Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-12
FRUIT OF PORTO RICO
ISLAND ORANGES TO PLAY A
PART IN UNITED STATES MARKET
Many American Growers Developing
Citrus Groves in the Upland
Valleys.

Porto Rico will be the orange island of
| the world, it's coffee will come to have the
same vogue in the United States it one time
had In Spain, and its people will be lifted
out of poverty and ignorance" This
prophecy was made to a reporter for The
Star by Mr.. James Struthers. orange ship
per and grower of Bayamon, Porto Rico.
Mr. Struthers. who is stopping at the ST.
James, lived in Washington from 1885 to
1875, for part of that time being engaged
In the produce commission business.
Porto Rico" continued Mr.. Struthers,
Will become sea-girt garden. The peo-
pie there are going to find gold in the
golden fruit, just as the people of Florida
did, and the orange growers of Cali
fornia do. Cold. which overwhelmed the
Florida growers in 1894 and which threatens
them In the peninsula state every winter.
Is not feared in Porto Rico The hurricane
danger is small one because the orange
lands are in the upland valleys. wind-shel-
tered by great hills. The late hurricane in
Porto Rico did greatest damage on the low
sugar lands of the coast and along the
| water courses. Comparison between CEN
trail and southern Florida and Porto Rico
as an orange land is all in favor of the lat
ter A high percentage. If not majority
of the American orange growers in Porto
Rico, are from Florida.
Porto Rico's Advantage
1.-The orange districts Of Porto Rico have
| a self-evident advantage over southern
California for the production of citrus
fruits. Frost in Porto Rico is such a re-
| mote possibility that it is not to be con-
sidered. The island is well watered and has
| bounteous rainfall. 1t is nearer to the
markets of the Atlantic states both in tbs
matter Of time and charges than California
1t Is four days sail from San Juan to New
York, and it is an event when a fruit train
IN ha H1lfS ri,
in seven days Porto Rico has plenty of
cheap. faithful and willing field labor. 1t is
not efficient labor yet, but it will become
SO under American instruction and with
the application of American field machinery
and implements. The natives in the in
terror of Porto Rico are weak because they
are underfed. but the main reason for their
ineff1ciency is that there is no method in
their work and the only tool they know how
to use is the machete. Californias only
conspicuous advantage over Porto Rico Is
that of daily or muti-daily shipments. but
as the trade of Porto Rico is developed the
steamship companies will provide frequent
enough sailings.
LAS to quality, the Porto Rico orange is
as good as any other. OF course there are
good and bad oranges in the island Just as
elsewhere, but l am sure 1t is a reasonable
statement that the average orange of Porto
Rico is superior to the average orange
grown in any of the citrus belts of the
United States. But the quality of an
| VI dilSe ucpeUOS largely on the grower. He
can, If he understands orange culture and
has favorable climate, make the kind of
orange the public wants. There is deal OF
baseless prejudice for or against the fruit
OF certain districts. l have known persons
who would buy no other orange than that
grown in Florida, to eat Jamaica orange
out of Florida wrapper and pronounce it
the queen of fruit The ordinary fruit eater
enjoys illusions just as the tobacco smoker
does. On the whole, though fruit will sell
on its merits and without reference to the
stencil mark on the case the legend on
the wrapper.
Fruit of Wild Trees.
This winter there will be thousands of
boxes of Porto Rico oranges from wild trees
shipped to the American market and they
will sell side by side with the orchard fruit
of California. Cultivated oranges from
Porto Rico will make a strong impression
on the market three or five years hence
Many groves have been and many are be-
ing planted in the island. And yet the in
dustry has scarcely been begun.
Not everybody who puts his money in
the orange business in Porto Rico will win
Many fortunes will be made, and a wealth
Of dollars will be dropped by the unskill-
full and the unwary Indicating is al
ready going on, and stock is being bought
by Americans in orange growing companies
that will never grow an orange But then
people buy stock in gold and copper min
ing companies and in rubber, vanilla and
mahogany plantations that are worthless.
There are good many Americans in
Porto Rico of no particular credit to their
country, and these persons are so Often
sively conspicuous in their evil ways and
ruff1anly in their disregard of the customs
and habits of thought of the natives that
thousands of the islanders hold an unjust
opinion of the American character. But
the American in Porto Rico who has the
serious intention to live right, treat the ma
tive as a man. deal square and make money
In a 1apitfYnS o c tn ho
THE coffee of Porto Rico will soon make
itself felt in the United States market
There is no better coffee in the world out
side of Arabia than that grown in our
island Millions of Americans who believe
they drink coffee three times a day would
not know coffee if it were poured out to
them. Tons of chtcory. roasted beans and
peas are being drunk for coffee while the
Porto Rican berries go to waste Porto
Rico's coffee IS strong in tannin, and the
American palate will not tolerate this. The
berry is shipped green to the United States
and roasted by the American or light
process, which does not remove the tannin
This astringent quality is overcome by the
French or dark" roasting process and
plans are evolving to give Porto Rican cof-
fee this treatment and build up a demand
for it in the United States by the distribu-
ton of samples.
Coffee, Cotton, Sugar.
Before the American occupation the
islands coffee found market in Spain, but
this market was closed when the mother
country put a heavy tariff on Porto Rican
coffee. Within a few years, though, the
United States will buy every pound of cof-
fee that Porto Rico can grow for export
There are several thousand acres plant
ed In cotton for the first time in twenty-five
years The quality is good and the yield
fair. With proper cultivation it is destined
to be paying crop Sugar is the money
crop of the island. The acreage has been
largely increased since the American occu-
patton. but king sugar will have to take
second place when the cultivated Porto
Rico orange groves come into bearing.
Religion and Education.