Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-05-02
ISLAND INVESTOR
IN NS|GNEDLETTER
BARES SW|NDLE
CONTINUED from Page one.)

(Continued from Page One.)
land can only be used for a brief
period--until the surface drain
age stored from rainfall is ex-
hausted, then they turn brachish
or salt, for 1t only a few feet to
sea level.
Part OF the island soil is too
salty to produce any kind Of a
crop. A large portion of the is
land is not sub-trrigated and 1t is
too dry and too far to water to
produce a crop. The water table
is from to 13 feet, though on a
few low spots. it is less. On some
Of the ranches, it is impossible to
get fresh water wells, and one set
tier, Raymond, mas to cross an
Others land to get any water. At
other places, the wells remain
fresh only for month or two and
in one Of them over year. Orin
Thomas, for instance, has tried
numerous wells.
DR.. Hardy, living on the beach,
has to carry wa,er over mile.
There is little probability of fresh
water in the neighborhood Of the
proposed club house as It is too
near the beach.
Only One Crops Grows.
As to crops: the only crop that
might pay is the cocoanut, but it
Ii a question Of waiting many
years before the palms produce a
commercial crop. Good beans are
raised on the south end of the is
land, but on the other parts they
were not a success this year. Mr..
Griffith had six acres in beans and
never pulled bean One man, a
Mr.. Wilson, succeeded by strenuous
efofrt in harvesting one sack more
than planted. The land is too
dry.
The stories OF roasting corn ears
on the island. with which invest
ors are regaled, are part OF the
propaganda Of fraud. There are
no roasting ears from winter
planted corn Some of the corn
planted makes fodder. Two crops
Of corn cannot be produced as
there is no maturity for the sec
ond crop. The only crop is that
grown In the rainy season. The
best corn grown will not average
more than Is bushels to the acre,
and most of il not ten bushels. The
stalks grow spindly and tall,
about one-third Of usual thick
ness.
Alfalfa Selling Fake.
Alfalfa will not grow on the is
land, as the hot sun OF summer
burns 1t up. There Is little patch
grown in winter for the benefit of
investors, through irrigation, but
II is not and never can be com
mercial crop anymore than a
dozen other advertised products.
II is impossible to grow yege
tables in summer, the tropical
rains at night are succeeded by
such torrid blazing weather, that
1t burns the crops up. You can
grow few vegetables in winter,
IL you irrigate them and stay upI
night and day to keep the ants
and other pests off. Otherwise
they will eat the crops up faster
than they grow. The ants even
eat up the onion fields. Tomato
growing on the island is another
fake. Several Mexicans are trying
to grow them, but the fruit is all
deformed, Scared, runty, with not
a sound tomato in the field. Al
few yers ago the promoters colon
izer the island with several fami-
lies who set out 500 acres of to-
matoes. The attempt, like all the
efforts to produce something
worth while, ended in total fail
ure.
Is Land of Pests.
Palinito del Verde is land Of
pests and they keep going all the
year around. There are millions of
mleas, and never ending swarms
of gnats whose bite is poison and
causes swelling, There are
chiggers. which burrow under
your skin and set you afire with
itch; there are ticks. whose bite