Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-04

natural scenery in the interior that will
be well worth looking at
Falls in the Rivers.
The canal commissions men have been
working on a survey of the Chagres river
watershed since last November and have
disclosed some interesting facts in regard
to the interior Of the land. They found
that the Chagres river above the mouth
Of the Esperanto contains ar exceptional
number of high rapids, at one point rising
seventy-five feet in a distance of 600 feet
The rivers of the Boqueron region also
were found to be very swift, rising at one
point near their headwaters 5000 feet In
four miles. The greater part Of this rise
consists of sheer falls. On the Candaloso
river two falls were discovered within a
few feet of each other with a total height
OF over 500 feet.
The members of the canal commission
do not believe that there will be any diff
Guilty in renting the government lands
for agricultural purposes after the coun-
try has been opened up by the roads.
The commission apparently looks for
ward to American enterprise stepping in
and making a real use of these lands.
Panama Agriculture.
The Panamans and the West Indian
negroes on the isthmus are slothful and
unambitious as farmers, There is to-
day a ready market for all the fruit and
vegetables they would raise, to say moth
ing of eggs and chickens. Yet the COM
mission has to depend for its green stuffs
largely on its own gardens. Here is an
instance of the enterprise OF the average
Panama farmer.
A fresh egg is one OF the hardest things
to get on the isthmus. In fact it's just
about impossible. over at the Tivoli
hotel in Ancon, where they charge you
81 a day for a room and bath and meals,
they thiAk they are doing you a special
favor II they give cold storage eggs that
AVE been dipped in wax.
Well, Colonel George w. Goethals, the
engineer in charge of the canal work,
likes fresh eggs, and soon after he ar
rived at Culebra he began looking around
for a farmer who would satisfy his long
ing. He looked and looked and looked,
and hens there seemed to be none.
Furthermore, none of the local farmers,
SO called, seemed to care whether they
kept hens or not.
But finally Colonel Goethals found one
farmer who after urging allowed the
coolnel to build a hen house for him.
After more urging he consented TO have
the colonel buy some hens for him and
later agreed to let the colonel buy the
feed for them. SO after presenting the
farmer with a hencoop, the hens and the
feed for them the colonel now buys the
eggs from him.
The communication has haan conducting aN-
perimental gardens on the isthmus since
1906 with a view to assisting in the devel-
opment Of the land. The commissions ex-
perts nave found that many tropical fruits
and many vegetables of the temperate
zone can be raised profitably on the 18TH
mus. Indeed the experiments nave pro-
crossed so far that some men with a bust
ness eye are already looking ahead to the
time when the growers Of fruit and vege-
tables on the sthmus will find a good
market for their products on the big ships
that will pass through the canal.
Commission Runs It's
The commission now has four gardens
under cultivation-at Ancon, Corozol, EN-
pire and Pedro Miguel. The one at Ancon
is devoted especially to the growing and
cultivation OF decorative plants, and the
results attained there are reflected in
landscape gardening at most Of the vii,
lagos along the line of the canal.
The soil on the isthmus is worked the
year round, different crops being planted
In rotation; but the farmer is kept guess.
ing by the eccentricities Of the dry and
the wet seasons. The excessive moisture
and the tropical insects, especially tn,
ants, cause the most trouble.
In the government gardens a regular
campaign has been carried on against the
ants until they have Just about been ami
hilated in those spots. The experts hav,
gone to the attack with carbon bisulphide
setting It on fire and exploding II sub
terraneously. The poisonous fumes suffo
cate the ants. They have also laid foI
the ants with flaming asbestos torches ant
swooped down upon them as they travele,
IN millions along their beaten paths b!
moonlight.
The commissions gardeners haven't beef
able to get as good results in the We
as in the dry season in raising truck. bu