Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-01-07
Reclamation IN Porto -RIco

operated. They have intro
duced modern mills. railroads to bring
out the cane and men are employed to
study disease and combat Insect pests.
The actual number of the mills has de-
creased, and scores OF abandoned cane
mills can be seen, with their tall chin
neys piercing the sky. The cane from the
smaller plantations is now carried to the
large mills and sold.
Tobacco drown I'm Tents.
An enormous development has taken
place in the tobacco OF Porto Rico. 1t is
thirty-four times as great as II was in
1901. and IL amounted last year to be-
tween 100000 and 100000 At the
time we took hold OF the island the to-
baooo was cured In open sheds made OF
poles rooted with thatch. l saw these
sheds lining the hllls and in some places
they were so steep that the men had to
lean as they hung up the leaves. The
tobacco was badly cured, and It was so
cheap you could buy a good cigar for
cent. The chewing tobacco used by the
natives was sold by the yard. II was
cured with rum and molasses and twisted
up In ropes about 100 feet long and as
thick as your finger. A y cents worth
Of this tobacco would equal the amount
contained in the ordinary pocket plug OF
an American chewer.
Since then tobacco has gone up and
science has come in TO help raise it. our
Department OF Agriculture has introduced
the methods OF Cuba, and now a great
deal Is grown under tents OF cheeseeloth.
This Is especially so of the tobaccos
which are used for cigar wrappers. In
some of the valleys there are so many
tents that at a distance they seem 10 be
filled with snow. The cheesecloth is
stretched over poles which uphold a net
work OF wire about ten feet from the
ground, The people are using fertilizers
and they are taking care ms TO the selec-
ton Of seeds. They pay more for their
work In the factories. but wages are far
lower than with us, and they make ell
gars and cigarettes at a very high price
Uncle Sans Hest FraIt Garden.
Another thing that Is paying well Is
fruit. This is new industry for Porto
Rico. II amounted to practically nothing
at the time we took hold OF the island
something Ike 100000 worth of oranges
being annually exported. Now the orange
exports alone amount to six times that
sum, and the total fruit exports are
something like 100000 year.
We are now taking $4,000 worth OF
fresh pineapples from Porto Rico every
twelve months, and these are the finest
sold I'm our markets, some OF them are
as big as peck measures. and they are
sweet and fun OF juice. Pineapples grow
all over Porto Dico. one sees great beds
of them In the valleys and along the foot
hills OF the mountains They are not
carefully cultivated and grow almost
wild. The pineapple expectations have in
creased 100000 during the last year.
The grapefruit business has also In
creased enormously. and It viii compete
seriously with that OF Florida and Cuba
The freight rates from Porto Rico to New
York are said to be lower than from
Florida TO New NorA, and the Cuban
grapefruit has 70 pay a duty. while the
Porto Rican comes in free. Moreover, the
Porto Rican grapefruit Is said to be far
better than any other and a stands ship
ping we'll
Money in COcOanuts aud Coffee.
great deal OF money is being made In
eocoanuts. Thousands Of trees are be-
ing planted along the coasts and they
bring in on the average 81 per tree every
year one man makes $4,000 a year out
OF his cOcoanut orchard.
This business is easy. The nuts arc
laid out on the ground and after a short
time each sends down sprout from one
Of the little eyes at it's end. AZ the same
time root shoots out and goes down into
the ground and within a rev months the
sprout grows 20 the height OF your waist.
Tho -. -.
nut planted where the tree is 10 stand.
II Is set out so as 90 give almost 20
trees TO the acre, and Il begins 20 bear
la five years. The nuts ripen all the year