The Agricultural Zone of Venezuela covers about 300,000 square kilometers, according to recent statistics, and extends from the Atlantic Ocean to Colombia, embracing the territory between the Caribbean seacoast and the plains of the Orinoco towards the south of the country.
Venezuela has fertile soil, perfect adaptability to the growth and maturity of everything that is essential to the existence of man and beast, mild climate, with temperatures varying according to the elevation of the land and latitude, and strategic geographical position. These favorable conditions designate Venezuela as one of the most attractive and advantageous regions for agricultural pursuits. Twenty per cent of the population are engaged in agricultural work, but this proportion is far from being sufficient for an extensive development of the natural resources of this vast area. It is estimated that a population one hundred fold greater could derive a comfortable subsistence from this agricultural region. This vast area, including such a great number of square kilometers, should become one of the most prosperous, rich and accessible agricultural fields of the world following an increase in population, greater and improved transportation facilities, and with the introduction of new methods of cultivation and more general application of modern machinery.
The principal agricultural products of Venezuela are: coffee, cacao, sugar, tobacco, India-rubber, tonka-beans, cotton, corn, vanilla, wheat and kindred products.
The vegetable seeds are also numerous and consist of vetches, bean seed, peas, beans, peanuts and okra.
The vegetable plants consist of: cabbage, cauliflower, melons, asparagus, turnips, radishes, beets, egg plants, garlic, pepper, celery, carrots, cresses, onions, spinach, lettuce and artichokes.
The fruits of Venezuela, of which there are many different species, include: oranges, large sweet lemons, limes, plantains, pineapples, pomegranates, figs, grapes, strawberries, plums, breadfruit, chestnuts, mangoes, zapotes, parchas, medlars,tamarinds, cactus fruit, mandarines, and a great variety of bananas of a very high quality. There is a vast region available for the raising of bananas, but, up to the present no use has been made of it and there is a very small amount of capital invested in the production of this fruit ($100,000 in American gold).
The cultivation of coffee in Venezuela began in 1784. At the present time, it is estimated by experts that there are about 260 million coffee trees under cultivation, which place Venezuela second among the coffee growing countries, according to recent statistics.
Coffee is produced in the temperate climate regions of the Republic from five hundred to two thousand meters above sea level. It is estimated that coffee trees last from forty to fifty years, yielding an average crop of one-eighth of a kilogram of coffee beans per tree. Sixteen million dollars are invested in coffee trees in Venezuela at the present time.
Venezuela possesses one of the choicest cacao zones of the world. The natural cacao (Theobroma edenda,—edible food of the Gods) is a seed from a tree indigenous to the soil of Venezuela. From this seed the chocolate of commerce is made. As the cacao tree requires for full development and good crops a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and a moist air, therefore the Venezuelan lands along the coast of the Caribbean Sea, sloping from the mountain tops to the shore, and which are bedewed by the exhalation of the sea and irrigated by the many rivers coursing down the valleys, are found to be well adapted in all respects to the very profitable cultivation of cacao. It is, however, also found and cultivated in other parts of Venezuela.
About two hundred trees may be planted in one hectare (about two and one-half acres) and they must be protected from the sun by shade trees until they have acquired normal size. Five years after having been planted the trees begin to bear two crops a year, ripening in June and December. The average life of a tree is about forty years. The seed is similar to a shelled almond; about sixteen of these seeds are enclosed inan elongated pod ribbed like a musk melon. The pods are of a yellow and red color and when they become ripe turn purple. On being gathered and heaped in piles on the ground, after a few days they ferment and burst; then the seeds are shelled, washed and housed.
There are two grades of cacao grown in Venezuela, namely,—the criollo, which is the native cacao, and the trinitario, which was originally imported from the Island of Trinidad. The criollo, a very high grade, grows especially well in the valleys situated near the sea, where the temperature is warm and moist.
The demand for this product in Europe before the war was considerable and large quantities were exported annually. In Spain and Italy cacao is used in the form of chocolate, whereas in France, England and the former German Empire, it is chiefly used in the manufacture of sweets and confections, but its use is becoming so varied and extensive that it will soon be a staple article of consumption as universally needed as coffee or tea. Venezuelan cacao also finds a ready market in the United States where it is known as Caracas and Maracaibo Cacao.
