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 The
jaguar, or as he is sometimes called, the American
tiger, is the largest and most ferocious of the
cat family found on this continent. Some jaguars
have been seen equal in size to the Asiatic tiger;
but in most cases the American, animal is smaller.
He is strong enough, however, to drag a horse or
an ox to his den—sometimes to a long distance;
and this feat has been frequently observed.
The
jaguar is found in all the tropical parts of North
and South America. While he bears a considerable
likeness to the tiger, both in shape and habits,
the markings of his skin are quite different.
Instead of being striped like the tiger, the skin
of the jaguar is beautifully spotted. Each spot
resembles a rosette, and consists of a black ring
with a single dark-colored spot in the middle. Click
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 The
cultivation of coffee is a leading industry in
Costa Rica, and has long been a source of
prosperity. It was begun a hundred years ago; a
few plants having been brought from New Granada,
and the first trial being successful, it has
rapidly extended. All the coffee is grown in the
plain of San Jose, where the three principal towns
are situated—about two-thirds being produced in
the environs of the capital, a fourth in those of
Hindia, and the remainder at Alhajuela, and its
vicinity. The land which has been found by
experience to be best suited to coffee is a black
loam, and the next best, a dark-red earth--soils
of a brown and dull yellow color being quite
unsuitable. The plain of San Jose is mostly of the
first class, being, like all the soils of Central
America, formed with a large admixture of volcanic
materials. Contrary to the experience of Java and
Arabia, coffee is here found to thrive much
better, and produce a more healthy and equal berry
on plain land, than upon hills, or undulating
slopes, which doubtless arises from the former
retaining its moisture better, and generally
containing a larger deposit of loam.
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 This
particular program, also known as CCRE, was a
collaborative effort conceived by six scientists
by the National Museum of Natural History in the
1970s.
Initially, researchers from the Smithsonian
worked on disciplines essential to the study of
reef ecology invertebrate and zoology, as well as
paleobiology and carbonate geology.
Initially, the goal was to investigate
Caribbean coral reefs, which then led into study
of coastal environments.
After
careful consideration, it was decided that dive
surveys would be conducted at Belize’s barrier
reef.
Of all structures being considered, the one
at Belize turned out to be the most complex,
specific to animal and plant species, as well as
other habitat types.
The system is pristine with minimal
disturbances from far-off landmasses.
Then in 1972, one acre on top of the
southern part of the barrier reef was chosen as a
field laboratory.
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 Grown
commercially in 120 countries, bananas are among
the top choices of consumers.
Interestingly, of all bananas grown, less
than 25% are exported.
India is the top country for the production
of bananas, followed by Brazil, the Philippines,
Ecuador, Indonesia, China, Colombia, Burundi,
Costa Rica, and then Thailand.
Of all exporters, Ecuador ranks at number
one, supplying more than 2.5 millions tons to
various international markets.
While
most people think a banana is a banana, the truth
is that you will discover more than 40 different
species of this fruit to include plantains, along
with literally hundreds of manmade hybrid species.
Grown on trees that can reach upwards of 16
feet, bananas are not just delicious but also
loaded with potassium magnesium, vitamin A and C,
and other important nutrients.
The commercial bananas are a mutant of the
type of fruit grown in the wild, which have seeds. The roots of banana trees are very short, which makes them
vulnerable to heavy winds.
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here to read more.
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