File:The American tropics; (1908) (14780566601).jpg

Identifier: americantropics00corl (find matches)
Title: The American tropics;
Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Corlett, William Thomas, 1854- (from old catalog)
Subjects:
Publisher: Cleveland, The Burrows brothers co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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tower he had overlooked and thought we (41) The American Tropics wished to see. We were finally shown outand were driven to Fort San Cristobal, butwe contented ourselves with photographingthe gate and the policeman on guard; wehad no desire to be shown through. The Governors Palace is likewise beauti-fully situated, overlooking the harbor andthe sea. At present it is the residence ofGeneral Magoon. It was carnival time and amasked ball at the National Theatre was theattraction of the evening, but the Fort hadmade such a lasting impression on us that wepreferred to stay at home and watch therockets and illumination from the ship. Itis strange how quickly one develops a homefeeling for a ship! The next morning, rain, and the wettestrain one could imagine; but we had ticketsfor the land excursion and visited a sugarfactory at Carolina, an old town an hour bytrain from San Juan. The trolley line takesone far into the country. This trip witha short drive on the far-famed Military Road(42)
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A Midwinter Cruise which leads across the mountains to Poncecompleted our work for the day. Of coursethe vegetation is tropical, but left more orless in a wild state—^which is also tropical.The soil is black and seems very productive.Sugar-cane and bananas are most generallycultivated. Coffee and tobacco are alsogrown—in fact the former gives employmentto twenty per cent, of the inhabitants of theisland. We saw some large plantations ofcocoanut trees. The average yield is abouta hundred to a hundred and twenty nuts pertree, which harvest sells for about a dollar.The trees begin to bear at the age of sevenyears. We heard of a plantation with 37,-000 trees, giving a revenue of $37,000 a year—^we wondered if it were so. This was really the first good opportunityto shop and many of us bought souvenirs ofdrawn linen, laces and hats. Not that thehats were any better than could be procuredat any other place, but the weather was warmand what is lighter than some varieties of (43) The Am

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