The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-04

sugar. coffee, cacao. orange and panama
plantations. Vegetables can BIO raised
anywhere on the isthmus. WI They prlng
high prices In the markets. and with
the 1900 or more men who are to be
continuously ompl Dyed on the canal, the
demand will be great. AT present the
gardening Is done by the Chinese. who
also act as market men and petty re-
tailers. - f
Big Banana Plantations.
Panama has some. OF the best banana
lands on the Caribbean Sen. About the
Chlriqui lagoon the United Fruit Com
pany have more than 10000 acres and
they ship at times ms much as AO,0oo
punches of bananas in ono week. They
have a. fleet Of steamers running to
New Orleans. the largest Of which Will
carry 5000 lunches. Tho bananas arc
picked green, for it Is a week or so
before they arc in tho hands of the
customers. If they get too rlpe they
rot on tho way and have to be thrown
into the sea. The business is profitable.
the company making something like II
per cent, OH n capital OF $50, OOO, 0D0 THIS
money. however, is not all Invested in
Panama; 1t is scattered throughoul the
West Indies, other plantations being
owned In jamaica. Santo Domingo, Cubn
and elsewhere.
Speaking OF the United Fruit Company,
q young American named Snyder made
II fortune by selling out to them shortly
after they began thor operations on,
tho Chirlqui lagoon. This man came to
tho isthmus some years ago and got a
! concession for tract of land on con-
ditiun that hc would cultivate 1t. lie
planted bananas and found that they
grow so we'll that he gradually increased
his concession by ono means or another
until he had at last acquired more than
&C, 600 acres, When the United Fruit
Company came in they offered HIM
s1,25o0O0 for his property This he ac-
cepted.
Another American named Duncan has
something like 1000 acres near the canal.
Including large rubber plantation, and
a third. Jesse NJ. Hyatt, has big CO.
| coanut grove Just across the bay from
| the town OF Colon. Altogether the prop
erty owned By our people Is compare
lively small. 5
The Parasitic Panaman.
1t is surprising that tho Panamans have
| not done moro TO develop thoir country.
I, The truth Is. they have been ruined by
| the canal. For years thcy have held
| much tho Same position as the Florida
| darby who, said: lin summer we eats
| fish, and IN do winter we feeds on DO
| sil!i sun!faQs a
| The pana,nans fe.d 80 fat for decade
or so upon the French that they could
\ not see tho riches of tlsl own country
! lying undoycoped about them, Before
1 that they had grown richs from the
| building OF the Panama Railroad and
1 the crowds of gold hunters which Y
i carried across tho isthmus. They now
hold somewhat tho same ambition as to
ourselves. although their hopes soem to
.l5be dwindllng, This IS shown by cars
4 toon published IN q Panan,a newspaper
i not long ago. The picture illustrated the
i difference between liz and the French
i Iii II beautiful woman. labeled La
France" was pouring out q stream OF
money upon tho isthmus from a gigan-
30 cornuoopla, while opposite her Uncle
/ gam was dropping one silver coin at Q
/ time and pnohing each before It fell
4 Indeed. Panama Is like the South OF q
fcw years ago when Its sole CROP was
cotton, Tho money crop Of the isthlntus