Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-07-16

The only crop that at present seems
certain to yield a profit is sugar.
Mexico has all the advantages and few
of the disadvantages of the other
sugar producing countries The cane
natures eighteen months after plant
ing and needs to be replanted only
once in twelve to fifteen years, while
in ether places it must be renewed in
from three to five years. The best
lands in Cuba will yield fifty tons of
cane per acre. In Louisiana twenty,
five tons is the maximum. In Mexico,
on the best lands, sixty to eighty tons
can be raised, while some claim that
it is possible to produce one hundred
tons per acre.
Mr. Jameson of the American En-
cheering company of Mexico has
made a report that seems TO be con-
sentative, especially when compared
with the estimates of the profits of
sugar planting made by others. He
places the annual net profit per acre
at $376,85 Mexican, or Sl67.49 gold,
which at the present price of land is
very large return.
Many plantation promoters claim
that coffee will yield large returns,
but at the present low prices this
seems to be the poorest crop to raise.
There was such an overproduction in
Brazil last year that the government
is seriously considering the destruc-
tion of twenty per cent. of the product.
A Chicago investor spent over $4,000
on his Mexican plantation in an at
tempt to raise coffee. He has now
given it up entirely and is planting
sugar.
The great hope of tropical Mexico
cultivation promise are most alluring.
Rubber grows wild in every tropical
country. South America produces
the best quality and by far the largest
amount. The next best probably
comes from India, the Malay
peninsula, and the islands adjacent,
although Mexico and Central America
are close competitors. Many thou
sands of acres are being set out to
rubber trees in Mexico The trans
planting is comparatively easy and
the trees grow well, but clearing the
land is expensive.
The best rubber is called Para, from
its port of shipment, and is obtained
in the Amazon region where the rain
fan is about seven feet, The most
vo Inohln ic rDportod &c orouyinor ,,pdar
water the entire year while the
second quality is obtained from trees
under water only part of the year.
Although there are serious attempts
being made to grow rubber in various
parts of the world, there seems to be
no successful example of cultivation
that proves that it is feasible. Some
of the governments of South America
have laws to aid in it's cultivation and
several trials have been made but all
have failed. The most reliable report
was made by p. L. Sherman, Jr.,
special agent for the United States
forestry bureau, and was printed in
the report of the Philippine com
mission for December. This is a
study, made on the ground, of the
cultivation of gutta percha and rub
Der in the orient. Here the govern
ments of the various rubber producing
countries have been actively engaged
in experimental cultivation for several
years. Trees are being grown and
careful study being made in the
botanical gardens of Penang, Sing
apore, BuitenZorg, Java, Bulit Timah,
S. s., and the Tjipitir plantations,
Java A great deal has been done in
the way of rubber culture in India, the
Malay peninsula, and Java and many
government reports have been made
on the subject. At first large tracts
were planted with the CCara which
proved practically worthless and now
the Para tree is being grown. One
planter stated that the cost of plant
ing rubber seed, Nhere the ground
was already cleared. was about s. per
acre. The first GOO 4 harvest can be
expected only after Xix years and var
ious eXpcdicnts are used for getting
an income from the land before that
time. The best plan seems to be to
plant twice the number of trees re-
CURED and at the end of the third
year to cut out half, the rubber
secured paying for the expenses mp to
date At the present prices the
planters expect a return of from $3.50
to 5000 per acre. Mr. Sherman states
that the trees planted without shade
grow equally well with those shaded
and also that it has been positively
proven that no injury is done to the
tree by tapping if proper care is taken.
No thoroughly reliable report could
be obtained OF a single instance of a
rubber plantation in Mexico that has
been under cultivation long enough to
prove the claims made for rubber
culture one of the Mexican Journals
cites an instance of a plantation in
Chiapas where, about thirteen years
ago, number of rubber trees were
set out as shade for cacao. over 5000
Of these trees are now standing and
IN good condition. They are said to
yield a yearly average of two pounds
of rubber per tree. tapped once.