The Washington herald., 1909-08-19
AT THE HOTELS.

! SenOr Mario Estrada. Of BGenos Ayres,
I lagronomlst and agrcstologist In the de-
partrent Of agriculture Of the Argentine
| government Is al the New Willard He
came TO the United states in October OF
last year after an extended trip through
Europe. After spending October in this
city, he devoted the rest Of the ten months
10 study OF American methods IN agri-
culture throughout the country, especially
with reference TO the breeding Of plants.
/ While was IN argentina" he said
last night Il was especially interested in
the cultivation OF grasses for grazing. IN
the course Of my visit I'm the United
states, however. l have come 10 see that
there is q branch Of the subject that !s
/ far more important - the breeding Of
plants, CT the increasing Of their value
! by scientific means. IN my opinion, no
money the United States government has
spent has gone 10 a more practical end
than the funds Il has devoted 10 that de-
partment Of its agricultural work.
I have been particularly impressed by
the work Prof Hayes, OF your Depart
ment OF Agriculture. has been doing. He
is an unusually practical, sensible, and
enthusiastic man. and a man of wide
knowledge and catholic interests. He is
also especially enthusiastic over an edu-
eauonal movement 70 instiil rural in
te-ests among the children IN the couE-
try schools throughout the land
Another Of my countrymen Is coming
70 the United States IN about a month
Senor Carlos Guerrero, president OF the
Liga Agraria agricultural League. and
q millionaire landowner. ranchman, and
/ stock-ralSer. He IS enc Of the most
prominent men Of Argentina. and IS al
the mead Of the forces fighting tubercu-
I los.s. His visit IN this country viii Be
TO investigate the methods Of stock-breed-
ing and the manner in which the anti
tuberculosis campaign is carried on.
Senor Estrada viii go 10 London from
Washington. where he VIII meet Senor
Guerrero After q short stay IN England
ne viii return to BuenOs Ayres 90 re-
sumo his work in the agricultural de-
partment and apply the ideas he has
gathered IN the course Of his long visit
in the United States and Mexico.
III man intends 70 buy a valuabls
diamond. said T. A Lambert, a Clnc!n-
natl teweler. who IS at the National. the
best thing for him % do IS 20 spend his
time studying the man from whom he :s
going 70 buy it. rather than examining
the stone itself I say this because the
diamond business IS a peculiar 0ue-Iu
many ways unlike auy other. You might
say II is absolutely impossible for a pros
pectlve purchaser from the ranks Of the
-lymen 20 distinguish between a good
diamond and a bad one Ii is not so
hard 10 differentiate between the deal
ers. Ny advice in such q case therefore
Is: Pick out thoroughly reliable dealer
and tell him just what you want. Then
In ss cases out 100 you viii get what yog
are looking for.
while all diamonds are supposed 20
be cut according 20 the same pattern.
the personality Of the cutter governs the
value OF the stone 20 q great extent, not
10 mention his skill. Also, OF course. the
nature o. The diamond IN the rough had g
fundamental influence on the quality Of
the finished product For instance with
some stones. the cutter finds il iupOgsi-
bic TO cut ii exactly as he would Ike on
account Of some imp6Tfecti0u which 1s
must steer clear Of Accordingly. he
may make an unusually fiat stone out og
Il, which may be SNOWY enough and
have greater apparent size than one
differently cut. but which lacks life
That IS one of the things that must
be guarded against IN buying q diamond.
Sometimes tho cutter. IN order 70 make
the stone appear larger. makes e broad
and fat, and IL lacks lus-er. As q matter
Of fact. though, the smaller, deeper 6ia-
mond, with plenty o. life IN it. Is a much
more valuable stone.
The diamOnd-produciuE field Is pract.-
cally limited 20 South Africa. about 90 per
cent Of all the diamonds coming from
there. There are a few small fields n
Australia, and every now and then YOU
b hear Of diamonds being found On this
I |.r0 s---- Ir,eT r
ports authenticated. Likewise, practically
, the entire diamond Industry is IN the
; hands Of the Kimberly interests. accord
ing % reports. The United States uses
.tlree-f5Urths Of all diamonds sold They
are brought 20 this country IN what are
called packages valued according 90 the
worth the rough specimens are supposed
20 have. For instance O dealer may buy
a $4,000 package. or ne may buy a $4,000
package. The rough specimens are them
/ brought 70 this country 20 be cut IN the
great majority of cases.
You ought 20 make trip through d
, diEuOud-CUtti1E establishment. So many
different kinds of machinery are used IN
the process Of turning out the finished
product that I have lost track OF -AeD
myself
According 10 s. 3. CranGau, assistant
United States attorney before the span
ish Treaty Claims Commission, who aas
been taking testimony in Havana, CUoa,
and who is In Washington ar the Shore
ham in the course Of q thirty days
leave. Cuba has climbed on the bard
wagon with the United States in TIE
matter OF record crops.
THE sugar crop is one OF the larges.
in the history Of the island, re saiC
last night The gathering and grinding
Of the sugar cane is done early, and by
the end ot June the grinding is about
finished. At the present time there are
only a few little mills stiu running In
Cuba SO that the size Of the crop IS @
definite quantity. and not at all a mat
ter Of speculation. I have not seen ti--
ures as 70 how the tobacco yield is this
year. but I haven't heard any reports
70 the effect that IL IS any less than
usual.
Contrary 20 the impression some per
sons might have that Havana IS not as
healthy as II might be. was surprised
and gratided 20 find that It is unusually
sanitary and that careful provision .s
made for the protection Of the public
health The government IS now at work
on a complete sewerage system for the
city, which was started IN the time oS
the provisional government and approved
by the engineers under that regime
When the project was started the expense
was met from the receipts OF the Gus
toms house Now. however, the work is
being carried on under the recent bond
issue"
J. A. Roland, in the general mercantile
business in Crawford. Ca, IS at the St