The Washington herald., 1908-08-02

Intelligent readers OF newspapers in
Washington. If asked what their impress
sions OF Portugal are. would probably
answer: That country is much ike
Spain" In fact. Americans who have
not gone abroad and visited Portugal
have little true information about the
country. the people. or their government
Charles Page Bryan. American Mn
lister 10 Portugal. says there is as much
difference between a Portuguese and a
Spaniard as between a Portuguese and an
American The population is most orderly
and the family lie IS exceptionally sffec-
tionate. The climate is all that could be
desired. and If Portugal could arrange
for irrigation. il should be able TO grow
any crop and in any quantity As il IS,
scarcely a season passes when It has
sufficient rainfall at the proper time to
insure good crops The years 1906 and
1907 We're bad for the farmers. and so far
this year the rainfall has not been al
all what it should have been From May
TO June 13 IN Lisbon, there were only
two days when an umbrella was Of the
slightest use. except as a sunshade.
Wine Crop Falls on.
The mainland has a population Of about
5. .000-000 and an area OF 54.g54 square miles.
about the same as the State Of Maine
The Azores and Cape de Verde Islands
belong TO Portugal as wei as the Island
Of Madeira It also has colonies on both
the east and west coasts OF Africa and
in India Years ago. when almost the
whole Of the wine districts in France were
devastated by the phyuoxera. a great
part OF the Portuguese red and white
wines was bought Up by the French at
exorbttant prices
The natural result was an immense IN
crease in the vineyard acreage. which
only became productive about the time
the French vineyards again began pro-
ducing with their imported American
wines. Meanwhile the general consUmp-
ton Of port wine. and especially by the
English. dropped of 20 great extent.
with the result that the Portuguese agrl-
culturIst IS IN Strengthened financial cir
cumstences at present He has plenty Of
wine. but comparatively little money
Agricultural machinery. writes Special
Agent Roland R Dennis. Is sold IN fair
quantities. but most. Il not all Of it on
practically two years credit. & o.. one
{ half al the end Of first harvest and the
I balance at the end of second The whole
T country has surface drainage ONLY. and
[ the bitches left IN the fields are four 20
Eve feet wide and two - three feet deep
/ Of course. these bitches make the use Of
mowers. binders. hayrakes and te5ders
very difficult
Cutting Wheat with SickIss.
In many fields 7 saw gangs Of people
often ten 20 fifteen. cutting wheat with
sickles. and was ast0nishsd &c md. on
taking with a member of one Of the
largest firms dealing IN implements. that
a grain cradle was unknown in the Coun-
Try. American 7lows are sold quite ex-
tensively. a reversible mold-b-ard side-hiu
pIow seeming 90 have the lead. I also
saw this pIow very cheaply copied By a
Lisbon manufacture. who. I was in
formed had made several unsuccessful
attempts 70 copy different American as
well as English implements. Duties On
imports into Portugal are exceedingly
high, and all duties are levied on gross
weights
With the exception Of portable engines
and thraslinE machines. which come al
most entirely from England. the Ameri-
can manufactures have much the iarE-
I est share OF the agricultural Implement
I business The Portuguese IS such an easy
going individual that Il IS a most dirfi-
cult matter 70 imVreEE him with the pos
sibilities n scientific farming. and he
I continues 70 SOW less than ole-half the
I grain IN a field than could advantageous
/ y sprOut there, because his father did
/ il that way as a gentleman explained TO
ne
There are three good English houses in
Lisbon that practically control the trade
! in imported implements. The native
1 houses seem 10 devote more time 10 try
/ ing 70 make 2 success Of copying the
more popular implements than they do 70
building up a trade IL foreign implements
I for which they take agencies
In Lisbon one dnds the present
and actively uercLaudised tvpewr!ters.
sewing machines. and cash registers all
doing good business and indorsirg my
oft-repeated statement Of the great pos
sibIities Of successful foreign trade Il
| the proper amount OF push" is put into