Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-03
PORTO RrcAN WOOD.
SPLENDID Opportunity for Ec""o"''
Forestry.
CWashington starr

about ready for publication. 1t is the
work of Robert r. Hill, geologist Of the
United States Geological Survey, and
probably contains the most complete and
accurate summary OF forest conditions
on the Island lately annexed by the
United States that is extant
Those who have read Kingsley's In
teresting description of the tropical for
ests OF Trinidad or Lafcadio Hearns vivid
pictures OF the vast woods of Marti-
nique,' says Mr. Hill. VIII be disap-
pointed not ~ find such forests and
woods duplicated I'm Porto Rico, except
In the single instance of the summit pOr-
ton OF I'll Yunque. In the Sierra Luquillo.
where there are about eight square miles
Of virgin forest The island. although
wooded in the sense that it is still dotted
by many beautiful trees. is largely de-
forested from a commercial point of view.
Porto Rico, at the time OF It's discovery,
was undoubtedly completely covered by
forests Of many species Of trees but
those can hardly be said to exist at pres
emit A few Insignificant patches Of culied
forest also occur IN the central ana
northwestern portions of the island.
OPEN WOODED LANDSCAPE.
ITO the casual observer the aspect of
Porto RICO m places Is still that OF an
open wooded landscape. The farms and
plantations, excepting the tobacco ana
sugar fields, are not clearly cleared Ike
those Of the United States. but, on the
contrary individual trees are abundant
and well distributed everywhere. Along
the Toadsidcs, around every hut, and
throughout the coffee plantations are
many trees, a few of which are remnants
of the aboriginal forest. while most or |
them have been planted for shade or fruit
Orange trees, mangOcs, aguacates, bread
fruit, mameys and other stately trees
are common, while, as in our own de- !
fOrested region, there are Il few timber !
making trees which have been spared the |
axe. Besides these larger trees, fam /
boyantes, nisperOs, and guanabOnas of !
smaller growth add their foliage TO the 4
wooded aspect Of the island.
USEFUL TREES.
Among the products OF the forest the |
following trees are used by man:
For timber and fuel-Alsarr0ba, ausu
DO, capa planca, capa prleta, laurel sabine
laurel blanca, Buaycan, ucdr (ucdre or u
care, espejuelO. mOCa maricaO maurciO /
ortegOn, tacnuelO, cedro, cOJOb1, aceitlnO
guaranguao, maya, yaiu palo santo, tor
tuguillO, zerraZuela, guayarote, higuereta,
tabanuco, mora, hucso, hachuelo, 1leuce-
dram
For cordage-Mahagua. a tall malva-
ceOus bush.
For dyeing and tanning-Moca, brasil
lete. achiOte. granadillo, marlao, dlVlulF'
mora. gengibrilIo, camasey, vjao, m4nsl5g-
'ResnOus treeS-Tabanuco, paul. al
garrobo Nancy, masa, cupey' maria
Forest trees Yielding truits-Pina, mis-
pera medlar tree, mango, guanaDana'
cocotero. aguacate, naranJo, jacana' ma
mey, wild orange.
Mr.. mn points out the fact that woods
valuable for yeneerlny purposes are used
in Porto Rico for making wheels Tor OK
carts and suggests that II this need were
supplied by Americans these rare woods
would be reserved for more appropriate
uses.
WASTE OF MATERIAL.
1.-THE principal use Of woods upon the
island at present" he says, us in the
construction Of the heavy two-Wneeled OK
carts, which, next TO pack animals, are
the most general means of transportation.
These carts have large wheels with mas
s.ye hubs spOkes, and tellies, ana are
tired with iron. These wheels, the woou
for which costs so per pair. nave almost
the rgidity and durability or IRON ana
upon any roads not as bad as those of
Porto Rico would be practically lnde-
structible. The hubs are made OF Suaya-
can, the spOkes OF ausubo, ana inc lel-
lies of mora. They are made by mana IN
every CITY and village. and the principal
stocks OF lumber are those stored TOT theiI
manufacture. In Ponce there is a smail
woodworking mill run by steam WIN
modern machinery. III American manu-
focturars would make cart wheels or
common woods of sufficient strength IoI
the Porto Rican market the Fdiuapig
island woods now used IN these Nh'ti7 |
could be saved for furniture veneers anu
- Monumental purposes. The native !
stock OF woods for this lalter pulpo7c n
not abundanE, and much OF me mat st.al |
is imported from Santo DOmlhso' ooniC
beautiful furniture made OF native "uou'
NAV be seen I'm the houses Of the Well
throughout the country there are many
huge mOrtars made Of sections on uce5
aud used for hulling coffee and rice ana
!
reurescnt a great cost of wood ana ldpDi'
Troughs for feeding cattle are frequently
seen In Arecibo there are many large
dugout canoes made from SOLID losS.
PORTO RICO IMPORTS MOOD.
The export of wood from Porto Rico is
very slight .. ..por+o
Rico imports woods and manufactures OF
woods quite extensively, principdny w"
Canada and the United states, ana Hltls ,
from Spain. Colonel Fred. A. Hlll, VINO
has been collector az the port OF romeo
for the past eight months lnloihe- 'he
writer that the principal lmpoit7 Oh W."
consisted OK spruce ana hemlock from
Canada and New BrunsNick. In 1873 inc
United states sent wood and ITS manu-
features % Porto Rico 10 the Ndlue %. .
Sgpni During the four years lS52-lsl'
Spqin exported % the island the SAME
articles valued at 81 267, our exports for
the one year 1893, having been over zen
times as great as that of Spain for -FOUR
years" !
= The writer describes the crude methods 5
in vogue in the country M the trahspoila- .
tion Of logs 10 the scacOast and towns, !
and saws this difficulty OK transpot latoh d
because Of lack OF roads would render
modern saw-mill useless because enough
logs could not be secured at any one place Z
for its use
GOOD FIELD FOR FORESTRY. d
porto Rico" he says. presents an In
teresting field FOR the practice OF econ?- y
mic forestry. The climate, geolosic
structure. and soils are wen adapted 10 u
The growth Of trees, and the forest ques- g.
ton upon this island. plainly stated. Is =
that Of refOresting "a dei0rested region. p
That trees will grow ppdiy and readily
Is shown by the many superb specimens
Of cultivated trees seen around the
houses. and especially the shade trees e.
planted along the highways by the late r
snanish Government one interesting
phase Of the Spanish road-building eX-
periments was the planting OF avenues
% trees along the Inacadamized hish- /
ways as far as they were construci 20.
These trees have grown with remarkable 7
rapidifv and are now shedding CRATE =
fui shade over what would otherwise Ee n
sunny stretches Of highway Many DE- q
t1rostad mountain slopes and SUBMITS ! O.
which have been abandoned as agricuitu- n
.gl land could De rapidly retorested.
Such proceeding would be pryl- ! b
table even for fuel considering the nign 2
prices Of that article upon the islaad. I
Jf SlRABIE FOR ORANGE GRJN kS. %
The rough limestone hills Of the south \
coast az the island are Well adapted o G
the cultivation Of logWOod and fustic. 3
-hfrh hove leen introduced Into so many | g
OF the West Indian Islands. and now d
oranges will be one OF The future re
sources Of the island and much land | n