Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1910-03-17
A PRODUCTIVE COUNTRY
Fred Wismer Writes an Inter-
esting account of His Trip to
The Tsthmian Country.

Ma trip to FL Rosario plantation was
revelation to me of what can be done
by cooperation. My visit was made
at my own expense, in part for pleasure
and in part to satisfy myself with trop-
ical agricultural in general, and especi-
ally for the purpose Of learning what
the culture of rubber was accomplish |
ing in the district in which Ell Rosario |
is located The trip is full of interest
in many ways. The people and their
WAYS, the old cities and their quaint old
buildings. 1t was very interesting to
see the wonderful scenery and the way
the natives live. There is no slavery in
the country The natives are happier
than the poorer classes in our large
cities.
was very much interested in agri-
culture. Northern Mexico was not at
all attractive only as to scenery, but
just as soon as we passed Orizaba then
the wonders began. Fruit, fruit; plan
tation after planta ton of coffee, pine
apples and other fruits which had new
err seen before, and large sugar planta-
tons. / was greatly struck with the
great number of cattle on the planta-
tons. There is no finer land in the
world for cattle than in this isthmus
country, and FL Rosario has done well
in stocking up with so many fine cattle. |
/ visited plantations from Ell Hule near
ly TO Guatemala, distance of over 300
miles, and | found that the rubber
trees in the district in which FL Rosario
is located (Soconusco) were the finest |
rubber trees to be found. When / saw
the rubber trees at Mr.. Quimby's and
Mr.. Smiths plantations, from nine
months to nine years old; saw them
Slapped and the rubber in the sheds
ready for shipping, it looked very good
to me. But when | saw what they
got in return from their trees in actual
money as profit, / was fully convinced
that rubber was the best agricultural
product had ever seen. Mr.. Quimby
must have profted from his trees this
last year quite $40, 200 and most of his
trees are under six years old-a few
only nine year old. His nine months
old trees are very good, but there is no
question in my mind as to the superior
ity of the Ell Rosario trees of the same
age. / shall want to see these trees
when they are rendy to tap about
three years hence.
Mr.. Ostein has done a wonderful
work on Ell Rosario, and it will be inn
possible to convey to you the extent of
this work in this article. The fields are
laid out in 40's with roads "a feet wide
around them. A main road running
east and west, turnpiked, will be lit
tie over five miles long when finished,
and another running north and south as
long. These two roads run through the
center of the property. Besides these
roads splendid turnpike leads from the
buildings to the station.
Right through our village is fine
spring water stream, two feet deep and
twelve to twenty feet wide, running
clear through the property, giving
plenty of splendid water for the labor
and general use. Several acres of
bananas and pineapples for general use
have been planted on the plantation.
These look as good as the best ! have
seen and / saw good many.
The 1000 acre clearing is as level as
our prairie and is very heavily timbered
This 1000 acres, | understand from Mr..
Ostien, will be planted to rubber, and |
two crops of corn will be raised between
the rows this year. This corn means
quite an income to the acreage-holders.
There are yet thousands of bushels of |
corn in the bins from last years crop,
mostly from one planting. The native
labor buys most of this corn for food. |
1t is anelled with the Company's steam
shelter and is sold in the plantation
store where everything is kept for the
natives use, In this way the company
gets higher price for corn and other
products. There is big demand for
all our surplus which is sold to adjoin-
ing plantations that are not raising
corn, as their land is now into rubber
and is too valuable to grow corn.
The lumber from this land is being
taken out as fast as the engine can
haul it. l understai d Mr.. Ostien de-
signs to haul logs with the engine dur |
iLg the night and run the mill during
the day until this work is finished.
This lumber is very valuable ard will
pay us well.
The 700 acres Of rubber is the best to
be found in this country. 1t is picture
to behold and is destined to pay big
profits. ! was more than pleased with
Ell Rosario and advise everyone who is
in this company to take all he can of
the remaining acreage until there is no