As the cacao-yielding region in the world is comparatively restricted, the planters of this staple need not fear the increasing competition which has been met in the cultivation of other staple products. At the present time it is estimated that $12,400,000 are invested in the cultivation of cacao in Venezuela.
Tobacco, discovered by the Spaniards in Yucatan, was introduced from there to the West Indies and thence transplanted to Venezuela, where it is most successfully cultivated in Capadare, Yaritagua, Mérida, Cumanacoa, Guanape, Guaribe and Barinas. Excellent tobacco is grown near Cumaná, that from Guacharo being considered exceptionally good. The plant thrives best in humid and fertile soil. Cultivation requires about six months in Venezuela before it is ready for the market, and while the cost of cultivation is not large, great care is required.
Some tobacco is exported from Venezuela, chiefly to Havana, where it is mixed in the manufacture of Havana cigarettes.
The different classes of tobacco grown in Venezuela are distinguished according to the regions where they are produced. These regions are
Maturin:
This grade of tobacco is produced chiefly in Venezuela and is used in the manufacture of Venezuelan cigarettes. It is one of the better known classes of tobacco entering foreign trade. This class of tobacco has:
1. Leaves which are light with relation to their bulk.
2. Medium strength, agreeable aroma.
3. It will keep in good condition for a maximum of two years but then begins to rot and completely loses its strength.
Capadare:
This class of tobacco is considered to be better than the Maturin tobacco. It maintains its strength and does not rot until three or more years after it has been gathered. It has a very agreeable taste and its weight as compared with its bulk is greater than that of the Maturin tobacco and does not burn as fast as the latter. It is classified into first and second class tobacco by the gatherers.
Salon:
On account of the very fine leaves and aroma which this tobacco possesses it is used as the outer leaf in making fine cigars. It burns well, is light in relation to its bulk and is classed by the gatherers as Cover, Inner-cover and Core tobacco.
Golfero:
This region is on the shores of the Gulf of Cariaco and has recently been planted with Havana tobacco seeds and is now producing a superior quality. It has strength, aroma of a fine quality and burns very well. It lasts about two years without rotting and on account of its steady strength and agreeable aroma, it is very much demanded by the manufacturers of cigarettes. It is divided into Principal, Half-tree and Sprouts.
Guaribe:
This tobacco is rather strong, has an agreeable taste and aroma but as a general rule does not burn well. It is used in the manufacture of cigarettes, in small proportions, in order to give strength. It is also divided into Principal, Half-tree and Sprouts.
Cocorote:
This tobacco is mostly used in the manufacture of cigarettes. It has a delicate leaf, is light in weight, has considerable strength and good taste. It is classified as Cover, Inner-cover and Core tobacco.
Guacharo:
This tobacco is produced near the Gulf of Cariaco in the vicinity of the Guacharo Caves. It has an exceptional and superior strength, a better taste and finer aroma than any other tobacco, not only of Venezuela but of any place in the world where tobacco is cultivated. There is only a small supply of this kind of tobacco because it will not grow in any other region on account of the very mature strata formation. The leaf is small and delicate; there is consequently a great demand for it from the cigar manufacturers. Cigarette manufacturers can not make use of it because the quantity produced is too small.
The annual production of the different classes of tobacco in Venezuela varies a great deal according to the conditions of the season and the demand for the product. The approximate output between the years 1914-1919 was estimated at more than 3,000 tons from the different regions. The average production above referred to is liable to increase to a considerable extent provided the demand requires it, as soil fit for tobacco cultivation is plentiful. The price of tobacco naturally varies with the supply and demand and an increase of exports of tobacco contemplated in the near future will tend to increase the prices. The total value of tobacco exported from Venezuela in 1917 amounted to more than $50,000; in 1918(?) the exportation amounted to more than $800,000.
The total amount of capital invested in Venezuela in the cultivation of the tobacco plant is estimated at $2,000,000.
Rubber, which was discovered in French Guiana in 1758, is called "caucho" or "goma elastica," in Venezuela. The rubber produced in the Orinoco, Cassiquiare and Rio Negro sections of Venezuela comes from forests of Heveas. There are other species of rubber trees but their sap is less elastic andmuch thicker. The tree is found in plentiful quantities throughout the Guiana section and the Andes Range, and in some States of the East, West and South of Venezuela. More than twenty tribes of Indians inhabiting the Amazon territory of Venezuela gather rubber and prepare it, but, as a general rule, in a very primitive manner.
