTO RICO.
Tobacco raising ranks third in the
industries of Puerto Rico, but, while
the weed is grown well and easily on
this island, the industry itself has not
been q progressive one, owing to
many causes. The United States smoke
its Puerto Rican tobacco through
Havana. It is more expensive, but
the label increases the flavor some 81
per cent. AS good tobacco can be
produced in Puerto Rico as in Cuba,
and until the growing shall be
done on large scale and
careful methods of cultivation, hand
ling curing and manufacturing shall
prevail the quantity will be low and
SO will the price. Here is an opening
for the progressive and energetic
American citizen to rovolutionize this
industry. The island tobacco dealers
estimate the annual crop at from
eight to twelve million pounds, but, as
the use of tobacco on the island is
universal, the quantity exported is
not very large. There are, however,
no published statistics by which one
may arrive at any very exact c0nclus,
ion. Very little of the tobacco which
is exported is Manufactured, most of it
being made up into cigars and cigar
etts in Havana and in Spain, which
have so far been the principal purchas'
ers of Puerto Rican tobacco. There
is very limited output of very fine
cigars, selling as high as SIP hundred
at the mandatory. These. are made
with the utmost care, from the rare,
fine leaf and wrapped singly in tin foil.
1t is doubtful whether any Havana
grown cigars can greatly exceed this
particular brand, which at least serves
to show what may be done with careful
and intelligent methods of culture and
handling. There is apparently q
bright future in Puerto Rico for
tobacco raising and manufacture
pursued in the right way.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruit growing, though as yet
undeveloped, offers one of the most
promising fields for the investor.
There seems no period of the year
when Puerto Rico is not an immense
flower garden, for most of the wild
plants blossom and 60 through the
stage Oh fruitage several times year,
and the cultivated fruits, vegetables
and flowers are planted in successive
intervals of time, so that matured
products may be had the whole year
through, Fine, sweet oranges grow
untended in the densest thickets,
almost every known tropical and semi
tropical fruit can be grown to its high
est perfection in Puerto Rico, and
many of the growths OF temperate
climates find the soil congenial.
There are no less than eight varieties
of banana, which are indigenous and
grow wild; plantains grow in abund-
ance, LINES reach size and perfec-
ton seldom seem elsewhere, Puerto
Rican pineapples are famous for their
delicious flavor and wonderful
bouquet, even Cuba admitting that
the pineapple par excellence is grown
on the sister island. Cocoanuts grow
everywhere along the sandy coast lines
apd upon old coral rocks, pomegranates
and figs come to perfect maturity, and
there are hundreds of less known
fruits, like the bread-fruit, bread-nut,
aguacate, or alligator pear, nispero,
Indian plum, guava, tamarind, paw
paw, granadilla and others, which
only need improved facilities for rapid
transportation to become important
articles of export to the United States.
DIRECT LINES OF FRUITERS.
What is sorely needed, in Mr..
Dinwiddie's opinion, is direct lines OF
fruiters running from the island ports
to the great marks of our Atlantic
seaboard. 1t seems amazing that,
with all this wealth of fruit of natures
raising, the fruit trade between Puerto
Rico aud the United States should
have attained but insignificant pro-
portions. A companion industry,
which awaits only improved facilities
for rapid transportation to become one
of the most important industries of the
island, is the raising of vegetables
Ali tubers-sweet and Irish potatoes
tannia cassava and others less known
'-bUsides such vegetables as celery
carrots, turnips, eggplants, beets
radishes, okra, beans Of many varieties
peas, tomatoes, cabbage, ginger, sweet
and pugent peppers, pumpkins, cante
| loupes. watermelons and suuashes