X. AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK.

Agricultural enterprise in Costa Rica is chiefly devoted to coffee. The proper coffee zone lies between 800 to 1400 meters of elevation on both ocean slopes. Experiments have proved that the coffee-tree can also be successfully cultivated at a height of 600 meters, and still lower down, by moderating the glare of the sun with adequate shades and by pruning to correct excessive growth and fructification.

“Coffee was introduced into the country from Havana in 1796 by Francisco Javier Navarro, as were also the mango and the cinnamon. The first seeds were sown in Cartago. Much credit for the propagation of coffee culture in Costa Rica is due to Padre Velarde, under the government of Don Tomas de Acosta, who took great interest in agriculture.

“During the administration of Don Juan Rafael Mora (1849-1857) farming received a remarkable development, for it was much promoted by the construction of important roads. The cultivation of coffee and sugar cane then absorbed the attention of the country to such an extent that, in 1861, 100,000 quintals were exported.” (J. B. Calvo’s book on Costa Rica).

The census of 1892 supplies the following figures concerning coffee:

Province of San José.

Number of plantations. Number of trees. Crop in quintals. Crop in kilogr. Value in pesos.

San José 1,628 7,321,708 95,942 4,413,732 2,648,239

Escasú 297 913,712 15,328 705,088 450,840

Desamparados 313 2,115,123 28,645 1,317,670 859,290

Puriscal 183 85,701 254 11,684 7,620

Aserri 223 272,809 701 32,246 21,030

Mora 137 42,312 191 8,786 5,730

Tarrazú 83 28,121 112 5,152 3,360

Goicoechea 89 302,143 10,432 479,872 167,955

Total 2,953 11,081,629 151,605 6,974,230 4,164,064

Province of Alajuela.

Number of plantations. Number of trees. Crop in quintals. Crop in kilogr. Value in pesos.

Alajuela 547 2,247,809 26,546 1,211,116 796,380

San Ramon 214 715,592 5,527 254,242 165,810

Grecia 497 917,201 10,997 505,862 329,910

Atenas 50 110,599 1,027 47,242 30,810

San Mateo 20 23,883 189 8,694 5,670

Naranjo 171 299,829 40,321 1,854,766 1,209,630

Palmares 402 1,368,689 22,998 1,057,908 689,940

Total 1,901 5,683,602 107,605 4,939,830 3,228,150

Province of Cartago.

Number of plantations. Number of trees. Crop in quintals. Crop in kilogr. Value in pesos.

Cartago 505 727,893 8,529 392,334 249,870

Paraiso 91 633,995 4,985 229,310 149,550

La Union 387 1,667,809 16,295 749,570 488,850

Total 983 3,029,697 29,809 1,371,214 888,270

Province of Heredia.

Number of plantations. Number of trees. Crop in quintals. Crop in kilogr. Value in pesos.

Heredia 1,371 3,249,901 36,893 1,697,078 1,106,790

Barba 247 885,891 11,792 542,432 351,870

Santo Domingo 391 2,147,824 32,810 1,509,260 984,300

Santa Barbara 399 496,809 3,201 147,246 96,030

San Rafael 121 335,725 4,509 207,414 135,270

Total 2,529 7,116,150 89,205 4,103,430 2,674,260

Altogether Costa Rica, in 1892, had 8366 coffee-fincas with 26,911,078 coffee-trees, and a crop of 378,224 quintals or 17,388,704 kilograms, valued at 10,954,744 pesos.

It may be interesting to learn the amount of the coffee crops since 1883, given in sacks of fifty-nine or sixty kilograms each.

Sacks. Sacks. Sacks. Sacks.

1883 153,379 1887 218,032 1891 235,703 1895 184,825

1884 277,158 1888 171,898 1892 179,970 1896 195,263

1885 157,515 1889 215,793 1893 190,700 1897 227,582

1886 150,618 1890 256,576 1894 179,613

Another important agricultural product of Costa Rica is the banana. Its cultivation was begun on the Atlantic coast in 1879, and the first 360 bunches were shipped, February 7. 1880, by steamer “Earnholm” from Port Limon to New York.

In 1884 there were 350 farms, comprising over four thousand acres of land, containing 570,000 banana plants, from which, in that year, 420,000 bunches were obtained. Before 1879 banana plants were set out in coffee plantations to shade the young trees and shelter their berries. The bananas were used to feed pigs. The laboring classes kept a few plants, using the fruit boiled with salt, or roasted on hot coals instead of bread.

The following table shows the banana export figures since 1883:

Bundles. Tons.

1883 110,801 3,693

1884 420,000 14,000

1885 401,183 13,373

1886 595,970 19,866

1887 889,517 29,651

1888 854,588 28,486

1889 990,898 33,030

1890 1,034,765 34,492

1891 1,133,717 37,791

1892 1,178,812 39,294

1893 1,278,647 42,621

1894 1,374,986 45,833

1895 1,585,817 52,861

1896 1,692,102 56,400

Sugar cane is used largely in Costa Rica as fodder and in the manufacture of aguardiente; also to produce the raw sugar or dulce, which is consumed entirely by country people.

