Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-07-23
COTTON IN R RIco.
Experiments Demonstrate That q
Very High Quality of the Staple
Can He Grown.

The possibility of raising cotton on
an extensive scale in the West Indies,
especially Cuba and Porto Rico, has
not been considered improbable. and
agricultural experts who are familiar
with the climate, soil, and other con-
ditions of these islands have expressed
the belief that a fair grade of the
staple could be produced in abundance.
A series of experiments have recently
been concluded in Porto Rico which
nave a very important bearing on this
subject, since they appear to not only
prove the conclusions of the experts,
but apparently demonstrate that a very
high quality of the staple can be
grown, says the Scientific American.
The experiments have been in prog
ress about three years, and have been
conducted by several planters from
Alabama, who are conversant with the
form of cultivation in the southern
states. At first a small area was
planted with the seed. The results
were so satisfactory that this has been
increased from year to year, until in
1902 the acreage aggregated about
S,OoO, the cotton being grown in 60 diff
ferent plats. The average production
in 1902 is announced to have been
about 500 pounds to the acre, or equal
to one bale. AS is well known, this
is considerably more than the average
yield in the southern states, but per-
haps the most interesting feature was
It's quality. Samples of it were sent
to expert cotton handlers in New Or
leans, Charleston and Savannah, as
well as Liverpool and Manchester. 1t
is stated that all the judges pro-
nounced the saples practically as good
as the product of the islands off the
coast of South Carolina and Georgia,
or, as it is generally termed, the Sea
Island cotton-by far the best staple
grown in America. The success at
tending the cultivation so'far has de-
termined the promoters to plant about
$4,000 acres this year, and a company
has been organized to construct an oil
MIL diIu tlllLCl wins III COulltCIlUu
with the plantation, with the view of
manufacturing the by-products from
the cotton seed. Estimated by prev
ious crops, it is calculated that in adj
dition to the cotton itself fully 1000
tons of seed will be secured, which,
when crushed, will produce at least
$50, 900 gallons of oil and 5000 tons of
fertilizer. Consequently the by-pro-
ducts will represent in themselves an
important source of revenue to the
company.
So far as known, the plantation is
the only one where cotton has been
produced in commercial quantities in
Porto Rico. Should the harvest con-
tinue to be as large in proportion to
the area cultivated, however, it would
appear as if an excellent opportunity
were given to add this to the other
resources of the island, and undoubt-
eddy the results achieved by the COM
pany will be watched with much in
terest, The fact that the staple is
equal to the Sea Island in fineness and
length of texture is in itself of much
importance, since such a small guam
tity of Sea Island cotton can be grown
In the United States. Should Cuba
planters follow the example of Porto
Rico, there is apparently no reason
why they should not produce an
article of equally as high a standard;
and with cotton added to the agricul-
tural resources of the two islands, it
might in future prove q source Of
wealth almost as important as that
derived from coffee, tobacco, and 9TH
err staples. On the Porto Rico planta-
ton, native colored labor has been en-
ployed, as there is an abundance of
this kind, but the Americans have sup
erintended the various processes. The
site Of the plantation is considered to
be no more favorable than many other
localities, but was selected more for
its shipping facilities than the fertility
Of the soil.