In the Orinoco region the Hevea tree produces from 40 to 50 grams of juice; in that of the Rio Negro from 80 to 100 grams and in that of the Cassiquiare from 125 to 150 grams per tree.
Due to the fact that this product as well as many others of the country are gathered within the vast territory bordering on Brazil, they are exported through the Brazilian port of Para and reach American and European markets as of Brazilian origin.
Rubber trees when cultivated in a scientific manner yield an average of 95% of pure rubber, each tree producing about 460 grams of juice.
The exploitation of rubber in Venezuela may be considered as limited entirely to the gathering of the natural product on a small scale, as the many million acres producing rubber would require several million people to exploit them. The investment of capital on a large scale is required to develop this important industry. First and most important, labor must be induced to come to Venezuela in order to develop this immense natural resource now scarcely touched. The world demand for this product is great and rubber would undoubtedly be a profitable investment for American investors if undertaken in a systematic and technical way. It is estimated that not more than $1,200,000 are invested in the rubber industry in Venezuela.
Sugar cane is indigenous in Venezuela and cultivated with good results. Lately, Sugar Cane Central Factories have been established to manufacture the products of the sugar cane. These plants equipped with the best modern improvements as to buildings and machinery have at their disposal sufficient capital to enable them not only to supply the home consumption but to export their products in considerable quantity.
The climate and the fertile soil of Venezuela are the principal factors in the production of sugar cane, as it grows everywhere in Venezuela except in mountainous parts lacking irrigation.
Four species of sugar cane are cultivated in Venezuela, namely: Criolla, the Otati, the Batavian and the Salangore.
The Criolla is cultivated to the largest extent on account of its sweetness and good results.
The planting and cutting of the sugar cane is controlled in such a manner that there is always in the plantations sufficient cane reaped and ready, in order to avoid interruptions in the grinding during the whole year round. To ensure this continuity of crops, the soil must be kept well irrigated at all times.
The region near the Lake of Valencia produces longer and thicker canes having more juice, but they contain less sweetness.
Sugar plantations are usually divided intoTablonescovering ninety meters square, each lot separated by a road. Such lots, when well manured, irrigated and sown with sugar cane, produce sixty to eighty loads of "papelon" (brown sugar), or 160 loads of alcohol: that is, 5,120 cones of brown sugar weighing 8,129 kilograms or 9,600 liters of alcohol. Every plantation of any importance has a special building with the necessary machinery and equipment for manufacturing the different sugar products. These are: sugar, brown sugar, alcohol and rum.
Brown sugar is offered for sale molded in different forms such as cones and squares. The best quality of sugar produced in Venezuela is manufactured near Guatire, a town three hours distance from Caracas by motor truck or automobile. Rum is manufactured from sugar cane and alcohol. The previously mentioned Sugar Central Factories command an aggregate capital of $7,700,000, have a total of 12,800 hectares of sugar cane under cultivation and can produce 2,600 metric tons of sugar per day. This product at present commands a high price abroad; therefore, with proper management these plants now offer a Venezuelan product for exportation in large quantities and of a very fine quality, and for which without much difficulty they should be able to establish a wide market.
As far back as 1913 there existed 600 individuals and companies devoted to the cultivation of sugar cane, with an aggregate total capital of more than $10,600,000 invested in this industry.
This product was introduced into Venezuela by the Spaniards at the beginning of the conquest and was cultivated in Aragua, Barquisimeto, Trujillo, Mérida and the Táchira. The high table lands and valleys in the mountainous regions of Western Venezuela are available for cultivation of wheat. Fine crops of this grain are now raised, which, after being made into bread, is the chief breadstuff of all classes of the country.
In the Republic of Colombia wheat is cultivated on a large scale with good results both in cold, temperate and hot zones. Venezuela has similar zones, therefore by sowing the proper kind of grain in each zone as practiced in Colombia and by adopting the same or similar systems of cultivation as are there used, wheat could easily be raised in Venezuela not only for home consumption, but for export.
Cotton, although a natural product of Venezuela, was not cultivated until 1782. Its output became important during the Civil War of the United States, but after that event and the subsequent great decline in prices of this staple product, the industry was gradually abandoned. The cotton tree attains the height of a shrub and under usual cultivation produces in Venezuela more than in the United States. At the beginning of 1800 the average exportation of cotton was 450,000 kilograms a year. In 1850 the export of cotton was of 300,000 kilograms and in 1888 of 57,000 kilograms. In 1913, 267,300 kilograms of cotton with a commercial value of $72,120 were exported.
