The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-08-30
FERTILE PORTO RICO
THE ISLAND is AS BEAUTIFUL AS 1T
is PRODUCTIVE.

THE ISLAND is AS BEAUTIFUL AS 1T
is PRODUCTIVE.
It Has Thirteen Hundred Streams, a
Wealth of Vegetation, Highly Cultivable
Soil and Vast Deposits of Minerals-Few
Reptiles, but Many Insects.
Mr.. Frederick A. Ober, late commits
sioner in Porto Rico of the Columbian
exposition, contributes to The Century
an article on ''The Island of Porto
Rico" Mr.. ODER says:
In the extreme northeast rises the
highest peak Of the central cordillera
in the Luquillo sierra, known as 'tEl
Yunque, or "The Anvil" variously
estimated at from 3, 600 to 4, 800 feet in
height The hills are of lesser elevation
toward the west and southwest, but
the whole north central country is rug
ged and uneven. Between the spurs
from the main range lie innumerable
secluded valleys, where the soil is of
great fertility. The impressive features
of the landscape are the rounded sum-
mits of the multitudinous hills, which
leave the coast in constantly rising bill
lows that finally break against the cor
dillera vertebra; yet all are cultivable,.
and cultivated to their very crests,
though the higher mountain peaks are
forest clad.
More than 1900 streams, it is said,
of which number perhaps 40 or so at
tain to the dignity of rivers, rise in the
hills and seek the coasts, most of them
running northerly, though the best har-
bors are in the west and south But
Notwithstanding the great river flow
portions of the island in the southwest
are afflicted with drought at times,
owing to the precipitation of the north
east trades" against the northern hills
The higher hills are clothed in the
exuberant and diversified vegetation of
the tropical forest, where tree ferns
flourish and great gum trees and noun
tain palms tower aloft At lower levels
are the cedar and mahogany walnut
and laurel, with many Others noted for
their useful woods. Throughout the
kSlftIlO dI0 lOQIIu bIlOoO blt6S anu SHEuUS
valuable for their gums, as the Nancy,
guaiacum and copal, while the list of
medicinal plants includes most of those,
invaluable to our pharmacop@ias
which tropical America has given to
the world These are the silvestres, ma
lures wild children, but of cultivated
plants there is no species peculiar to
the tropics that does not flourish here.
In the littoral levels between the
mountains and the sea- grows the sug-
ar cane which may be cultivated up to
an altitude of 5000 feet 1t was intro
duced here from Santo Domingo, hay
ing been brought to America either
from Spain or the Canaries. The annu-
al yield of sugar is estimated at about
70, tons
In these fertile lowlands also tobacco
does exceedingly well, and the annual
production is said to be quite 1000, 900
pounds. 1t may be cultivated on the
hills, but the true mountain lover is the
Coffee which does not do we'll below
900 feet and is at its best /, 900 feet
above the sea. 1t was first brought here
from Martinique in 1922, and now
yields to the extent of II, 900 tons an
nually Maize, the true Indian corn, is
indigenous, as is the yucca, the aborigi-
nal staff of life, y and both grow ev-
erywhere, as well as the pineapple,
which is more reliable and more uni
versal than the peach of our north tenn
perate zone. Cotton and rice are found
at nearly all elevations, the latter,
which is the chief food OF many labor
ers, being what is known as the noun
tain variety.
Bananas and plaintains are wonderful
ly prolific, bearing fruit in ten months
from planting. The plants virtually
last so years, being equally long lived
with the cocoa palm, which produces
nuts in six or seven years and there
after during the space of an ordinary
life, it's yield being reckoned at 100
nuts year. The annual product of
Bananas is given as 900, 600, 900 and of
cocoanuts 3, 200, 900. The entire range
of tropical fruits is represented here,
such as the guava, lime, orange, aqua
cate, sapodilla and avocado pear. while
all subcfopic vegetables may be raised,
including those of the south temperate
zone, such, for instance, as are grown
in Florida
The mineral kingdom has not been
so exhaustively exploited as the vegeta-
BILE, but more than traces have been
found of copper, coal and iron, as we'll
as vast deposits of salt. The rivers at
one time ran to the sea over beds of
golden sand, and from the streams to-
day las i'll the neighboring island of
Santo Domingo, where the first Ameri
can gold was discovered) the natives
wash out nuggets by the crude proc
esses of that distant day when Aguey
naba went prospecting with his false
friend, Ponce de Leon.
There are no native quadrupeds here
larger than the agouti and the armadil
10, but birds are relatively numerous,
with few of fine song and some of
brilliant plumage. All domestic fowl
do we'll here, and the great pastures of
the northeast and southeast support vast
herds of cattle and horses, which suffice
not only for the needs of the island, but
are exported to all parts of the West
indies being held in high esteem
There are no poisonous reptiles to be
feared, but insects of questionable char
acter are too numerous for comfort.
This island indeed were a paradise
without them even with them the
inhabitants seem to experience little
trouble The worst of these are the
scorpions, centipeds, tarantulas wasps.
mosquitoes, some species of ants, ticks,
chigoes and Aeas. The heat of tropical
climate like that OF Porto Rico, which,
though rarely exceeding 80 degrees, is
continuous, is conducive to the breed
ing of insect pests Of all sorts.
Stronger Than Oak.
Foot bridges i'll Morocco that are used
for heavy traffic have been the subject
of much concern to the engineers Elm
planks on oak stringpieces were the ma