Sugar Cane and Tobacco: A Comparison of Agricultural Types in the Highlands of Eastern Puerto Rico

Abstract

T oHE highland region of eastern Puerto Rico has adapted the resources of its soil and climate to the production of two types of agricultural crops. First, there are products grown for export to obtain exchange for the purchase of commodities not produced on the island. Sugar, tobacco, and, to a much lesser degree, coffee fall into this category. These export crops yield a high monetary return per acre, a feature of the economy that is especially significant in a densely populated area where natural resources are scant. Second, products that yield a high return per acre in terms of food value are raised for consumption on the farm and for limited sale on the island. These crops are composed of a variety of vegetables and fruits which collectively are called frutos menores. They include corn, rice, beans, yautia (dasheen), plantains, sweet potatoes, yams, pigeonpeas, and cassava. This production gives rise to a twofold division of agricultural types: sugar cane farming on the one hand and tobacco-food-crop agriculture on the other. The distinction between the two is not always clear-cut. They have many characteristics in common, and often they are found side by side on the same farm. However, the distinction exists, and it is reflected in both the economic and social structure of the region. Cane agriculture is characterized by large farms occupying the best soils in the area, the level alluvial bottoms and the gentle slopes. (See Type Area, Fig. 2.) Tobacco and food crops are typically raised on small farms where slopes are steep and soils have a low fertility rating. Cane farms are never far from railroad or highway facilities, whereas tobacco and minor crops may be grown even in the most inaccessible crannies. Cane farms are seldom selfsufficient in labor requirements, and, especially during the cutting season, must procure a large labor force. Labor on tobacco and food farms is generally supplied by the farmer's family, extra help being hired only in the case of the larger farms. Sugar culture is characterized by single crop production while tobacco has multiple-crop production.1 Cane farming surpasses tobacco in the amount of capital invested, in the income from crops, and in progressive agricultural techniques. The sugar men as a class are wealthier, better educated, socially more prominent, and more disposed to try new methods than are the tobacco farmers. Sugar agriculture has fewer medianeros (share croppers) and more absentee ownership; it is more inclined to the patterns of tropical plantation