Cotton grows in nearly the whole territory of Venezuela, but the best results have been obtained in the States of Aragua and Carabobo, which produce 54% of the total Venezuelan crop.
The farmers sow cotton when they plant corn or beans during the month of July and the crop of cotton begins to be gathered at the end of the month of November or the beginning of December. This depends upon the time when rains permit the sowing. The crops of corn or beans pay the expense of the whole cultivation of the cotton and the only outlay in the raising of cotton is the gathering. It is estimated that the production of cotton in Venezuela in normal times, excepting droughts, locusts, etc., amounts to 7,000,000 kilograms in the seed. Thereis an average of 28.5% cotton in the seed, therefore, 1,995,000 kilograms of seeded cotton are produced. The cotton seeds which were sown in the month of June, 1918, began to give a crop in the month of December of the same year, and the gathering of said crop ended in the month of March, 1919. It has been estimated that this crop produced a total of 1,995,000 kilograms of seeded cotton grown in the various states of the Venezuelan Federal Union.
The price of cotton in Venezuela during the last eight years (1911-1919) has fluctuated between Bolivars 70 to 150 per 46 kilograms. The last price of 150 Bs. per 46 kilograms was the one paid at the end of the 1919 crop, due to the high price of cotton in the United States, the country producing the greatest amount of cotton in the world.
Since Venezuela produced in 1919 a total of 1,995,000 kilograms of seeded cotton which were sold at an average of 3.25 Bs. per kilogram, the total value of the Venezuelan cotton crop amounted to Bs. 6,483,750 ($1,296,750 American gold).
Venezuelan cotton is classified as Cotton No. 2. (Egypt produces cotton No. 1.) Due to the difference in seeds, soil, cultivation on a small scale, etc., Venezuelan cotton is mixed in such a manner that a standard quality of uniform length of fibre is not obtainable in a given lot. For this reason the price of Venezuelan cotton is always somewhat less than that of the medium class cotton from the United States.
The State of Zulia produces the best quality of Venezuelan cotton, due to the length of its fibre and because it is more advantageous when manufactured, but as the cloth industry in Venezuela is not intensive enough to warrant the classification of fibres, this advantage is not noticeable in the aggregate cotton trade of Venezuela. The cotton plant gives but one crop a year and requires to be replanted every year. At the present time it is estimated that $200,000 are invested in the cultivation of this product.
These beans, which are exported from Venezuela on a large scale, have the shape of a large black almond and give out a delicious perfume. When dry their peculiar perfume develops still more and it is used as an odorous basis to make high gradeperfumes, and to flavor tobacco. The bean is a natural product and needs no cultivation, as a general rule; it is gathered in the Tonka forests existing in the Amazon territory and the District of Cedeno, in the Venezuelan Guianas. Tonka beans are a staple of great value in the regions watered by the Orinoco River and its tributaries, and almost the entire crop of Venezuelan Tonka beans are exported by the way of Ciudad Bolívar.
The gathering process formerly in use brought about the destruction of the trees, but the Venezuelan Government has taken the necessary measures to prevent the trees from being felled as was formerly the case. The large trees now in existence are being protected perfectly. In the year 1913 Venezuela exported more than half a million kilograms of tonka beans having a commercial value of $727,800. One or several well organized companies with the necessary capital at their command would derive great profit from such exploitation.[10]
[10]Agricultural Year Book of Venezuela, 1913.
[10]Agricultural Year Book of Venezuela, 1913.
Venezuela produces an uncultivated vanilla plant called "vanilla lutescens," but that commonly known to commerce is the more aromatic kind called "vanilla plantifola." The cultivation of this product has not been fostered to any great extent. It grows readily in the rich soil of the States of Falçon, Lara, Bolívar, Anzoatequí and Zamora. No official figures are available as to the production, cultivation or export of this product, although there is a good opportunity for further development.
There are many cocoanut tree plantations in Venezuela, chiefly in the regions of Zulia, Carabobo, Bolívar, Barcelona and Cumaná. Cocoanuts are used for various reasons abroad and in the United States, therefore the cultivation of this natural product could be fostered so as to make it an article of export on a large scale and it would become a profitable investment not requiring a large capital. In 1913 there were invested in Venezuela in the cultivation of cocoanut trees $1,095,200.
