The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-17
PORTO RICO.
Climate, Soil and Products and POpu-
Iation of the Island.
The Outlook.


hilly. A. low mountain ridge traverses it
from east to west. ranging nearer the
| southern than the northern coast, with
| spurs extending northward OF this ridge
| the highest elevation is Ell Yunque (The
| AnviD, mountain rising from the table,
| land of Luquillo to a height of 1900 feet
above the sea, and visible to vessels some
| sixty miles off the coast The country has
| two marked features-the many wooded ra-
vines descending from the mountains,
| through which course streams of bright
water falling to the sea; and, interspersed
with these ravines, extensive stretches of
| natural meadowland, which serves as pas
| ture to herds of wild cattle
The climate is a healthy one for tropical
| situation. The constant running streams,
with the absence of stagnant water, doubt
less contribute to purify the atmosphere.
| The island, we'll aerated throughout, is APP
| preciably cooler and more salubrious than
| are the larger Antilles, or than the majority
| of the lesser Windward islands which have
+ been termed the graves of foreigners. The
mountain valleys, especially in the winter
| from November to April-when the north
winds blow steadily, enjoy a delightful eli
mate which has been likened to a perpetual
| spring.
|
north of the sland-a sea breeze blows from
a. m. to p. m, in the absence of which
life would hardly be tolerable near the
coast. The rains, which are frequent and
plentiful in May and June, come down in
August and September with the fury Of
| deluge." The rainfall at San Juan has been
| estimated at about seventy cubic inches.
On the southern coast, however, there is
| much less rain; sometimes none at all even
| Tor ten or twelve months.
| 1t is in August and September that the
climate at the north is least healthful, espe--
| cially for foreigners. Fever, dysentery, and
| scorbutic diarrhoea are then to be guarded
against, and a change, to the mountains is
! desirable These are. also the months of the
| hurricanes which have in some years proved
SO destructive and ruinous in their effects.
This rIhls dreadful scourge,n writes Colonel
may be considered as a great drawback on
the planter, and is a great deduction from
| the value of West Indian property"
Porto Rico is eminently an agricultural
| island 1t is favored with soil of unusual
| fertility, consisting of a reddish Cor whitish)
| peroxide of iron or mari. The abundant sup
| ply of water keeps the soil productive even
In the southern districts, where the rain is
less and the ground seems parched. water
may be found by digging a foot and a half
or two feet beneath the surface. The hills
and valleys are luxuriant with Vendure; the
mountains are green to their tops and cult
vable at any height. Good timber, suitable
| for houses or ships, is abundant-a result
owing in measure to a wise provision of
the government early in the century. when
it was formally ordered that three trees
Among the native trees the royal palm has
been perhaps the most useful, not only on
for it's leaves, which furnish matching for
the cabins of the poorer classes. The ma
hogany tree has yielded valuable timber for
export. The plantain and the banana trees
have furnished food for thousands Among
the shrubs. the coffee plant, grateful to
1aSmin-ScQntpd Uhitd hI0CSoD1S oil
most spontaneously. The tobacco plant
yields product not much inferior to that
is cultivated with profit, and best in the hot
arid regions of the south, where other crops
recurring more ire, moisture would not flourish.
ish, is invested in sugar plantations, Ponce
being the center Of this commerce, A cotton
remarkable for its length of fiber, tenacity,
and whiteness is produced, and its culture
might with advantage be largely extended
The exports from Porto Rico have con-
sisted mostly of sugar. coffee, tobacco, mo-
lasses, rum, honey, indigo, cotton, mahog-
any cattle, mules and hides. According to
exhibit the three principal exports as fol-
lows: Sugar, ,S6l tons; coffee, 1854 TONS
tobacco, 1.S07 tons. The sugar export has
declined, having once nearly doubled the
above quantity
The island also produces, IN lesser guam
titles, flax, ginger. cassia, rice, and maize
with citrons, lemons and oranges and other
fruits, which might well be made articles of
commerce. Several banks of fine salt are
worked by the government.
Colonel Flinter congratulates himself
that at the date of his writing none of the
precious metals had been discovered in
Porto Rico Fortunately for the inhabit-
ants he says, mo mines Of gold or silver
have been explored. to divert their atten-
ton from the sober path of industry" But
q late authority mentions that gold has
been found both In Jumps and dust in the
beds of streams; adding that iron, copper
lead and coal have also been detected The
coal, however, used on the island comes al
most exclusively from Great Britain. Other
main items of the British trade are cottons
woolens, jute for coffee-bags, metals and
rice: and Goldfish are supplied from the Brit
iSh colonies to the estimated value of f95-
0O0 From the United States have hereto
fore been imported flour, grain, butter, lard
furniture. lumber and slaves for sugar
hogsheads and rum puncheons.
The population of this densely peopled
island is about 10000 Ewes above quoted
states it. under date of 1897, at Sl3 937 AS
to the character of this population. series
of fortunate circumstances, in combination
with a sagacious government. has contrib
uted to impart to it quality superior to
In the first place, this has always been
purely agricultural people. Then, at an
early period, the crown lands of the island
were divided up among the natives, who
thus became community of small proprie-
tors, to which was given a new consistency
and stability on their being formed into a
body of disciplined militia Further, the
island has not suffered to the same extent
as its neighbors from the curse of slavery.
The slaves were permitted to purchase their
freedom on easy terms. and they have borne
but small proportion to the mass of the
inhabitants.