The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1903-10-17
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4 Grover Opinion Of the
Islsf Oranges.
gooonEa AMERIoANMAR

lanes u khera q nnxamon says
rsls aler Thoaaandn OF Boxes OF
orasR Prom wfid frees WIN De
shne 10 the united states.
Aes<tean Growers Are Deveioping
$40 Groves IN Upland valleys.
Porto Rico win be the orange island
< tie world, its coffee win come to
laye The same vogue in the United
States II one time had in Spain. and
Its people viii be lifted out Of poverty
and ignorance This prophecy was
made at the st. James hotel in Wash
tlgton to reporter for the Washing
ton Star BY Mr.. James Suuthers, or
ange shipper and grower Of Bayam0n,
Porto Rico Mr.. Struthers lived in
Washington from 1856 to 1895, for a
part Of that time being engaged IN the
produce commission business.
Porto Rico" continued Mr.. Struth-
ers, sswill become sea grit garden.
The people there are going to find gold
in the golden fruit, just as the people
of Florida did and as the orange grow
ers Of California do. Cold, which over
whelmed the Florida growers in 1854
and which threatens them In the Pen
Ursula State every winter, is not feared
In Porto Rico The hurricane danger Is
q small one because the orange lands
are ii the upland valleys wind shell
tered by great hills. The late hurri-
cane ia Porto Rico did greatest dam
age on tie low sugar lands Of the coast
and along the water courses. Compare
son between central and southern Flor
ida and Porto Rico as an orange land
IS an in favor OF the latter A high
percentage, II not majority, Of the
American orange growers Ia Porto
Rico are from Florida.
eThe 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 remote possibility that 1t is
hot 70 be considered The island IS
wen watered and has bounteous rain
fall 1t is nearer to the markets Of
the Atlantic states both in the matter
Of time and charges than California.
Ii Is four days sail from San Juan to
New York and it Is an event when i
fruit train crosses from California TO
the Hudson river in seven days. Porto
Rico has plenty Of cheap, faithful and
willing field labor. It IS not efficient
labor as yet. but II will become SO IN.
der American instruction and with the
A fltf
cry and implements The natives in
the Interior Of Porto Rico are weak
because they are underfed, but the
main reason for their inefliciency is
that there is no method in their work.
and Che only tool they know how 10
use is the mlachete. CALIFORNIA; only
conspicuous advantage over Porto Rico
Ii that Of daily OF multidaily ship
ments, but as the trade Of Porto Rico
IS developed the steamship companies
will provide frequent enough sailings,
"As 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 / am
sure Ii is a reasonable statement TINT
the average orange Of Porto Rico is
superior to tie average orange grown
in any Of the citrus belts Of the United
States. But the quality Of an orange
depends largely on the grower. He
can, if he understands orange culture
and has favorable climate, make the
kind Of orange the public wants
This winter there will be thousands
- fg.Ssaa ~ Tsarfd - fnc, f,fa4tteae 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 aud many are being
planted IN the island, and vet the in
dustry has scarcely been begun
THE coffee OF Porto Rico viii soon
make itself felt IN the Quilted states
market There IS no better coffee IN the
world outside Of Arabia than that
grown iii our island Millions Of Amer
leans who believe they drink coffee
three times day would not know cot
fee II it were poured out 70 them, Tons
Of chickory. roasted beans and peas are
being drunk for coffee While the Porto
Rican berries 90 to waste, Porto Rico's
coffee * strong Id tannin, and tile
American palate win not tolerate this
The berry is shipped green to the Unit
cd States and roasted by the Ameri-
can or light process which does not
remove the tannin This astrlngent
quality is overcome by tha French ar
dark roasting process and plans are
evolving TO give Porto Rican coffee
this treatment and build up a demand
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