The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-02-04
FERTILE PORTO RICO
THE ISLAND is AS BEAUTIFUL AS 1T
Is PRODUCTIVE.
It Has Thirteen Hundred Streams, .
Wealth OF Vegetation, Highly Cuitivable
Soil and Vast Deposits of Minerals-Few
Reptiles, but Many Insects.


Soil and Vast Deposits of sfinersls-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 1.-The Island of Porto
Rico" Mr.. Ober says:
In the extreme northeast rises the
highest peak of the central cordillera
In the Luquillo sierra, known as "El
Yunque," or "The Anvil" variously
estimated at from 8, 900 to $500 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 l., 800 streams, it Is said,
of which number perhaps 40 or 80 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
island are found those trees and shrubs
valuable for their gums, as the Nancy,
guaiacum and copal, while the list OF
medicinal plants includes most of those.
invaluable to our pharmacopeeias,
which tropical America has given to
the world. These are the silvestres, ma
ture's wild children, but of cultivated
plants there is no species peculiar to
the tropics that does not flourish here.
In the httoral levels, between the
mountains and the sea, grows the sug-
ar cane, which may be cultivated up to
an altitude of 8, 900 feet. 1t was intro
duoed here from Santo Domingo, hav-
ing been brought to America either
| = fhn
al yield Of sugar is estimated at about
10000 tons.
In these fertile lowlands also tobacco
does exceedingly we'll. and the annual
production is said to be quite 1000, 600
pounds. 1t may be cultivated on the
hills, but the true mountain lover is the
coffee, which does not do well below
900 feet and is at Its best l, 900 feet
above the sea. 1t was first brought here
from Martinique in l722, and now
yields to the extent of II, 900 tons an.
nually. Maize. the true Indian corn, ID
indigenous, as is the yucca, the aborigi.
nal "staff of life," and both grow ev.
erywhere, as we'll 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 plaintaing are wonderful
ly prolific, bearing fruit in ten months
from planting. The plants virtually
last 60 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, its yield being reckoned at 100
nuts year The annual product Of
bananas is given as 200, 900, 900 and oi
coooanuts 5000, 900. The entire range
Of tropical fruits Is represented here,
such as the guava, lime, orange, aqua
cate, sapodilla and avocado pear. while
all subtropic 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 beer
found Of copper, coal and iron, as well
as vast deposits of salt. The rivers al
one time ran to the sea over beds oi
golden sand, and from the streams to-
day Gas in the neighboring island o1
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 falls
friend, Ponce de Leon.
There are no native quadrupeds her,
larger than the agouti and the armadil
10, but birds are relatively numerous
with few of fine song and some o.
brilliant plumage. All domestic fow
do well here, and the great pastures Of
the northeast and southeast suppott vas
herds Of cattle and horses, which suffic,
not only for the needs Of the island, bu
are exported to all parts Of the Wes
Indies, being held in high esteem.
There are no poisonous reptiles to b,
feared, but insects Of questionable char
acter are too numerous for comfort
This island indeed were q paradis,
without them; even with them tn,
Inhabitants seem to experience littl'
trouble. The worst OF these are th'
scorpions, centipeds, tarantulas, wasps
mosquitoes, some species Of ants, ticks
ohigoes and feas. The heat of a tropica
climate like that Of Porto Rico, which
though rarely exceeding 90 degrees, il
continuous, is conducive to the breed
jno ~ in coct ma sta ~ a N aorts