112 fa/! TO RICO 



new and interesting facts concerning the climate and its local 

 variation, which will be mentioned in a future article. 



The whole island ma} 7 he divided into a wet and a dry belt, 

 on the north and south sides of the central Cordillera, respect- 

 ively. The greatest rainfall, which sometimes attains 120 inches 

 a year on the slopes of El Yunque, is at the northeast end. On 

 the south side, from Guayama to Cabo Rojo,the region is dryer, 

 but the whole 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 alti- 

 tude has but little bearing upon distribution of vegetation. The 

 mountains are constantly bathed in moisture, either by dail} r 

 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 con- 

 stantly 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 the 

 generally dryer climate, 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 

 upon the island in places that the rainfall for the past two years 

 had been insufficient for domestic supply. In fact, in order to 

 cultivate the staple crops of the lowlands of the south coast, 

 irrigation is necessary and is practiced with great skill and at 

 considerable cost along the whole southern border from Guayama 

 to Cabo Rojo. 



In a subsequent article I shall set forth the economic geog- 

 raphy of the island, and show the intimate relation which exists 

 between the configuration and geology, which I have described, 

 and the vegetal conditions — the agricultural, hygienic, and com- 

 mercial capacities. 



Note. — In order to meet the wishes of the author, the name of trie island treated of in 

 the foregoing article is spelled in the form commonly in use in England and the United 

 States. The form "Puerto Rico" is that commonly used by the people of the island 

 itself and by those of other Spanish r speaking countries, and is good Spanish. It is the 

 form adopted by the U. S. Board on Geographic Names, in accordance with its logical 

 principle of adopting for other countries the names by which they are known to their 

 own inhabitants. The Editors wish it to be understood that in acceding to Mr Hill's 

 request in this trifling matter they are not establishing a precedent. 



