Notes on the forest conditions of Porto Rico . 5.—Wooded mountains, Sierra Luquillo. and well distributed everywhere, (See PI. V.) Along the roadsides,around every hut, and throughout the coffee plantations are manytrees, a few of which are remnants of the aboriginal forest, while mostof them have been planted for shade or fruit. Orange trees, mangoes,aguacates, breadfruit, mameys, and other stately trees are common,while, as in our own deforested region, there are a few timber-makingtrees which have been spared the ax. Besides these larger trees, flam-boyantes, nisperos, and guanabonas of sma
Notes on the forest conditions of Porto Rico . 5.—Wooded mountains, Sierra Luquillo. and well distributed everywhere, (See PI. V.) Along the roadsides,around every hut, and throughout the coffee plantations are manytrees, a few of which are remnants of the aboriginal forest, while mostof them have been planted for shade or fruit. Orange trees, mangoes,aguacates, breadfruit, mameys, and other stately trees are common,while, as in our own deforested region, there are a few timber-makingtrees which have been spared the ax. Besides these larger trees, flam-boyantes, nisperos, and guanabonas of smaller growth add their foliageto the wooded aspect of the island. (See fig. 5.) THE VARIOUS FLORAS. So far as was observed by reconnoissance methods the island presentstwo strongly marked and contrasting zones of vegetation. One includesthe whole of the mountains and north coast region and the other is thefoothill country of the south coast. The first is a region of great and Bulletin No. 25, Div. of Forestry, U. S. Dept. of Agr. Plate THE MOUNTAIN WOODLANDS. 21 constant humidity, high altitudes, and stiff clay soils; the other a regionof dry calcareous soils, seasonal aridity, and low altitude. The tran-sition between these vegetal zones is very abrupt and immediatelynoticeable as soon as one passes from one of these regions to the is true that the rainfall is less on the south coast and the country ingeneral more arid, but there is also an immense difference in the capac-ity of the two geologic soils for retaining moisture and for root penetra-tion, the clay soils being always saturated, while the limestones areporous and dry. THE MOUNTAIN FLORA. The climate of Porto Pico, although in general warm and humid, hasa milder temperature and a greater constancy of moisture on the high-lands than in the lowlands, while upon the latter there are occasional
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