PORTO RICO is, to a great extent, an agricultural country, and its chief wealth is in the product of the soil. The great majority of the inhabitants of Porto Rico are either engaged in agriculture, or else in work of some kind relating to or depending on agriculture.

Of all the products of Porto Rican soil sugar is the principal one. Sugar cane has been grown on the island for 300 years. The first sugar mill was erected in 1548. Through the years, mills grew in number and the output of sugar increased annually. Up until American enterprise took hold, the mills were the simplest and crudest affairs, driven by the power of plodding oxen. Improved methods have produced within the last few years the best quality of cane and highly efficient processes of sugar making and handling. The Porto Rico sugar industry should be a source of great wealth to the island. The only thing that has checked it has been a tariff system that obliged Porto Rico to compete in the sugar trade with other countries – with the result that many Porto Rican planters lost money and became discouraged.

Tobacco and coffee are important products of the island. In certain sections of the country the soil produces a high grade of tobacco which is considered by some equal to the best Cuban tobacco. At present rate of production, tobacco may, before long, become the chief product of the land, though coffee is also increasing rapidly in importance. The Spaniards always favored coffee as an article of export, and Porto Rico under Spanish rule contributed coffee in great quantity to Spain, Cuba and other countries. Now Porto Rico has to compete with Brazil – which is a big and growingly important rival. Moreover, the markets for Porto Rican coffee in Spain and Cuba were affected by the tariffs, and Porto Rican coffee is little known in the United States. In spite of these disadvantages, the coffee industry in Porto Rico is gaining, and the production increasing. Coffee is headed for the first place among the island products.

Porto Rico grows many varied fruits, wholesome and rich in flavor. The most important of the fruits arc pineapples, which are extensively grown, oranges, grapefruit, and bananas. Cocoanuts are in abundance. Little is grown in the way of cereals, but beans are an important vegetable product. Attempts have been made to raise cattle and horses. Dairy farms, poultry farms and bee farms are plentiful and flourishing – and here and there one finds truck gardens cultivated.