Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/437

 NICARAGUA 423 found in Chontales, Matagalpa, and Segovia, and quicksilver in Chontales. A kind of brown coal has been discovered also in Chontales, but the deposits remain undeveloped. Limestone, marble, alabaster, alum, sulphur, nitre, and other minerals abound in the mountainous dis- tricts. The climate, except among the moun- tains of Segovia and Chontales, is essentially tropical. The N. E. part is very damp. The rains commence in May, and continue with occasional intermission till January, when a short dry season of three months begins. Even then rain sometimes falls, and the ground in the woods is always moist and the brooks are perennial. The heaviest rains are in July and August. In September, October, and No- vember there are spells of fine weather, last- ing sometimes a fortnight. In the Nicaragua basin the wet season lasts generally from May to November. The rains occasionally last sev- eral days, but generally the showers occur late in the afternoon or at night. Weeks often elapse without a cloud. The temperature is very equable, preserving a nearly uniform range of from 78 to 88 F., occasionally sink- ing to 70 in the night and rising to 90 in the afternoon. During the dry season the tem- perature is lower, the nights are cool, and the winds sometimes chilling. Rain falls at rare intervals. The fields become parched and dry, and in the towns the dust becomes almost insufferable. This is the most healthful sea- son, its effects being practically that of a north- ern winter. The climate of the Pacific coast is essentially that of the central zone. The soil of Nicaragua is very rich, particularly on the Pacific slope, where all the plants and fruits of the tropics thrive abundantly. The central zone is essentially a pasturage coun- try, and supports large herds of cattle, mules, and horses. Great numbers of cattle also are raised on the savannas of the Atlantic coast, which is generally uncultivated. In Segovia, Matagalpa, and Chontales are large cattle es- tates, but little care is taken in breeding, and when unusually dry seasons occur the animals die by hundreds. The amount of cultivated land is relatively small, but is ample for the support of the population. Among the sta- ples which grow to perfection are cacao, sugar, cotton, coffee, indigo, rice, tobacco, and maize. The cacao of Granada and Rivas is said to be among the best grown, and there are large plantations of it in those departments. The sugar cane is smaller and softer than the Asi- atic varieties, but richer in juice. Two crops a year, and with irrigation three, are taken, and the cane requires replanting but once in 12 or 14 years. Excellent cotton is grown, but little is now exported. Coffee is cultiva- ted in Chontales and on the Pacific coast, and is exported to some extent. Indigo was once extensively cultivated, but the annual product is now comparatively small. The plant from which it is made is the jiquilite (indigo/era disperma). Maize, which is the principal food of the natives, is very prolific. It is planted in May and harvested in September; and a second crop, planted in December, is gathered in April. Wheat and barley grow in the ele- vated districts of Segovia and Chontales, and rice is raised in the lowlands. Tropical fruits and vegetables of many kinds abound. The most important commercial vegetable pro- ductions are caoutchouc, sarsaparilla, annotto, aloes, ginger, vanilla, ipecacuanha, arrowroot, copal, cowhage, gum arabic, copaiba, and dragon's blood. Nicaragua is especially rich in valuable woods. Besides many kinds of timber trees, there are of cabinet woods the mahogany, rosewood, granadillo, and ronron ; of dye woods, Nicaragua wood, logwood, fus- tic, sandal (santalum rubrum), moran (morus tinctoria), quercitron, and nanzite (Malpi- ghia punicifolid) ; of medicinal trees, the co- paiba, liquidambar, balsam of Peru, cascarilla, cinchona, and sassafras. Other valuable com- mercial trees are the castilloa elastica, from which India rubber is made, the gutta percha tree (sapota lassia)^ dragon's blood, quillay, nacascolo ( Ocesalpinia coriaria), bixa Orellana, and several which produce gums. Along the rivers the trees grow close to the water's edge, supporting flowering vines, which cover the highest tops and form a wall of sweet-smelling flowers of every hue. Among the wild ani- mals are the black and spotted jaguar, the puma, ocelot, tapir, tw species of deer, wild boar, peccary, capybara (hydrochcerus capyba- ra), coyote, sloth, fox, several species of mon- keys, manatee or sea cow, porcupine, arma- dillo, coney, opossum, weasel, skunk, and bat. The rivers and swamps abound with alligators and iguanas. The latter, which are frequently 3 ft. long, are eaten by the Indians. There are also many other species of lizards, among them a venomous one. Snakes are numerous, but not many are venomous. The coral snake', marked with rings of yellow, black, and red, is said to be fatally venomous, as is also the bite of a small yellow snake about 8 in. long. A species of boa, sometimes 15 or 16 ft. long, is occasionally found. On the coast are many wading and aquatic birds, among which the pelican, white crane, and brown jacana are most conspicuous. Other indigenous birds are the curassow, eagle, hawk, egret, vulture, turkey buzzard, grouse, pigeon, duck, parrot, trogon, toucan, tanager, motmot, macaw, quail, oriole, many species of the humming bird, and others less known. In the interior is some- times found the quesal (trogon resplendent), the royal bird of the Aztecs. Altogether 150 species of birds have been classified. The forests abound with insects, among which are numerous species of butterflies, 13 of honey bees, and more than 300 of longicorn beetles. Mosquitoes swarm in all damp places, and wasps are numerous and troublesome. There are many varieties of the ecitons, or foraging ants, which move in large armies and live on other insects, larvae, and the young of birds.