In 1889 sugar cane by provinces was raised on the following number of acres:

In San José on 4819 acres; in Alajuela on 5076 acres; in Cartago on 1466 acres; in Heredia on 1114 acres; in Guanacaste on 719 acres; in Puntarenas on 1471, and in Limon on 122 acres. The aggregates were 14,787 acres, and a production of 1,368,000 pounds of sugar and 18,454,000 pounds of dulce.

Cacao culture has received but little attention in Costa Rica, because the more profitable coffee plantations absorb all the time and capital. The number of plantations regularly established up to 1888 was 198, having in all 56,426 trees that yielded in the same year 331,900 pounds valued at 165,770 pesos. Most of the cacao was cultivated in Aserri, Atenas, Naranjo, Heredia, Paraiso, Guanacaste and Limon.

Cacao was exported from 1884 to 1889 as follows:

Years. Pounds. Value in Dollars.

1884 9,927 3,227

1885 16,271 4,084

1886 5,776 2,223

1887 10,906 4,708

1888 18,410 3,576

1889 28,830 12,386

Total 90,120 30,204

Excellent cacao was grown during Spanish colonial days around Matina, but none is exported now.

With respect to wheat, up to 1860 there was sufficient for the consumption of the country. It was so intelligently cultivated that the finer grades were produced. The rise in the price of coffee and the competition with the flour of the United States and Chile drove out the native wheat almost entirely, and to-day the cultivation of this grain is badly neglected. To-day the only flour-mill in this country grinds imported wheat.

Tobacco was a monopoly for many years, and only recently has the culture been taken up by the people.

Other important agricultural products are rice, beans, corn and potatoes.

The cultivation of rice in Costa Rica demands very little care and no irrigation to produce two crops a year of a very superior quality. Beans and corn are successfully grown everywhere in the country, while the raising of potatoes is almost wholly confined to the hillsides of Cartago and Alajuela, where they acquire an extremely fine quality.

According to the census of 1892, the average annual production of these crops for that and the two preceding years was in liters as follows:

Corn. Beans. Rice. Potatoes.

San José 8,394,527 1,842,527 236,543 7,915

Alajuela 6,898,549 999,652 867,528 ..

Cartago 7,874,642 1,724,628 .. 1,745,725

Heredia 2,949,692 132,842 .. ..

Guanacaste 1,862,598 92,321 121,342 ..

Puntarenas 392,721 21,325 132,845 ..

Limon 18,525 2,822 .. ..

Total 28,391,254 4,816,117 1,358,258 1,753,640

Important agricultural districts are, besides the Central Highlands about one hundred and fifty kilometers in length by sixty kilometers in width, the great valleys of Talamanca, Santa Clara, Tortuguero, San Carlos and Rio Frio. Along the Pacific the great valley of Térraba and the plains of Golfo Dulce and Guanacaste are fertile regions, which, if properly tilled, would offer advantages equal to the Central Highlands, where nearly the entire population of Costa Rica is concentrated.

Plants characterizing fertile lands, rich in humus, on the Atlantic slope, are Piper, especially that with large leaves, Loaseæ, and certain Acanthaceæ. On the Pacific side such characteristic plants are Piper, with smaller leaves, the Pacaya Palm, and some ferns. Especially are the Aspidium and Polypodium found in large quantities.

Considering the future of Costa Rica, the question of farm labor is of vital importance. There are only a few Indians, and they are rapidly decreasing. It looks as though the fertile lowlands on the Atlantic and Pacific sides, as well as those in the extensive and fruitful San Juan valley, must be turned over to the Negro race as the only one capable of enduring so inhospitable a climate. These regions are the richest of all and could sustain a large population.

The live stock of Costa Rica, though in general superior to that of the rest of Central America, is not yet sufficiently large to supply the local demand. Although there has been recent improvement in breeding cattle and horses, yet the high grade animals, which could be easily introduced into a country of so many natural advantages, are still lacking. At different times the development of this industry has been attempted. Costa Rica has vast pasture lands splendidly adapted to cattle. It has very nutritious forage plants, like arrocillo, cola de venado, zacate de guinea, zacate de castilla, zacate pará, zacate ancho, grama, guate, caña de azucar, gamalote, sabanilla, teosinte, lengua de vaca, guácimo, jengibrillo, platanillo, etc.

The live stock of Costa Rica in 1892 was distributed as follows:

Cattle. Horses. Sheep. Swine.

San José 51,884 17,542 1,538 23,628

Alajuela 62,410 16,774 159 16,185

Cartago 48,555 9,900 715 5,109

Heredia 35,391 6,380 57 13,241

Guanacaste 134,567 24,458 296 2,180

Puntarenas 9,667 1,721 — 1,128

Limon 3,191 268 — 857

Total 345,665 77,043 2,765 62,328

The consumption of cattle in Costa Rica is exhibited by the following data:

1894. 1895. 1896. First half of 1897.

San José 12,851 12,824 13,467 6,942

Alajuela 7,402 7,184 7,180 3,493

Cartago 5,207 4,881 5,297 2,506

Heredia 4,864 4,942 4,249 2,438

Guanacaste 2,701 1,990 1,928 882

Puntarenas 1,472 1,471 1,302 770

Limon 804 789 798 488

Total 35,301 34,081 34,221 17,519

Further official reports disclose that in the capital the consumption of meat is quite uniform during the entire year, while in the country it is greater from August to January than from February to July.

The total value of the natural, agricultural and live stock products of the country has been calculated at 19,000,000 pesos.