This product is successfully cultivated in all the States of Venezuela where it grows in every kind of soil, from the level of the sea to 2,800 meters above it. It thrives best, however, at an altitude of 500 to 1,000 meters. There are about 73,131 acres in Venezuela devoted to the production of corn, and the total amount raised is estimated at 150,000 metric tons. Special attention has lately been paid to the cultivation of corn, which is the real bread-plant in Venezuela, especially in the interior of the country, and a considerable quantity of Indian corn has been exported.
Beans are also successfully grown in all the States of Venezuela and a great variety of them are produced. Those having the greatest demand are the "black beans." Their production not only meets the domestic demand but they have been lately exported in considerable quantities. They grow readily at all times of the year and are one of the principal articles of domestic commerce in Venezuela.
This product was introduced into Venezuela in 1777 and planted near La Victoria and later in many other places. The best quality was produced at San Sebastian. Due to the high price attained by coffee many years ago, the cultivation of indigo was abandoned. In 1902 the exportation of indigo amounted to 1,876,510 pounds having a value of $2,450,000.
This product has now sufficient demand in foreign markets to warrant the revival of its cultivation as a remunerative exportable commodity of Venezuela.
During the year 1917-1918 the products exported from the agricultural zone of Venezuela amounted to $10,400,000; in this zone there is now invested $46,600,000. A presidential decree of March 12, 1917, created an experiment station of agriculture, live stock, and forestry with a garden of acclimatization to be located at Cotiza near Caracas. Its purposes were stated to be:
The study of improved methods of cultivating the agricultural products of the country; the introduction, selection and distribution of seeds; experiments in reforestation; preparation of reports upon nature of soil and most adaptable crops from each region, with practical work for the training of agricultural foremen and forest rangers.[11]
[11]Memoria del Ministerio de Fomento, 1918.
[11]Memoria del Ministerio de Fomento, 1918.
Other purposes are:
To maintain circulating agrarian libraries, to promote expositions, to form nurseries of exotic plants, to introduce new agricultural machinery and implements, and to supply all possible information and assistance to the country.
In the following table the amount of capital invested in Venezuela in the cultivation of its eight principal agricultural products is shown.[12]
In the following table the amount of capital invested in Venezuela in the cultivation of its eight principal agricultural products is shown.[12]
Coffee trees$16,000,000Cacao13,000,000Balata and rubber2,000,000Cocoanut trees2,000,000Tobacco2,000,000Bananas500,000Cotton400,000Sugar cane11,500,000Total$47,400,000
[12]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919, p. 44.
[12]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919, p. 44.
The following table shows the principal products exported from the Agricultural Zone of Venezuela from 1917-1918,—weight in Kilograms and values in Bolivares.[13]
The following table shows the principal products exported from the Agricultural Zone of Venezuela from 1917-1918,—weight in Kilograms and values in Bolivares.[13]
Products.Weight in kilograms.Value in Bolivares.1.Cotton3,0674,9302.Starch248,801104,3073.Sugar13,260,5625,526,7984.Cacao20,280,86510,603,3725.Coffee34,123,14529,190,6226.Bananas377,63658,2057.Indian Corn21,360,1914,878,1738.Brown sugar5,440,5511,427,1619.Tobacco297,579324,436Total95,392,397B. 52,118,004
[13]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919.
[13]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919.
This vast region extends from the Gulf of Maracaibo over the mountains of Yaracuy, San Felipe, Aroa, Tucacas, San Camilo, Guayana and its territories, and from the untouched forest of the Trujillo and Barquisimeto mountains to the fertile woodlands of the State of Zamora.
The Forest Zone of Venezuela comprises about half of its territory; of this half, 98% is still virgin land, a fact which may be regarded as one of the principal hopes for the progressive future of the country. The Zone has an area of 795,640 square kilometers, from which over two thousand specimens were exhibited in Caracas at one time. From this immense region Venezuela can derive natural resources of unlimited wealth, when sufficient labor and capital are available, better means of transportation established, and more modern machinery and implements introduced.
The following figures show the division of the Forest Zone of Venezuela:PublicForestLands295,400sq.kilometers[14]Private""125,000""[14]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919, p. 27.
