Vol. XVII. No. 426. 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



•269 



THE PORTO RICO AGRICULTURAL 

 EXPERIMENT STATION. 



The report tor the year 1916, of the Porto Rico Agricul- 

 tural Experiment Station, which was issued on February 5, 

 1918, from the Office of Experiment Stations, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, consists of six separate reports of 

 oiEcers on the staff of the Station. The first, which is by 

 Mr. D. W. May, the Agronomist in Charge, deals with the 

 general aspects of agriculture in the island. The year 

 reported on witnessed an increase in agricultural production 

 in Porto Rico, with excellent yields of most crops, and high 

 prices for the products. Especially has this been the case 

 with food crops. Mr. May notes with approval that greater 

 skill, more extended and better cultivation, and the use of 

 larger quantities of fertilizers have been apparent. The fact 

 that more land has been brought under cultivation than 

 ever before in the history of the island promises well for its 

 future, for it must be remembered that, although Porto Rico 

 is for a West Indian island, thickly populated, having about 

 350 persons to the sijuare mile, only 20 per cent, of the land 

 is under crops, in spite of the fact that very little of it is 

 wholly unsuited to the purpose. 



Sugar is the leading crop, and this has of course yielded 

 large profits. The rotation of crops on cane lands is a 

 matter deserving more attention in Porto Rico, as the gene- 

 ral custom is to allow such lands to return to pasture. The 

 agricultural station urges the planting of legumes, especially 

 velvet beans, after taking off the last crop of raloons. This 

 bean makes an enormous growth under Porto Rican condi- 

 tions, and not only improves the soil by adding nitrogen, 

 but also yields a large (juantity of forage which is very useful 

 in feeding the number of working cattle employed on cane 

 estates. Moreover, the velvet bean is so easily planted that 

 it is scarcely more expensive to grow it as a crop than to 

 allow the land to lie fallow. 



Another good practice strongly advocated by this ex- 

 periment station is that of planting edible beans in the fields 

 of young canes. One of the largest Porto Rican importations 

 is the red bean, which, along with rice, forms the principal 

 article of diet of the people. 



Not only is the growing of this crop profitable in itself, 

 but the practice improves the land by storing nitrogen, the 

 element most needed by Porto Rican soils. Mr. May thinks 

 that, since the labourer needs the beans for food, and the 

 planter wants the nitrogen in his soil, it would be of advan- 

 tage to both if the planter allowed his labourers to grow the 

 bean wherever possible, because the resulting improvement 

 of the soil would repay the owner, even though he gave the 

 labourer the entire crop of beans. 



The coffee industry had somewhat fallen oft" throughout 

 the year. Prices have been low, and the difficulties of ship- 

 ping have been great. 



A movement for the formation of an association of the 

 coffee growers seems to offer hopes of better success in the 

 future. The association will arrange to have Porto Rican 

 coffee roasted and packed under its own name and brand, 

 and to sell the product by agreement with grocers who will 

 give it a thorough trial, the growers carefully guaranteeing 

 its quality and freshness. 



In connexion with the cultivation of coffee also Mr. May 

 urges the advantage of growing beans on the plantations. 

 Although red beans are sold locally for as much as 18c. 

 per ft)., and are brought from countries as far away as 

 Manchuria, the coffee growers, as well as the sugar planters, 

 seem to think their production not worthy of attention. 



The cultivation of tobacco, the third of the principal 

 crops of Porto Rico, has increased, and the quality of the 

 product has been much improved. New methods of culti- 

 vating the plant, and curing and fermenting the leaves have 

 built up a reputation for Porto Rican cigars in the United 

 States. The tobacco factory employees in Porto Rico are 

 the best organized labourers there, and receive the highest 

 wages. 



The fruit industry has not been particularly flourishing,- 

 as the prices throughout the year have been low. The 

 trouble is that the larger part of the fruit shipped has been 

 poorly packed, or defective in appearance and quality. 

 Improvement in this industry will come through organization 

 and co-operation, especially in packing and marketing. It is 

 most important in any fruit industry that the product should 

 be of standard quality. 



With respect to minor crops, the production of those con- 

 sumed locally has shown the greatest increase. There is still 

 room, however, for much extension in this direction. Mr. May 

 points out that 80 per cent, of the land of Porto Rico is 

 uncultivated, while -^.o, 598, 799 worth of rice is imported: and 

 he believes that there are vast possibilities of growing that 

 crop on the island. Beans and peas also, to the value of 

 $819,703, were imported during the year, and these can be 

 easily grown almost all over the island. The fact is that the 

 profits accruing from the chief crops, such as sugar and tobacco, 

 overshadow those of the minor ones: and yet some of these 

 might possibly be the more profitable. Without diminishing 

 its efforts to increase its export trade, Porto Rico could with 

 great profit produce a very great portion of the foodstuflfe 

 now imported, thus guarding against the danger of food 

 shortage. 



A local manufacture, which has grown very largely in 

 recent years, is that of weaving hats. From Mayaguez, a port 

 on the west coast of Porto Rico, hats valued at more than 

 .$500,000 were exported during the year. 



With regard to stock farming, it appears that owing 

 to the greatly extended planting of sugar-cane there is 

 a large demand for working oxen, and the value of 

 these has increased greatly. To raise more live stock, 

 however, more forage must be grown. The pasture lands 

 of the hills produce for the most part grasses of a poor 

 type. The experiment station has introduced, and is dis- 

 tributing seeds of Sudan grass, kafir corn, and other forage 

 plants of desirable types. Here again the velvet bean is 

 proving one of the best plants introduced as a forage producer. 

 The native cattle in Porto Rico, which are mainly in- 

 tended for working purposes, show size and vigour, but as 

 milk producers they need much improvement. In this direc- 

 tion the station is giving much assistance, by assisting breed- 

 ers to import cattle of good breeds, and by selling at reason- 

 able prices animals bred in the station herd. 



Th^ Joi/niai of the Board of Agriculture, May IS 18. 

 draws attention to a notice issued by the Food Production 

 Department early in May, as to the advisability of growing 

 maize for fodder in certain parts of England. In the ?nuth- 

 ern and south-eastern counties where, comparatively speaking, 

 the climate is mild, the rainfall low, and periods of drought 

 are frequent, no forage crop will better repay attention at 

 the present time than maize. Easily cultivated, it is suited 

 to a variety of soils, and will produce a large bulk— 20 tons 

 and upwards per acre —of succulent material suitable for 

 supplementary grass in early autumn, or, if made into silage, 

 for replacing part of the winter root- ration. Maize is mush 

 relished by all classe-' of farm stock, and it is especially 

 valuable for dairy c^ws, encouraging a large flow of milk. 



