﻿COSTA 
  RICA, 
  LAND 
  OF 
  THE 
  BANANA 
  

  

  209 
  

  

  and 
  money 
  which 
  must 
  

   be 
  spent 
  before 
  any 
  

   returns 
  come. 
  

  

  "We 
  often 
  plant 
  corn 
  

   or 
  vegetables 
  between 
  

   the 
  coffee 
  rows 
  while 
  

   the 
  shrubs 
  are 
  young; 
  

   but 
  this 
  does 
  no 
  more 
  

   than 
  pay 
  expenses 
  at 
  

   best, 
  and 
  many 
  invest- 
  

   ors 
  do 
  not 
  like 
  to 
  wait 
  

   five 
  years 
  before 
  they 
  

   receive 
  any 
  returns 
  on 
  

   their 
  money. 
  Still, 
  

   with 
  the 
  right 
  man- 
  

   agement 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  

   climate, 
  no 
  one 
  ought 
  

   to 
  lose 
  money 
  on 
  

   coffee." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  a 
  mistake 
  to 
  

   suppose 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  

   coffee 
  is 
  grown 
  in 
  the 
  

   Orient, 
  and 
  to 
  talk 
  

   fondly 
  of 
  "Mocha 
  and 
  

   Java," 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  seldom, 
  if 
  

   ever, 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  

   rarely, 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  

   United 
  States. 
  Costa 
  

   Rican 
  coffee 
  in 
  open 
  

   competition 
  has 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  times 
  brought 
  

   the 
  highest 
  price 
  on 
  

   the 
  London 
  market, 
  

   whither 
  most 
  of 
  it 
  is 
  

   shipped. 
  

  

  Maize 
  is 
  grown 
  by 
  

   primitive 
  methods, 
  

   solely 
  for 
  local 
  con- 
  

   sumption, 
  and 
  the 
  

   same 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  

   sugar-cane, 
  which 
  is 
  

   largely 
  used 
  for 
  fod- 
  

   der, 
  but 
  also 
  produces 
  coarse 
  varieties 
  of 
  

   sugar 
  for 
  home 
  use. 
  All 
  the 
  usual 
  trop- 
  

   ical 
  and 
  temperate 
  vegetables 
  and 
  fruits 
  

   are 
  grown 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent. 
  The 
  

   oranges 
  of 
  Costa 
  Rica 
  are 
  excellent. 
  

  

  THE 
  REPUBLIC 
  IS 
  RICH 
  IN 
  MAHOGANY, 
  

   ROSEWOOD, 
  AND 
  CEDAR 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  some 
  export 
  trade 
  in 
  valuable 
  

   timber, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  great 
  forests 
  furnish 
  

   a 
  wide 
  range, 
  including 
  mahogany, 
  rose- 
  

   wood, 
  and 
  cedar. 
  Enough 
  cacao 
  is 
  grown 
  

   for 
  home 
  use. 
  Rubber 
  is 
  gathered 
  from 
  

   wild 
  trees. 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  

   COPPEE 
  PEOWERS 
  AND 
  PRUIT, 
  NATURAE 
  SIZE 
  

  

  Not 
  even 
  Japan 
  in 
  cherry-blossom 
  time 
  is 
  more 
  beautiful 
  than 
  the 
  

   valleys 
  of 
  Costa 
  Rica, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  from 
  3,000 
  to 
  5,000 
  feet, 
  

   when 
  the 
  coffee-trees 
  are 
  in 
  bloom, 
  the 
  snow 
  of 
  their 
  blossoms 
  hang- 
  

   ing 
  like 
  a 
  mantle 
  over 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  their 
  perfume 
  subduing 
  the 
  strong 
  

   scents 
  of 
  the 
  forest. 
  The 
  coffee 
  berry 
  is 
  a 
  vivid 
  red 
  when 
  ripe. 
  

  

  Mining 
  has 
  been 
  carried 
  on 
  for 
  a 
  cen- 
  

   tury, 
  following 
  a 
  visit 
  of 
  the 
  Bishop 
  of 
  

   Nicaragua 
  and 
  Costa 
  Rica 
  in 
  181 
  5, 
  who 
  

   pointed 
  out 
  the 
  rich 
  deposits 
  of 
  gold 
  in 
  

   the 
  Aguacate 
  Mountains. 
  These 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  $7,000,000 
  in 
  20 
  years, 
  under 
  the 
  

   most 
  difficult 
  conditions, 
  the 
  composition 
  

   of 
  the 
  ores 
  being 
  such 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  

   sent 
  to 
  the 
  Pacific 
  coast 
  in 
  ox-carts, 
  

   loaded 
  into 
  sailing-vessels, 
  and 
  shipped 
  

   around 
  the 
  Horn 
  to 
  Europe 
  for 
  smelting. 
  

   The 
  high-grade 
  ores 
  were 
  used 
  up 
  in 
  this 
  

   and 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  immense 
  

  

  way, 
  

   body 
  

  

  of 
  ore 
  carrying 
  lower 
  values, 
  well 
  

  

  