642 T 
HABITS OF COMMON RABBIT.—Our common 
rabbit makes a very attractive pet when captured, 
even after he is fully grown. But a wilder thing was 
probably never handled than an individual just taken 
from the trap. He comes as near jumping out of his 
skin as anything alive. His fright is pitiable to be¬ 
hold, and, mute thaJt he is at other times, the wail he 
then sets up is enough to touch the heart of the most 
hardened and brutal. Much of his life is spent in 
thickets about cultivated fields, at the edges of woods, 
wherever suitable forage is to be found. His trust in 
his fieetness and cunning is such that he penetrates 
even into the edges of cities. During the day our 
rabbits remain on their “forms,” which consist of 
slight depressions in the ground among grasses and 
weeds. Their colors harmonize so completely with 
their surroundings that they are very effectively con¬ 
cealed, and it is only when one stumbles on them, or 
when dogs nose them out, that they are started. They 
do not burrow, and are not much given to going un¬ 
derground, although they will dash into any hole or 
crevice that offers refuge when closely pursued. Dur¬ 
ing very severe snowstorms they resort to brush 
heaps, and are sometimes surrounded here and killed 
in large numbers. In the Spring, often in March, 
when the weather is still coid, the female makes a lit¬ 
tle pocket, a few inches in depth, in the soil in some 
retired place, and lines it with the soft fur torn from 
her body. The young, which number four or five, re¬ 
main in this snug retreat for several weeks, but soon 
run about, probably remaining in the neighborhood 
of the mother for some time later. 
PORTO RICO FOR AMERICANS. 
Fruit and Vegetable Growing. 
VEGETABLES.—No portion of the United States 
domain offers such a profitable field for the employ¬ 
ment of horticultural skill backed by capital as Porto 
Rico. Its wonderfully sunny Winters, with uniformly 
warm nights, make it superior to Bermuda or Florida, 
because absolute immunity from frost is secured. The 
writer grew tomatoes, egg plants and beans last Win¬ 
ter on a property near Jobos Bay, on the south coast 
of the Island east of Ponce, which demonstrated that 
this business is practicable under present conditions. 
In this experiment the seed was sown in December, 
four months too late, and a third of an acre each of 
tomatoes and egg plants were grown. Marketed in 
April and May the tomatoes brought $2 to $3 per 
carrier (30 pounds), and the yield was such as to war¬ 
rant the conclusion that, starting operations at the 
proper time, the gross receipts should be from $800 
to $1,600 per acre. Egg plants flourish luxuriantly in 
the Porto Rico Winters, and this crop is perhaps 
more easily handled than tomatoes by the gardener 
new to the climate. A wind-break of hills, or of trees 
such as bananas, should shelter the vegetable field 
from the prevailing trade winds, which, while very 
delightful in the shade, combined with the heat of 
the sun cause excessive evaporation in soft-leaved 
garden crops. These conditions make irrigation de¬ 
sirable for the most complete success, because while 
there is in many sections of Porto Rico an abund¬ 
ance of rainfall, there are frequently short droughts 
during February and March, which would prove dis¬ 
astrous in cutting down the yield. Intensive methods 
are necessary to grow vegetables successfully, and 
this is nowhere so imperative as where highly-devel¬ 
oped plants are grown under the strong push of the 
tropical sun. The conditions are quite similar to 
those of the hothouse. Thorough fertilization, culti¬ 
vation, watering and rigorous pruning of laterals are 
among the conditions requisite to insure success in 
growing tomatoes and egg plants to perfection in the 
West Indies. There are insects of course in Porto 
Rico as well as in the States, and the intelligent 
■gardener will be provided with modern means for 
combating them. September, October and November 
will be the planting months for Winter vegetables 
in Porto Rico. Potatoes and onions should be plant¬ 
ed at the close of the heavy Fall rains of October, on 
well-drained land, when they will succeed the best 
in the slightly modified heat and drier climate of the 
Winter months, ripening in February, March and 
April, when new potatoes command $7 to $9 per bar¬ 
rel, and new onions $1.56 to $2 per crate in New York. 
PINEAPPLES.—It is doubtful whether a climate 
and soil can be found anywhere more congenial for 
the growth of pineapples than Porto Rico. They are 
found growing wild in old clearings throughout the 
Island, in situations where they have continued to 
grow and bear fruit, somewhat stringy it is true, 
holding their own in the wild growth of the bush. 
