2IO 



THE FORESTER. 



September, 



the minds of the natives. The writer 

 has seen the steepest possible slopes 

 cultivated to the highest degree in coffee 

 and tobacco; in fact, the most produc- 

 tive crops of this character are grown 

 upon declivities upon which the Ameri- 

 can farmer would not risk limb and life. 



Much of the soil of Porto Rico is now 

 abandoned and in the condition known 

 throughout the English-speaking West 

 Indies as "ruinate." This has resulted 

 from long cultivation, from the failure to 

 apply fertilizers, and, in some cases, from 

 erosion. Land of this character was 

 observed in many parts of the island. 

 The reclamation of these lands by for- 

 estry, or the methods of scientific agri- 

 culture, is one of the problems which 

 Porto Rico presents to the civilization of 

 its new owners. 



Regarding the climate of Porto Rico, 

 no attempt will be made to describe it 

 other than to state a few facts relating 

 to its bearing upon the distribution of 

 life and culture. The whole island may 

 be divided into a wet and a dry belt, on 

 the north and south sides of the central 

 Cordillera, respectively. The greatest 

 rainfall, which sometimes attains 120 

 inches a year on the slopes of El Yun- 

 que, is at the northeast end. On the 

 south side, from Guayama to Cabo Rojo, 



the climate is dryer, but most of the 

 island is wet in comparison with the 

 standard of the United States. 



The higher mountains are slightly 

 cooler than the coast belt, but the 

 temperature is so uniformly warm that 

 altitude has but little bearing upon dis- 

 tribution of. vegetation. The mountains 

 are constantly bathed in moisture, either 

 by daily rainfalls or dense mists which 

 collect upon them at night, except upon 

 the lower portion of their southern slopes; 

 hence, it may be said that the superfice 

 is never dry and the subsoil is constantly 

 saturated in the mountain region. 



On the southern coast, however, owing 

 both to the porosity of the limestone, 

 which quickly drains off the moisture, 

 and to the intermittent dryer periods, 

 the surface above has a parched and 

 arid look, especially in the long dry 

 season. Some portions of this south 

 belt are very arid, and great complaint 

 was heard in places that the rainfall for 

 the past two years had been insufficient 

 for domestic supply. In fact, to culti- 

 vate the staple crops of the lowlands of 

 the south coast, irrigation is necessary. 

 This is practiced with great skill and at 

 considerable cost along the whole south- 

 ern border from Guayama to Cabo Rojo. 

 [Continued in next issue.] 



Ontario Forest Reserve. 



The Ontario government is making 

 rapid progress toward the adoption of a 

 complete system of reforestation, having 

 recently set apart an important reserve 

 in Frontenac and Addington Counties. 



After inquiries from time to time as to 

 the most eligible territory for a reserva- 

 tion in the eastern part of the province, 

 the Commissioner of Crown Lands came 

 to the conclusion that the McLaren 

 limits, now operated by Isaac Allan, of 

 Mississippi Station, were the most suit- 

 able for the purpose. These limits cover 

 parts of the townships of Abinger, Mil- 

 ler, Barrie, Clarendon, Palmerston, 

 Ashby, Denbigh, Effingham, South 

 Caninto, Olden, North Sherbrooke and 



Oso, and contain an area of 273^ miles. 

 The territory is watered by numerous 

 lakes and streams and lies on the head- 

 waters of the Mississippi River, a stream 

 of considerable importance flowing into 

 the Ottawa River, and on the head- 

 waters of a branch of the Madawaska 

 River. All the good land available has 

 been either sold or located, and the 

 merchantable pine timber has been 

 almost entirely cut away. The Pine 

 growth remaining consists of young 

 trees springing up, which are spread 

 over considerable areas of the territory, 

 and, if protected from fires and allowed 

 to attain a fair growth, will, it is deemed, 

 become a valuable asset of the province 

 in the near future. Canada Lumber- 

 man. 



