The Alaska citizen., 1911-02-22


 for malting purposes. This would be $50 per acre of feed value alone,
 Onions.
 The land would produce onions at any time the seed was put in the ground, and raise the best qual. ity during the dry season, and should produce from one hundred to two hundred dollars per acre, de- pending on the market price.
 Melons and Tomatoes.
 These crops will grow and ripen when planted and seed can be planted to produce at any date re quired, giving access to northern markets when prices are highest
 Beans.
 This staple food of Mexico can be raised continuously. The Chilli bean is grown largely for export. | Other beans give very large crops. It does not require much forcing l to produce one hundred dollars per acre, as single planting will pro ! duce about 40 bushels and two or three crops can be raised | Rice. Rice can be made most profit able crop, growing and producing much larger crops than are raised in Louisiana. The crop from one | hundred and fifty acres raised some P miles south of San Bias. pro. duced market value of over $20,0OO for the season of 190S-9 Bananas. Every acre of this land is suit able for bananas. Bananas are usu- ally planted three hundred plants to the acre. This land will produce 300 punches of commercial bananas per acre, of average weight of fif- ty pounds for Port LimOns, and g. pounds for San Bias native bananas. In the Pacific Coast markets, the Port Limons sell to the retailers at prices ranging from 4c to Gc per pound. The San Bias native bananas sell from Sc to 4kc per pound.
 The cost of keeping up banana land after the first setting out Is about S20 per annum, or less than 1c per bunch. Figuring the value of bananas at 14c per pound on boat or cars, will give yield of over $l50 per acre, this on an csti- mate of only one bunch to each plant, while as matter of fact four or five shoots are usually left to each plant, each one producing bunch of bananas, two of which should be commercial bananas and two for local sale or hog feed.
 The cost of clearing the land and setting out banana plants for first crop would be about $6O per acre, and cost of care and labor $20 per annum afterwards.
 The United Fruit company figure their banana land of this character on the Gulf side worth thousand dollars per acre. The City of Los Angeles is now using 800 cars per annum shipped from New Orleans, besides the product of some 200,- 900 punches of native fruit shipped from San Bias. Seattle is using over 400 cars per annum. The Pacific coast can use 4,O0O,OO0 punches per annum.
 The cost of freight from New Orleans to Pacific coast points is $1.25 per hundred pounds; from Gen. tral American points to New Or leans BOG besides other handling, making the transportation charge to the United Fruit company Pc per pound, besides the heavy loss in transit as well as time
 By rail you are 300 miles nearer than New Orleans, and some seven days nearer by water, which makes some ten days nearer market, allow ing the fruit to remain that much longer on the plant than is possi- ble from shipment from Central America.
 By water you can transport your own product in your own vessels at your own pleasure, at cost not to exceed 50c per hundred pounds, total cost for running your steamers, not giving any credit to other earn ings of the boats.
 Three thousand acres of bananas should keep three steamers, of d thousand tons net register, running constantly.
 There is a process of drying ba- nanas for shipment, that should bring good revenue from the small punches and other punches not suitable for market.
 Cocoanuts.
 These nuts are planted about 70 to the acre; commence bearing at five years, and increase the yield annually. They produce about 300 nuts to the tree, WOTlH IOTul lC lO % each They will produce Copra (this is the dried meat of the nut about 125 pounds to the tree; worth about SC to 312c per pound. Copra will produce about 30 per cent oil; is worth 7c per pound for soap mak- ing. Besides the oil cake, it Is very valuable hog food.
 The product will yield over $500 per acre, and the trees require no care after they are three years old
 There is a steady, growing demand for cocoanut oil, as the demand is increasing with very little increase in the product.
 Coquto Nuts.
 Coquito palms are a near reia- tive to cocoanuts and produce large cluster of nuts about the size of walnuts, which yield 50 per cent clear cocoanut oil. The nuts sell at 31ac per pound to soap makers. There are many of these palms on the plantation, one grove over two miles long. Cocoanuts will grow on any ground growing coquito nuts.
 Hogs.
 Ham, bacon and lard command a very high price all over Mexico. and is governed by price in the United States, plus duties, etc.
 Lard is used every day in every household. On a plantation like