The deliciously sweet yellow-fleshed “par de azucar,” 
or sugarloaf variety and the large white or “cabe- 
zonia,” known in the northern market as “Porto 
Rico,” are the varieties now chiefly grown. The lat¬ 
ter, on account of its superior size and shipping 
qualities, is the better for commercial planting. This 
HE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
luscious fruit can be grown on a large scale in Porto 
Rico at the present time, as it is one which is simple 
in cultivation, and the market for the fresh and the 
canned product is Immense. With good management 
they should yield a net profit of from $100 to $300 per 
acre, especially if a fine stock is grown. 
ORANGES.—Orange growing, on account of the 
magnitude of the market in the United States, has 
naturally attracted more Americans than any other 
line of horticulture. Probably 50 Americans have 
started to establish groves on the Island, and during 
the present season more than ever before. One of 
the pioneers in this line, Gustavo Preston, of Boston, 
who was born on the Island, and has extensive busi¬ 
ness interests there as a sugar and molasses im¬ 
porter, was recently interviewed by a reporter of the 
Boston Herald, in the course of which he said that 
he bought 300 acres after the American occupation, 
and has gone into the fruit business in a modest way. 
His land is in the southeast end of the Island, well 
into the country among the real natives, five miles 
from the nearest village. He found it a good loca¬ 
tion for orange culture, many orange trees growing 
wild there. From one of these, 3,500 delicious oranges 
were gathered one season, which made about 20 
boxes. The duty on these 20 boxes was about $16 
(the rate is one cent a pound) and if an acre of trees 
(70) would bear as well the duty for the product of 
the acre would amount to $1,120. If Jamaica planters 
can make a profit from oranges imported to the Uni¬ 
ted States, paying this duty, one can estimate the in¬ 
creased profits accruing to the Porto Rican planter. 
As for California and Florida fruit, the freight from 
these States to the market will average from 70 to 90 
cents; but from Porto Rico to New York the cost is 
only 25 cents. He imported from Florida orange trees 
of different sizes, and secured others in the vicinity of 
his land, and set out in all about 10,000 trees. As one 
A RABBIT TRAP COMMONLY USED IN KENTUCKY. Fl«. 286. 
has to wait several years for the first crop of oranges, 
he began the cultivation of several products well pro¬ 
tected by the United States tariff, such as tobacco, 
rice and beans, which yield fair profits with small 
investments. This small investment for labor has 
greatly increased the comfort of the neighboring 
population, which he found to be an exceedingly lov¬ 
able, tractable and grateful people, honest to a de¬ 
gree, and living in the same way their fathers did 
from the produce of their little plots of yams, sweet 
potatoes, plantains, etc. The district adjoining Baya- 
mon, which is only a few miles from San Juan, has 
been up to now the favorite for Americans locating 
orange groves in Porto Rico, as it combines good so 1 
and sheltered location with excellent shipping facili¬ 
ties. Every quarter of Porto Rico has soils and lo¬ 
calities adapted to fruit growing, and better means 
of communication only are required to open up hun¬ 
dreds of thousands of acres of these in the hill coun¬ 
try of the interior, which can now be bought for a 
merely nominal price. The southwest portion of the 
Island, the neighborhood of Mayaguez, Is the district 
where the largest number of fine pineapples and 
oranges are now found growing, as climate and soil 
conditions are very favorable there, but at present 
the transportation facilities do not favor this section 
for exporting. 
TOBACCO.—^Tobacco growing in Porto Rico has a 
bright future, as there are many regions where the 
soils produce a high-grade leaf, similar to the famous 
vuelta abajo tobacco of western Cuba. Much of Porto 
Rico tobacco was formerly sent to Cuba, where it was 
recured and sorted and sold for Havana. Porto 
Ricans do not understand the fine arts of curing and 
preparing the leaf for market so well as their cousins, 
the Cubans, and just now are not prepared to take 
advantage of the enormous tariff bounty which they 
possess in this great industry. 
CANE.—Cane growing for sugar, molasses and rum 
September 21 
manufacture, under a highly favorable tariff, is now 
enormously profitable in Porto Rico, but not over 10 
per cent of the lands, the rich alluvial soils of sea 
coast and river valleys, are suitable for this busi¬ 
ness. Cane growing to be profitable must be con¬ 
ducted on an enormous scale. It is said that over 
$1,000,000 has been invested in the land, railroad and 
new sugar plant of the De Ford Company on Jobos 
Bay, Porto Rico. Under such circumstances the sugar 
industry offers a few situations to efficient young 
men who have executive ability, and some knowledge 
of Spanish, but only the very wealthy can engage 
in it as proprietors. 
