PORTO RICO 



4774 



PORTO RICO 



and the rainfall : in the north - 



of the island. 



Mineral Resources. The visitor in Porto 

 Rico will notice that all of the public buildings 

 are constructed of limestone, which is found 

 abundantly on the inland. Many of the homes 

 of the better classes are built of stuccoed lime- 

 stone or of volcanic boulders, also a product of 

 the island. Clay u>ed in making brick and 

 earthenware, marble suitable for bridge piers 

 and other constructional work, flagstone of good 

 quality, and pypsum. employed in the manu- 

 facture of stucco and fertilizer, are other prod- 



important exports, and among the vegetables, 

 beans. The exports range from $45,000,000 to 

 $70,000,000 in value each year, Nearly all of 

 its trade is with the United S; 



According to the United States Census Bu- 

 reau, out of an area of 2,198,400 acres, 2,085,162 

 acres are in farm lands, and 1,570,304 acres are 

 in improved land. There were 58.371 farms in 

 1910, valued, on the average, at $35.47 per acre. 

 The problem of the future is the equalization 

 Di farm holdings, as too much of the land is 

 devoted to large sugar plantations. As a re- 

 sult, the people must rely for many of the 



PORTO RICO. 



SCALE OF MILES 



RAILR 

 MILITARY ROADS 



6TEAMSHIP LINES 



CAPITAL OF ISLAND 4 

 CAPITALS OF DIVISIONS < 



AN ISLAND OP NEW AMERICAN CITIZENS 



ucts of commercial value. On Mona Island, 

 lying off the western coast, are beds of phos- 

 phate which are being worked. Salt deposits 

 are found at several points on the main island. 

 Though Porto Rico contains deposits of gold, 

 silver, iron, copper, tin, mercury, platinum and 

 other materials, the mining industry is still a 

 matter of future enterprise. 



Agriculture. All other industries in Porto 

 Rico are secondary to those connected with the 

 cultivation of the soil. The sugar, coffee and 

 tobacco crops lead in amount and value, fol- 

 lowed by fruit and nuts. A new irrigation sys- 

 tem has greatly increased the output and ex- 

 port of sugar, and its producers within recent 

 years have enjoyed unusual prosperity. Among 

 the fruits, bananas, pineapples, plantains, or- 

 anges, grapefruit and cocoanuts are the most 



necessities of life on importations, whereas the 

 island should be self-supporting. 



Other Industries. The leading manufactur- 

 ing industries of the island the making of 

 sugar and molasses, the manufacture of cigars 

 and cigarettes and the cleaning and polishing 

 of coffee are directly connected with the chief 

 branches of agriculture. Over 275,000,000 cigars 

 and more than 350,000,000 cigarettes are manu- 

 factured a year by the Porto Rican tobacco 

 houses. San Juan and Ponce are important 

 tobacco centers, and Mayaguez and Caguas, of 

 coffee cleaning and polishing. Minor industries 

 are the distilling of liquors, the manufacture of 

 hats and straw goods and of boots and shoes, 

 and general shop construction and repairing. 

 Business is showing rapid expansion, over thirty 

 new corporations having been officially regis- 



