Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-12-15

lance that the view of any qualified to speak
authority, conclusions based observation
experience than theory worth listening
TO. Such Mr. o. F. Cook, expert of the depart
ment agriculture. who has made life study of
agriculture many tropical regions Mr.. Cook is
inclined regard the possibilities of the tropics
very great far the raising of the great food
crops the temperate export is concerned
believes that the tropics, if properly developed;
ship food than they do but they will have
to be developed along their own lines.
they ship will have be largely their peculiar
products.
Mr.. Cook points out. example. that the immense
fertility supposed reside in tropical soils is largely
a popular deuson. The soils fertile enough, but
fertility is easily exhausted. For raising heavy
crops year after they cannot compare with the
soil of temperate Largely account trop-
agriculture has peculiar method that is partly
heritage from primitive times there, but is still
believed by intelligent planters be the only
practicable method. Tropical agriculture today is
nomadic agriculture The plantations move from place
to place every few years A banana coffee planter
will off the virgin vegetation plant his
bushes, gather his crop for ten dozen and
then abandon the site and a fresh one. In
lines of agriculture fresh clearngs
and occupied every year. This fact alone makes it
difficult establish permanent lines of transportation
and results in large part of the available land lying
idle for much of the time.
This nomadic method could probably be abandoned
in many cases., the experts believe thereby the
yield of certain typical tropc
erably increased Mr. Cook holds goodly sections
of the tropics coonizable they may pro-
duce increased quantities of certain crops, he
points out that in order to Justify any permanent
investment and development a scale would
figure in world production they capable of
supporting large fixed populations n other words
the tropical plantation will stay n the same
place instead of wandering iss
to be the unit of a producing center and a new
division of civilization may quite possibly come
about in certain lines.
Mr.. Cook believes that the tropical crops with
the greatest possibilities the banana avocado
or alligator and the plant, whose fruit we
know as cocoa, chocolate. Banana culture has
reached good point of efficiency, possibilities
Of the avocado which is nourishing tasty
well adapted for shipment, have only begun be
developed Cacao products of course, exported in
known; but owing to that no means of ship
ment has been perfected by which natural oil can
be retained without becoming rancid, we get dry
squeezed article Of the product if
comes from the plant The native in the bush can
get tastier than is possible wealthiest
American With this problem shipment solved
cacao products will undoubtedly play a much larger
part in food supply being as they are
now, merely confection and beverage
On the whole, it that while the tropics hold
great possibilities development progress will
have along their lines rather than in the
raising OF crops which recognize as belonging
the temperate ATTITUDES.
My word! If it isn't the peace dove.
Peace is like war in one respect-it is likely to
come suddenly.