File:Notes on the forest conditions of Porto Rico (1899) (14783012182).jpg

Identifier: notesonforestcon25hill (find matches)
Title: Notes on the forest conditions of Porto Rico
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Hill, Robert Thomas, 1858-1941
Subjects: Forests and forestry Puerto Rico
Publisher: Washington, D.C. : Dept. of Agriculture, Forestry Division
Contributing Library: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library
Digitizing Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library

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nal foresthas been preserved. This forest is upon the summit of El Yunque, thehighest peak of the island, situated near the northeast end, and hasbeen protected by its inaccessibility. Although the mountain is hardlyover 3,200 feet in altitude, it is constantly bathed in moisture, andthe steep trails to its summit through red clay and mud are almost 1 Inga vera. The guava tree of Porto Rico is not to be confused with the gnayavabush. The former is a tall tree; the latter is the bush which is called guava inEnglish. In Porto Rico native names are given to most of the trees; these names are largelyused throughout the report. The botanical names of these trees are given on thelast page of this bulletin. THE FOREST OF EL YUNQUE. 23 impassable for man and beast. The forests on El Yunque consist of analmost impenetrable jungle of trees, underbrush, and lianas, and areexceedingly wet, the rainfall averaging 120 inches per year.The following interesting description of some of the trees of the
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Fig. 7.—Woodman with ax. primeval forest of El Yunque has been given by Dr. George Eggers, the only botanist whoHooker in 1883 :l has studied it, in a letter written to Sir Joseph Have at last accomplished ray long-cherished design of exploring theLuquillo Mountains in Porto Rico, which island I visited during April and May thisyear. I spent about five weeks there, living for some time in the hut of a gibaro, ornative laborer, on the sierra, at an altitude of about 2,200 feet, on the edge of theprimeval forests that still cover all the higher part of the mountain range. As for the general character of the Sierra Yunque forests, they of course resemblein their main outlines those of the other West India Islands. There is, however, See Nature/ London, 1884, Vol. XIX, page 129. 24 FOREST CONDITIONS OF PORTO RICO. especially one feature that strikes me as being peculiar to this mountain ridge com-pared Tvith the woods of other islands, for example, of Dominica. While the cli-mate is jus

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