The following figures show the division of the Forest Zone of Venezuela:
PublicForestLands295,400sq.kilometers[14]Private""125,000""
[14]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919, p. 27.
[14]Informe del Ministerio de Fomento, 1919, p. 27.
The Forest Zone of Venezuela comes within the forest area of South America. Richest in quantity, and, probably in variety of vegetable life, is the well-known land of Guayana, with its vast forests, hot climate and heavy rainfall. Within this area the plants range from the alpine shrubs and reindeer moss found on some of the higher plateaux and hills to the bamboos and orchids of the river banks. The high timber trees grow fairly close together, and their spreading tops fifty, eighty, or one hundred feet from the ground, with the abundant hanging manes and flowering creepers, keep all but a feeble light from the ground; hence it comes that the undergrowth is usually sparse or absent, and progress on foot is comparatively easy.
Of all the forest giants of Guayana, "Schomburgk" is considered the most magnificent; the average diameter of the trunk is about three feet, and it seldom branches at less than forty feet from the ground. Its wood, dark red and fine grained, is said to be excellent for shipbuilding purposes.
Caoba, whose wood is very like mahogany in color, and a certain big tree called "rosewood," which it resembles, are notableamong the timber trees. The hugeCeibashave a soft, easily worked wood, excellent for the dugout canoes of the Indians. The equally largeMucurutuor cannon-ball tree furnishes a beautiful but hard grained timber.
Two fruit trees whose products are well known throughout Europe grow in the regions of Guayana, theBrazil nutandtonka beantrees.
The gums and resins of Guayana include the balatá, copaiba-balsam, and rubber-producing trees, the latter chiefly varieties ofhevea, whilecinchonaorquinine, with innumerable creepers and trees possessed of medicinal or toxic properties are found on all sides. There are more than 2,450 known species of plants to be found in the Forest Zone and more are being added to the list daily; it is probable that in such an assembly there must be many of value as yet undiscovered and unused.
The forest plants and trees of Guayana also flourish in the Delta Region and in the forests bordering the Llanos of Maturin, but the vegetation of Northern Venezuela is generally different from that of the South. The great brown plain of the Llanos is beautified by small golden, white, and pink flowers, while sedges and irises make up much of the small vegetation. The banks of the rivers often support denser groves ofceibas,crotons,guamos, etc., and along the banks in front of the trees are masses of reeds and semi-aquatic grasses.
In the region of the Cordilleras many different types of vegetation can be found in the various zones. The very hot section has generally a heavy rainfall and supports thick forests, but along the sea coast there are barren stretches with only cactus, acacia, croton, and similar plants. In this region we have the plantations of cacao, sugar, bananas, plantains, maize and cassava, which are the staple foods of the inhabitants. The growth of cocoanuts is also encouraged. In addition, there are many products of the forests, chief of which are the dyewoods, and tanning barks, including logwood, dividive, mangrove, indigo, and many others. There is also a great deal of valuable timber in this region, the chief woods exported being mahogany and cedar.
In the cooler regions we find a mixture of hot country plants and those of the mountains. One may see in the same valley, within a short distance of one another, bananas, potatoes, sugarcane, wheat, yuca or cassava, peas, maize, cotton, cocoa and coffee, all flourishing, and a single orchard may contain guavas and apples, peaches and oranges, and a variety of other fruits; the garden adjoining will have a mixture of roses, carnations, violets and dahlias and many tropical flowers. Strawberries, mint, nasturtiums and other of our garden plants have been successfully grown in these mountain regions within 10 degrees of the equator.
The higher part of this region exhibits a great variety of plants peculiar to this zone. Along the mountain roads can be seen palms, screw-pines, and beautiful tree ferns, also cranberries, blackberries, ivy, quinine-trees, small bamboos, silver-ferns, and many other beautiful plants and shrubs. In short, here can be seen the greatest variety of color and floral scenery.
In the cold region of the Cordilleras the small woods of the temperate zone gradually die out, and toward the snow line we have the alpine grasses, heaths, and thick leaved, aloe-shaped plants which have lumps of resin clinging to their roots, and seem to take the place of pines, which are not found in Venezuela.
The value of the products of the Forest Zone of Venezuela exported during 1917-1918 was more than $1,800,000. The capital invested in the cultivation of this zone amounts to more than $2,000,000.
Matthew J. Heiler.