Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-01-27
Porto Rico
Continued from Page Two.)

io'pt Nh'h lut opuHisu SoNcTnLlcuit
liberated them. paying the owners a
certain price, Many Adventures from
came into the island. Among them
many Corsicans, who are mainly good. |
thrifty citizens. These conditions
created a mixed population. many and
probably at least a third having such
an admiyture OF negro blood that
they may be classed as colored, but
the whites predominate In the latter
are classed the Porto Ricans, q dark.
complexioned people, who are OF
mixed Spanish and Indian blood.
One u~nacQuainted with them would
think such a mixture would make a.
fierce, revengeful people; but It Is
not 50, While. Latin like. they are
e~xcitable, they are yet kind and IN.
offensive.
A recent residence Of four years
among them confirmed my first i'm.
preston. 1t is a beautiful country,
and valuable to the United States.
The climate Is mild and pleasant.
The average temperature during the
entire year is about II degrees f.,
and perhaps the objection to 1t by
a healthy person would be its uni-
formity.
1t IS healthy, but the mass Of the
people, as in most tropical countries,
are VIGOROUSLY careless as 10 ny
giene. This, since our occupation,
has, especially in the cities, been
largely remedied. The sanitary CON
ditions are now fairly good, and the
island is no longer troubled with
that old scourge Of the West Indies,
yellow fever. There Is little danger
of epidemics. The most common
cause of death. at least twenty per
cent Of it, is from anemia, due
largely to want Of proper food and
occurring mainly among the poorer
class of people.
The island is well watered. 1t has
over 1900 streams, some forty'odd
being dignified as rivers. 1t is rich
agriculturally. Some of its principal
products are little, if at all. raised
in the United States. With a rich
loan soil, its principal crops are cot
fee, sugar, tobacco, and tropical
fruits of all kinds. Several crops OF
the latter can be grown during the
same year. They are valuable in the
order named. The culture of sea
island cotton of a fine grade is also
a growing and promising industry
Coffee growing is now somewhat de
pressed. The reason is. the marke'
was formerly In Spain, Germany ant
Italy mainly, and the change of SOW
ereignty cut it off. In addition t
this, it takes considerable money t.
own and run a coffee plantation
There Is a lack of it in circulation.
The change from Spanish to Amer
lean currency was made in 1900, ant
with little disturbance to conditions
but more money Is needed for tn
proper transaction Of business. Thu
coffee is excellent. One soon &C
quires a taste for it that admits o
no competition. 1t is not high il
price. An excellent quality, with
smooth. well-sized grain, can b
bought for from twelve to fifteel
cents a pound. When better know
there will no doubt be a ready marke
in the United States, where NOR
coffee is used than in any other cour
try, for the entire crop.
Sugar zane lands are low and leve
and for the most part border upo
the ocean. They are high in prici
varying from one hundred to thre
hundred dollars an acre. The hi
lands are of course not so valuabl,
There grow the coffee and tobacc,
The latter word Is of Carib Origin
and the Porto Rican tobacco has awe
deserved reputation for good qualit.
II is generally said In Porto Rico this
II has for many years been taken
Cuba and made into Havana Cigars
The country bordering upon tn
ocean Is generally level, rising
hills and low mountains as you a
proach the interior. There Is littl
timber but no waste land. All Of
admits of cropping or grazing. On
may see a Porto Rican at work. In h
upland rice upon a hilltop. where
grows without flooding. His beast
burden is the OK. This animal Is
porto Rico what the donkey Is
South America. They are large ar
make fine work beasts. When calv'
they look like Jerseys. They do NJ
fatten as well as our cattle, but NAL
fairly good beef. and are exportt
largely to Cuba. The horses a
small but very hardy. Like the oxe
they are used from day TO day al
often at night with no food but
coarse kind of grass fed to the
green.
While there are a few very III
-