Census of Porto Rico Volume 1; Taken Under the Direction of the War Department, U.S.A. Bulletin No. 1-3 [June 11-August 29, 1900] (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 Excerpt: ... the grove render the largest possible amount of fruit; and in order to secure this result it is necessary to cut off the old branches, or those which have exhausted their capacity to bear fruit, in order to give the tree the necessary light and ventilation. "Second. To suppress the suckers which absorb the sap and give no fruit; to cut the sprouts from the foot of the tree and also from the trunk and those which grow among the branches in unsuitable places; to suppress crooked and badly placed branches, those that may have been broken by storms, in the gathering of the fruit, or those which may have been broken by the excessive weight of the fruit. "The pruning is done after the harvest has been collected--that is, in the months of December and January--and a saw should be employed for the thick branches, and limbs over an inch and a half in thickness should scarcely ever be cut off. For the slender branches and sprouts, a sharp cutting machete should be used, always making clean cuts close to the limb, covering the wound with some sort of grafting wax. HOEING. "Hoeing is for the purpose of freeing the ground of pernicious vegetation. In Porto Rico, Cuba, and many other places this operation is usually performed by cutting awajT the growth with blows of the macliete. "The hoeing in the improved cultivation is not performed in this manner, because by the following month, in tropical regions, the pernicious vegetation has again grown up, owing to the climate, temperature, and humidity. The cleaning must be done with a hoe, digging well into the ground and causing the pernicious plants to dry" up even to the roots. This is the way to destroy this vegetation in a few years and also benefit the coffee trees and enrich the ground. ..".