COFFEE.—The coffee business was already in a 
depressed condition on account of low prices to the 
grower, when the American occupation brought a 
rise in the duty in Spain and Cuba. This was fol¬ 
lowed within a year by a desolating cyclone, which 
destroyed the branches of the coffee trees throughout 
a large portion of the Island. The coffee growers are 
many of them ruined, and little work has been done 
on these properties, because most of the growers are 
in debt. These sad conditions are among the causes 
of the suffering of the laboring classes in the interior 
of Porto Rico. As coffee is on the free list there is 
no advantage in growing this crop in Porto Rico over 
countries beyond the control of our Government. 
Probably in time much land now devoted to coffee 
may be planted to fruit and vegetable crops which 
produce a higher value per acre. This can only be 
done, however, as better roads and railroads pene¬ 
trate the interior coffee districts. As Americans come 
in to develop the waste places of Porto Rico, and as 
labor becomes more intelligent and proficient, the 
minor products of the Island will be more and more 
exploited, and the crops more and more diversified. 
New industries will spring up, based on utilizing the 
products of the soil, and those already started, such 
as the manufacture of cigars, cigarettes, hammocks 
and hats, etc., will be systematized and extended. 
Porto Rico will become a delightful Winter garden 
for the United States, the home of the fruit grower, 
and the favorite haunt of tne tourist seeking Winter 
diversion. f. a. penkock. 
SUCCESS mTH COIV PEAS IN DELAWARE. 
The present season has been a record breaker all 
along the line. In July and early August we had the 
longest continuous spell of high temperature within 
the memory of the oldest inhabitant. Accompanying 
this were frequent rains and a-high degree of atmos¬ 
pheric humidity. These were just the conditions re¬ 
quisite to produce the highest development of the 
corn and cow-pea crops, both of which have a prom¬ 
inent place in Delaware agriculture. I have been 
growing cow peas for 12 years past, and nave often 
secured very heavy crops of them, but I do not re¬ 
member a year when the growth has been so uni¬ 
formly rank and heavy as it is this season in every 
field I have seen. The Mt. Olive and the large early 
black varieties have long been great favorites with 
me on account of early maturity and bush habit of 
growth, at the same time producing as heavy crops 
as can be comfortably turned under. But they have 
grown this season as never before, and I should not 
recognize them at all from appearance of the vines. 
My field of Mt. Olive is a sight to behold; planted in 
rows 32 inches apart they completely hide the ground, 
and by actual measure the vines are over four feet. 
I have completed cutting a field of Early Black for 
hay. It was in my pear orchard of standard Bartlett 
trees, and had occupied the ground only 70 days. The 
plants were well podded, and a few pods had ripened. 
A pair of Norman horses and -a strong McCormick 
mower were used, and of all the tough jobs I ever 
had cutting hay, I think that was the toughest. Many 
of the vines were over 10 feet in length, and tangled 
and twisted in every direction. The first “through” 
in each space between three rows wes especially diffi¬ 
cult to cut, and I had to stand up on the machine in 
order to see where to drive. By keeping the team on 
a lively walk I could sometimes cut several rods with¬ 
out stopping, but more often would not get more than 
one or two rods before the guards would load up with 
vines and leaves, necessitating a stop. The “divider” 
failed to divide, but slipped along under the mass of 
vines, and the only guide I had was the impress of 
the wheels made the previous round. The next thing 
is to cure it properly, retaining the leaves. This I 
hope to do, as the weather Is fine, and promises to 
continue so. I fed six tons of excellent cow-pea hay 
last "Winter to milch cows and work horses with 
grand results. Out of 76 acres in my farm, 24 acres 
are now in cow peas. Twelve acres of them will be 
limed and plowed under in October and sown to rye, 
which in turn will be plowed down next May, and the 
field planted in corn. This treatment I expect to give 
as good results in the corn crop as a heavy dressing 
of stable manure. I have no failures with cow peas. 
I always use good seed, and plant or sow them in 
June or July, when the soil has become thoroughly 
warm. Early sowing, April or May, will result in fail¬ 
ure. The cow pea is a hot-weather plant and must 
have proper conditions to thrive. Crops are generally 
good in Delaware this season, and are bringing very 
satisfactory prices. Peaches were never finer in 
color, size and quality. Quite a number of farms 
have been sold recently to northern and westein 
farmers, who are finding out the advantages of cli¬ 
mate, healthfulness, soil, location, etc., offered hy 
Delaware. fACKAar. 
