Evening star., 1912-09-08

There are many volcanoes In Nicaragua.
but most of them are dead or dying.
Momotombo is the only one that at the
present day shows signs or me- ana IL ~
not thought dangerous.
To the north and east of the lakes lie
the great cattle-raising districts. Sesoyia.
Chontales and Matasalpa. These regions
are noted for their fine beef cattle and
for horses and mules. Twenty-seven
thousand were exported last year
The natives of this era sing coun-
try have not as rule very high ideals
about methods of living and the comforts
of life. comparatively wealthy man,
owning several hundred cattle. may be
found living in a mud-walled. grass
thatched hut consisting OF one room and
a kitchen. And with him I'm this single
room may live all the men employed TO
herd his cattle. together with their wives
and families.
The hotcls-if they deserve the name
Of the rural districts are far from good.
They are generally dirty uncomfortable
and as inconvenient as can be. The peo-
pie, their horses. pigs and cows live in a
close proximity that is incomprehensible
and disgusting 10 the average Anglo
Saxon. guest at one of these rural
hostelries must not be surprised IL. be-
fore serving his breakfast. the maidserv-
ant is obliged to stop and drive from
under the table few fowls or "A litter
of pigs. So far from feeling ashamed of
this state of affairs they consider Ameri-
can StdfNidruS cleanliness Tl0lcuIOnS.
To the northeast of the cattle country
lies the principal mineral wealth of the
country. Gold, silver. copper and lead
are found in considerable quantities. But
owing to the difficulty of getting suitable
machinery to the mines, and their gen
eral inaccessibilty. there is very little
mining. Pan-American bulletin places
the yearly output at S25O.O00. However.
If the proposed railroad extension from
Managua to Matagalpa City is built.
fhnr 1,l hn Lon
OF mining operations.
-.
Beyond the mines to the eastward lie
great. pathless forests almost unknown
and unexplored. reaching down to the
swamps of the Atlantic coast. These for
ests are filled with mahogany, brazil
wood, cedar and rosewood. But they are
almost untouched. There are no trans
portation facilities. A great deal OF ma
hogany and other valuable woods is ship
ped from Nicaragua. but 1t comes from
the south and southeast and along the
rivers. The great northern forests are
locked treasure chests and there immense
wealth is waiting for him who has energy
to come and take it away.
On the rolling plains. called savannaRs
to the northwest of the lakes, grows a
queer tree called the jicara pronounced
hicory). The tree grows to about the
size of the apple tree. Its fruit is the
size, shape and color of a large green
orange but instead OF growing on the
twigs among the leaves like most fruits
it grows from the trunk and the large
limbs This fruit Is surrounded by
thin, hard shell, which the natives carve
and make into chocolate cups. As the
bottoms of these cups are curved, little
stands are made for them. Throughout
many parts of the country ii is customary
to drink chocolate from jicara cups. The
inside of the fruit consists of a number
of seed embedded in a mass Of dry pulp
The seeds are fed to fowls, and in the dry
season. if fodder is scarce, they are fe6
to cattle. The seeds of this useful tree
are often bruised and made into a cool
ing drink much priced throughout Mica:
ragua
In the northwest on the hills ant