34 GEOLOGICAL RECONNAISSANCE OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 



drops abruptly to Tabera, a little hamlet nestling in the Yaque Valley, 

 surrounded by steep conical hills of conglomerate and brown shale just big 

 enough to afford a perch for one or two houses. From Tabera the trail 

 ascends gradually for 3 or 4 kilometers and then climbs a steep hill to an 

 altitude of about 200 meters above sea level, where it is joined by a trail 

 from La Vega. 



From the summit of Loma Llanada or Loma de Joa (altitude about 630 

 meters), a great mass of serpentine, one can look southward across the wide 

 valleys of Rio Yaque and Rio Jimenoa, and can get, far to the north, vistas 

 of the Cibao Valley and the Monte Cristi Range, looming up beyond it. 

 The south side of Loma Llanada is covered with an open pine forest, which 

 gives way, near the base, to plant types more characteristic of the tropics, 

 such as the royal palm, guava, and wild orange. In the lower, damp 

 places the rose apple ("pomarrosa") flourishes in great luxuriance. Be- 

 tween Loma de Joa and Rio Jimenoa there are low hills and several small 

 streams. 



Jarabacoa, a compact little town of perhaps 1,000 inhabitants, is built 

 on a terrace on the left bank of Rio Yaque del Norte at an altitude of about 

 480 meters above sea level. A well-defined higher terrace begins at 

 the edge of the town, and corresponding terraces can be seen on the oppo- 

 site side of the river. El Barrero (altitude about 1,000 meters) dominates 

 the view on the south. From the top of hills near Jarabacoa can be seen 

 the rounded peak of El Rucillo, and far away to the north the even profile 

 of the Cordillera Septentrional. 



A steady climb of an hour and a half brings one from Arroyo Baiguate to a 

 grassy knoll at the top of El Barrero, from which the road circles westward 

 down the southern side and climbs by easy stages to El Paso Bajito and 

 past La Piedra del Toro to the ford of Rio Jimenoa at El Rio. All trails in 

 this region follow the crests of ridges that extend like buttresses away from 

 the main mountain mass. 



From the top of Loma del Valle a beautiful view can be had of the flat- 

 floored valley of Constanza and of the rugged, cloud-capped mountains 

 that shut it away from the outside world. The valley occupies an area of 

 perhaps 30 square kilometers at an altitude of about 1,100 meters above the 

 sea. It is drained by Rio Limon, which has etched a narrow outlet through 

 the mountains to the west. Because of the high altitude the climate of the 

 valley of Constanza is delightfully invigorating. The nights are cool all 

 the year round and frost is sometimes formed in winter. Mosquitoes, the 

 bane of the tropics, appear to be unknown in this valley. About 1 kilo- 

 meter from Constanza the Department of Agriculture maintains an ex- 

 periment station for raising products of the temperate zone. Constanza 

 is a forlorn village of several score of cabins, and except its beautiful 

 location and healthful climate, has few attractions to the outsider. 



