LOWER NEIGHBORS OF CART AGO 15 1 



and there tall Tillandsia-draped trees evidently left from 

 the original forest covering. At last, slipping and scram- 

 bling, we came out on a slope, quite cleared of brush and 

 planted in places with cane, which fell away sharply to the 

 level river bottom some hundred and fifty feet below. In 

 almost all these valleys the change from the flat river bottom 

 to the hill slope is extremely sudden and abrupt. Almost 

 at our feet lay the Navarro River, with some meadows, a 

 hacienda and outbuildings and plantations of cane. Our 

 progress down this bare slope and across the meadow to the 

 stream to water our horses aroused much interest in the 

 people of the house and there was quite a gathering when we 

 rode up to the gate to inquire about the road to Orosi. They 

 courteously invited us to enter the house and rest, but this 

 we had not time to accept, so after obtaining the necessary 

 directions we rode on through a small stream and across 

 the Navarro on a rude log bridge and then followed that 

 river until we reached a place on the road where there was 

 food and water for the horses and a shady wall for us to sit 

 on. It was a pretty spot, where a small stream crossed the 

 road and passed over a thickly shaded, rocky bed to join 

 the foaming, roaring Navarro. Our aneroid made this place 

 3950 feet high. 



After our breakfast we went on towards Orosi. In general 

 the road followed the river although at times it climbed up 

 over a hill and down again, where there was no room for a 

 road at the river level. When we had ridden several miles 

 we saw again the valley of the Agua Caliente, now enlarged 

 by the Navarro. Its flat and fertile bottom was about half 

 a mile wide and contained many coffee plantations and 

 some oranges. As we first rode over the little crest that hid 

 the valley from us, we saw spread out at our feet the thou- 

 sands of young orange and grapefruit trees of "Navarro," 

 an experimental farm of the United Fruit Company, with 



