The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1907-03-13
.A[[|GAT0RS EAT
HONDURAS DUCKS
MRS. sSARAH &. PAGE WRITES
FROM CENTRAL AMERICA
ORCHIDS OF VERY GREAT BEAUTY
Visitor from Baraboo Takes Long
Ride in Tropics
Belize, British Honduras, G. A,

Belize, British Honduras, g. A.
Editor News: Since my first letter
to you, it has been my privilege to take
a long drive through most beautiful
part of the country, going as far as the
road was made through the trees and
entertaining boughs and vines, very
interesting and lovely to see. Among
the most curious freaks of nature was
the growth of huge tree, apparently
formed by succession of trunks, one
against the other, each branch or trunk
rather, continuing its growth in such
manner as to form large diameter,
one against the other, from which
branches grew and hanging gracefully
from these branches were vines, whose
leaves were Of magnificent form and
measured fully over foot in length,
of dark green hue and very thick. We
passed natural park of fan leaved
palms, known locally as "pimento
thatch." The stem of this palm, after
being cleaned of it's investing coat of
fibre, is used for fences, (tied with the
site tie' vine, which is like natural
rope.) 1t is also used for sides of
houses and for building bathing crawls,
generally where a tough slender pole is
required. We passed banana planta-
1,A nh
the trees, enveloped in beautiful pink,
heavy veil until fully matured, which
nature provides without cost. Pine
apples also were growing nicely and,
although not yet in season, we have
had them already and also some lus-
cious mangoes, which need to be eaten
ablibitum to be appreciated.
Cows and Poultry Raised
One of the most recent innovations
introduced here is farm, where cows
and some of the finest poultry ever
seen, are raised. We visited the stables,
which ale really scrupulously clean
dllO CAdIIl1i1Cu GIlC UOt01C0i WhASA WOAO
models of cleanliness and self sealers.
The farm belongs to a butcher here,
and is in charge of Spaniard, who
seems to understand how to manage it,
so that good, fresh milk is now obtain
able. The scarcity of fodder and graz
ing makes it difficult to keep cattle. AS
soil must be imported, which requires
money and much labor, Mr.. Stewards
effort in this direction is much appre-
ciated by the better class of people here.
While there, I noticed a dark pool of
water, which ran through the grazing
portion of the farm, and that duck;
was gaily swimming around. The
Spaniard, however, said that they
were much troubled by alligators,
which ate them at night and drove the
ducks away.
We drove back home in the deepen
ing evening shades-looking for alliga-
tors.
Some Queer Trees
A common pine ridge plant in the
South is the 'crabboe", which yields
a kind of plum or cherry used some
times for food and whose bark is used
for tanning; as also is the "haha",
wild fig, whose leaves are so rough
that they are an excellent substitute
for sand paper.
Pine ridge plants give place to groves
of oak, some of which attain great size,
often measuring so #. to the first
branches and correspondingly large in
diameter. Probably the most abun-
dant tree of the colony is the pine. 1t
can be used locally to a small extent,
only for building purposes, owing to
the difficulty experienced in saving
it, there being no saw mills. The wood
is heavy and might be very durable if
seasoned. It's chief use is, at present,
as fuel and in making torches. The
latter are extensively used at the MAJ
hogany works, and indeed, but for the
pine torches, the hauling of mahoga-
ny, which, ON account of the heat and
flies (mosquitoes,) takes place chiefly
at night, as I wrote in my first letter,
could not be carried on. To most people
lin the colony, as well as to their friends
at home, orchids, so easily cultivated
and yet SO bright and beautiful in flow
er, are of great interest. The two most
common orchids in the colony are
Schomburgkia tibicina and Epiden-
drum bicarnutum. These cover the
trunks of trees in dense masses both
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