Vol. XIV. No. 351. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS 





A YEARS WORK IN PORTO RICO. 



Porto Rico, with an area of 3,600 sq. miles, bas a popula- 

 tion of over one million. The population is g, as is like- 

 wise the agricultural i luction. Porto Rico is an old-settled 



country, permanent settlements having been made before they 

 took place in the mainland of North America. It is not strange 

 therefore that the natural n oun of the country have been 

 thoroughly exploited. The forests have been consumed, 

 and the fertility of the soil, the greatest natural resource of 

 * country, lias been very largely depleted by unscientific 

 agriculture. The n irk, therefore, of the Porto llico Experi 

 ment Station, an account of which, for 1914, is now before 

 us, is necessarily of great importance to the country, and its 

 policy is a progressive and constructive one 



The first part of this interesting report provides 

 a summary of the investigation wdrl; that lias been carried 

 oul by different members of the st iff. Much attention has 

 been given to matters oi re-afforestation as well as to the 

 improvement of live stock, the provision of rural.credit, and to 

 the introduction into cultivation of fodder and cover crops. 

 These latter together « iili citrus and i ■"•■•■. staple productions, 

 will be considered in greater detail lati t on. 



The chemical work performed has had relation to several 

 problems of interest. One which deserves special attention 

 concerns chlorosis of sugar cane. This condition of the cane 

 plant is seen in the loss of green colour of the leaves and is 

 due to iron starvation. It appears that the application of 

 sulphate of iron to the soil has little effect upon the plant, 

 though where very heavy applications of this substance is 

 given along with pen manure, notable increases have in some 

 cases been noted. In the case of rice and pine-apples, 

 carbonate of lime in the soil seems to be responsible for 

 inducing chlorosis on account of its depressing the assimilation 

 of iron, [t should be noted that sulphate of iron applied to 

 the leaves as a spray has been found to restore the green 

 colour and to induce a normal growth; but applied to the soil 

 it is without effect. 



Turning to the report of the horticulturist we find refer 

 ence to matters of great practical interest. In regard to coco- 

 nuts attention has been given to the yield of individual trees. 

 In some of the experimental plots thrifty looking palms bearing 

 but five or ten nuts a year are found growing next to other 



trees yielding 100 or I 10 a year. The importance of seed 



nut selection by those contemplating a new grove is plainly 

 shown. This matter should receive the same appreciation in 

 the British islands of the West Indies. Some interesting 

 results have been obtained during the year by growing cover 

 .crops beneath the trees. It has been found that Stizo'obium 

 sp. (velvet beansX make good growth and crowd out all 

 native weeds and grass; tiny have a longer growing season 

 and produce a heavier crop oi vegetation than the < lanavalias, 

 and are therefore preferable in coco-nut plantations. 

 Amongst the remaining experiments with cover crops the one 



in which leguminou ere grown to 



shade trees on pine-apples in somewhat novel. A- in the 



previous year both Jack Weans and peas were found 



injurious to the two variel tes of pine apples under o 



Similarly growing pine-apples under Pith 



resulted in failu I I he pine-apples. 



The report of theas is tan I horticulturist deals principally 

 with coffee. It is stated that of all the foreign c 

 duced, the 'Colonaris' coffee is the most promising of those 

 that have been tested on mj largi i tie, and which havi 



into bearing up to the present ti This variety 



a- ,i sport from the ordinary Arabian type, and wa- 

 in -I iva less than thin - go. I ' cup flavour in 

 excellent. At four years from setting, tin tensive 

 planting averaged aboul I lb. per i ree, and b "I the more 

 favourablj located trees only been considered, the rate I I 

 easily have been double this. The tree is more vigorous 

 and grows taller than the typical Porto linen coffee, and it 

 may be necessary to resor! to topping to facilitate picking. 

 The bean is a trifle smaller than the Porto Rician, which is 

 a slight market disadvantage. The coffee-fertilizer i 

 it is said, are continuing to show interesting results. In 

 one experiment with more than 100 trees, the yield of the 

 plot which had received complete chemical fertilizer and 

 stable manure was more than 36 per cent, greater than that 

 of the control. Verj interesting and valuable data are being 



accumulated, but as yel the experiments d I show that 



fertilizer can be applied with a financial gain. It seems quite 

 probable that coffee should be included among the acid- 

 tolerating plants, as benefits fi i lime alone applied to the 



acid soils at the Porto Rican Station have been doubtful. 

 Some of the handsomest coffee trees In the Station plantings 

 are in soil which is so acid as to require 1 O.V_'7 gramms of 

 sodium hydroxide for tic neutralization of 1 kilogi i 

 soil. 



Turning to considerations on other crofts, it may l»e 

 mentioned in regard to cacao that action is being taken to 

 secure exact data regarding yields. The return from an 

 eleven-year old cacao planting has shown an increase of 

 nearly one-third over that of the preceding ••• u Th 

 productive tree yielded the equivalent of about I ft), of dried 

 beans worth 1 lc. per ft>, 



Success has attended the raising of vanilla at the 



experiment station. It is interesting to note that a - 



known as 'Pompon' fr Vera Cruz, Mexico, which has for 



four seasons shown itself sterile to all pollen from the same 

 plant was this season fertilized by pollen from the 



V. plnni/ii/iii. It is remarked that some of tin vanilla 

 species produce very handsome flowers, which aside from all 

 economic reasons, ate well worth cultivating as ornamentals. 



line of the handsomest ol these i> the very thrifty Panama 

 vanilla with large yellow blossoms. 



Reference is made t> economic plant-, imported from 



Venezuela, which included a black Wean which in that 

 country is a common staple, and which is very vigorous and 

 prolific. A very delicious table corn called 'Cariaco' was also 

 obtained, and this together with the bean arc being p 

 to furnish seed for distribution. 



The publication concludes with two technical reports, 

 one by the Pathologist on plant diseases, and the second l.\ 



the Entomologist on plant pests. These will receive 

 tion in tic sections of thi- Journal devoted to th< 

 question. 



