El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-24

and of the whole considerably more
than half is unOccupied. Nevertheless,
If has large tracts Of high pasture
land in the north and there are thou
sands of acres Of land lower down
which viii raise cocoa and coffee and
sugar cane and bananas.
a short time ago / visited the PROV
fnce of BOcas del TorO which adjoins
Costa Rica. There the United Fruit
comnanv has already laid out 3O,0O6
or 10000 acres Of banana plantations,
and il is now exporting from BOcas
something like 40O,00O,00O bananas a
wear. or more than enough to give
three bananas to every man, woman
and child on the North American con-
tinent The banana exports now
amount to six or seven hundred thou
sand dollars a year
Adjoining the province Of Bocas del
TOro is Chiriqui which president POr-
ras is now trying to open up by an
electric railroad to be driven by the
waters of the Caldere river. The CHR
ioui country is high and healthy. A
great part Of it is more than 5000 feet
above sea, and, as the president says,
If has a climate which is perpetual
spring. It is noted for its fine grass
and fat stock and will furnish the beef
of the future for the ships passing
through the canal
This country has been recently in
vestiRated by the American meat trust
With a view to determining whether
IL would pay to build a packing house
here to supply the canned beef trade
of the west coast Of South America
1t was found that the cattle on hand
just now could not keep the factory
running and so nothing was done.
May Be Great Cattle Country.
Nevertheless, it is said that there is
enough land in Panama for stock rails
ing to support five million head Of
cattle. There are parts Of the coun-
try where one acre VIII fatten a steer,
and so far there are public pastures
where any one can Craze his stock.
The weather is so warm that there is
no need of barns or sheds and the an
imals feed out Of doors all the year
round. There are also special fatten-
ing grounds where fodder plants are
set out, the animals being fed only
wild grasses until the time they are
needed for market.
1t is also said that alfalfa will grow
and that at least two crops can be
secured during the rainy season and a
third crop by irrigation, IN the dry
time Of the year. The present cost OF
cattle raising in the ChiriQui pastures
is said to be a little more than dol
lar per annum, and I am told that this
can be materially reduced Il the lands
are fenced.
Americans Try Coffee Raising.
President Porras tells me that Ameri-
cans have begun to take up lands and
set out coffee plantations IL the north
eTn part Of the republic. DR.. Dexter,
the president Of the National Institute
in Panama City, has just set out 5000
trees, and he expects to have 100, 900
when his plantation is in full swing
There are a number Of North Amer
lean families who have coffee estates
near David, upon the highlands some
miles in the interior. Some of these
are eXemployes Of the canal and others
are outsiders who have come in from
the United States to settle
There is one large cocoa plantation
In Chiriqui where $4,000 trees are in
bearing, and there is a rubber estate
near MOntijo bay owned by a New
England company which has 400 square
miles that will be set out in bananas,
cOcOanuts and other tropi-
cal fruits. This company owns thou
sands Of rubber trees from which it is
annually gathering the sap.
Imports It's Tomatoes.
At the present time the tomatoes and |