The Springfield herald. (Springfield, Baca County, Colo.) 1887-1919, 1912-03-01

lOOA lutO tue AGRICULTURAL pos
sibilities of the canal zone.
~ and he proposes to turn the
hve-mile strip OF land on each
side of the canal into one big vegeta-
BILE garden. He intends to see that
the thousands of vessels from all over
the world passing through the canal
will be able to replenish their stock
of fresh meats and vegetables when
they reach the Isthmus without the
loss of a minute in travelling time. At
present vessels leaving New York
for trip down the coast any great
distance must stop at one or two
before reaching their final destination.
Uncle Sam had his explorers ex-
anime every foot Of ground within the
ten-mile limit Of the zone from the
Pacific to the Atlantic. including a
portion of Costa Rica on one side.
and Panama on the other. The In
vest1gation has now reached the stage
where 1t can be safely asserted there
are exceedingly bright prospects for
the building up OF a lucrative agricul-
tural and stock raising industry along
the Panama canal.
In addition to the great quantities
of fresh meats and vegetables required
for steamers passing through the
canal, 1t must be remembered there
will always be great number OF canal
employees living along the line OF the
canal. The majority of these en-
ployes will undoubtedly be married.
with families and children, and all
these mouths will require Vegetables
to dll them. Also a number of minor
industries may be built up along the
canal, which Will require its quota OF
human beings, who will also require
feeding. But aside from these minor
considerations are the vast number Of
ships expected to pass through the
waterway-some authorities claiming
the traffic will be SO heavy as to be
one continuous line of ships from one
end Of the canal to the other during
the entire "a hours.
About a year ago the investigation
was started by the Bureau OF Soils
and the Bureau OF Plant Industry
working together. Hugh H. Bennett
aud William A. Taylor. two Of Uncle
Sans scientific explorers in the de-
partment, were the men detailed to
make the investigation. In speaking
of the farming on the canal and its
possibilities in the future. Mr.. Taylor
said:
Though the Isthmus OF Panama
has been for four centuries the most
important portage of the western hem
isphere the lands through which sue
cessive routes of travel have passed
across 1t show little agricultural de-
country, except in the immediate VI
clnity Of the Panama railroad-com-
pleted in 1851-and the canal route.
which lies close to the railroad
through most of Its length, is chiefly
apparent through the destruction OF
practically all the more valuable tim
Der trees that made up the original
forest"
Hugh H. Bennett, who assisted in
the investigation, said the most prom
Using line OF attack upon agricultural
problems of the canal zone will be to
develop a permanent mixed tropical
agriculture with distinct horticul-
tural trend. in which hand labor OF
tropical origin will be the main de-
pendence for tillage. In this way exist
ing and prospective conditions would
favor the production of high-prtced
products requiring regular and fire.
quent transportation service. such as
will doubtless be available promptly
after the opening OF the canal for
use.
"One important feature" continued
Mr.. Bennett, will be the early work
ing out of a method of mixed cropping
in which soil maintaining and improv-
ing leguminous intercrops can be con-
tinuously used to replace the wild and
intractable native vegetation OF the
present shack-farm agriculture.
Agricultural operations in the
canal zone are now confined mainly to
the meager efforts of the native and
West Indian population and are re-
stricted to patch farming. The pro-
duction of local staple products. prin-
cipaIly tropical vegetables and fruits,
rice and corn, is little in excess of
actual food requirements of the op-
orators. The greater number OF these
farms, although occupying the smooth
er slopes OF the larger valleys and
never distant more than five miles in
a direct line from the canal. are iso-
lated and inaccessible, owing to the
broken topography and absence OF
good highways. They are reached
only by narrow. winding trails. at no
time passable for vehicles and often
well-nigh or quite impossible for
horses.
There is plenty OF room for eI-
tension and improvement of the stock
raising industry. Upon large pro-
portion of steep-hill land suited only
for forestry and perhaps the produc-
ton of certain fruits, such as pineap-
pies, mangoes, etc. good grazing can
be secured through the establishment
of guinea grass pastures. A number
of native grasses. such as those which
flourish upon the savanna lands, al
ford good grazing. while Para and
Bermuda grass, cowpeas. velvet BEANS
corn. the sorghum known as Guinea
corn,' sugar cane. and peanuts do well