The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-04-30
THE ISLAND OF PORTO RICO.
The Fertility of it's Soil and the
Variety of it's Resources.


Q and Spanish, and is devoted to the in
terests of commerce and agriculture
c The following extracts fromi column
. are valuable and interesting:
1 The Island of Porto Rico has bee
correctly termed the richest island O
the West Indies.
70 the marvellous fertility of its sol
is added unfold riches in minerals
which, if scientifically mined an,
handled with imp, we'd processes will
greatly add to its most enviable reputa
ton as wealth producer.
Among the many kinds of mlneral
to be found in Porto Rico, mos
important, both as to qu 'ty ant
quantity, are gold, copper, iron apt
silver. The existence of these minerals
has been established beyond doubt by
official data, and the vestiges of the
work done centuries ago by the Span
iards. Lead, peroxide of manganese
ignite, quicksilver, sulphuret of lead
bismuth, jet and sulphur are also found
in quantities on the island.
The first Spanlards to arrive on the
shores of Borinquen. appreciating the
properties of the King of Metals, un-
dertook the task of Kidding the island
of its gold and, with this end in view,
they set about washing the sands of
the rivers and streams and sinking
shafts IN the hills. Notwithstanding
their primitive and most imperfect
methods of mining, the results were
quite satisfactory and, according to
authentic documents the production of
gold from 1909 to 1886 was 3 3,495 800
dollars.
1t must be borne in mind that these
results were attained by the first set
tiers of the island who knew almost
nothing of the land and were hamper
ed in their labors by ignorance of
mining and deficient methods. In
view of these facts the question
arises-wl,at are the II ults to be
obtained by modern mac. inery and
scientific mining?
The island is traversed by range of
mountains running from east to west
which extends through the Windward
Islands on the east and to the Desecheo
Islet OH the west. The most noted
ridge of this range is called Luquillo,
about $500 feet above the level of the
sea and down whose sides flow series
of rivers and creeks, the most impor-
tant of which are Mameyes, Rio
Prieto, Sabana, Fajardo, Gurabo,
Espirtu Santo, Rio Grande, Filipina,
La Maquina, Tabonuco, Cajones, Qua
1agua and Anon. In the beds of all
| HILforegolng rivers gold is found, as
'uI4s ent,,vo pounds of this metal hav
m ID from the Anon in one
n.y.; The most abundant stones in
y Mameyes river bed are feld-spar
APR porphiry, striped with veins of
p.\z and iron pyrltes, the alluvium
Me, occupying the low and midway
Y TN If these river-beds.
H1ne \ECRrr OF THE SEASONS.
u r,er question "when to plant " is a
ot TO the Porto Rico agriculturist.
ifMns to make no great difference
n b a crop is planted, the result is
NEIs the same--a good harvest.
N6|syears ago, one of the islands
~ | Enthusiastic agriculturists, in en-
dfng to force nature to divulgo
heson secret, planted a patch of
COACH month cOnsecutively for u
yeath the result that sixteen months
Iroihe time of the first planting he
Wasewarded with his twelfth good
g,Urop There was slight difference in
the light of the December crop from
q ,the cher eleven and it was few days
ytohsG in ripening, lut, aside from
Ihese two differences, thore was moth
ing to show that Nature favored one
crop moro than another.
another prominent grower, in ex-
perimenting with pineapples, produced
an abundance of this fruit in March,
fully three months before its "season."
These two citations of the many like
experiments that have been made on
the island make it easy to understand
how it is possible for the people in the
United States TO have fresh fruit and
vegetables 365 days in the year.
TIE CULTURE OF COTTON.
During the Civil War and as late as
1869, cotton of very fine quality was
raised on the Island of Porto Rico. At
this time, when the planters of the
United States had once more given
their undivided attention to the raising
of cotton, Porto Rico cotton-men trans
formed their cotton fields into cane
fields and cotton raising in Porto Rico
has since been woefully neglected.
That this industry could be made a
money maker can be seen from few
figures obtained from statistics of va
riOus kinds and from the books of an
old-time cotton raiser.
There are approximately 100000
acres of idle land on the island of
Porto Rico upon which cotton could be
raised. This land will produce 750
to 1000 pounds of cotton per acre.
The land can be purchased for $15 to
$40 per acre. IL will cost no more
th,n $5 to plant an acre and the best
labor is procurable at 40 cents o day.
Cotton machinery is comparatively
inexpensive and silk cotton, the kind
which seems to do best in Porto Rico,
Gn quality about the same as upland)
is worth 8 cents (. o. b. San Juan.
From the above it should not be diff.
licult to see good thing in cotton rails.
ing in Porto Rico.
CATTLE AND HORSES.
There is no spot on the globe whert
they raise better milk COWS and beei
cattle than 10 Porto Rico.
1t may not be generally known tha
Lord Durham, took with him to Europe
in the 18th century q number of Portt
Rico COWS and bred them TO Holsteir
stock, thus producing the fomous Shor
Horn Durham, but such is, neverthe
IIooo tho co.a II