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Descargar Libro 1 2 La modernización difícil Henri Pittier en Venezuela 1920-1950 3 La modernización difícil. Henri Pittier en Venezuela, 1920-1950 Coordinación de la edición Renato Valdivieso Producción Gisela Goyo Corrección de textos Pascual Estrada Aznar Localización y selección de imágenes Aída Presilla Reproducciones fotográficas Vladimir Sersa Diseño Aixa Díaz Montaje electrónico Oscar Hernández Impresión Editorial Ex Libris, Caracas Tiraje 1.000 ejemplares © Fundación Polar Hecho el depósito de ley Depósito legal lf2591998580790 ISBN 980-6397-71-1 4 La modernización difícil Henri Pittier enVenezuela,1920-1950 Yolanda Texera Arnal, Compiladora Fundación Polar Caracas, 1998 5 Leonor Giménez de Mendoza Presidenta Morella Pacheco Ramella Vicepresidenta Alfredo Guinand Baldó Carlos Eduardo Quintero Leopoldo Márquez Áñez Orlando Perdomo Gómez Vicente Pérez Dávila Asdrúbal Baptista Gunther Faulhaber Alfredo Fernández Porras Directores Graciela Pantin Gerente General César Díaz Gerente de Administración Ricardo Alezones Gerente Técnico Coordinadores Alejandro Reyes Agrícola Armando Hernández Ambiente Renato Valdivieso Ciencia Elizabeth Monascal Cultura Manuel Rodríguez Campos Diccionario de Historia de Venezuela Miranda Zanón Donaciones María Bellorín Economía Agroalimentaria Gisela Goyo Ediciones Isabel Mosqueda Educación y Desarrollo Comunitario Higinia Herrera Salud y Bienestar Social Manuel Bemporad Humberto Fontana Virgilio Urbina Asesores 6 Presentación 7 8 índice Prólogo pág. 11 Estudio introductorio pág. 15 Sobre Agricultura y Educación Agrícola pág. 73 La agricultura tropical y la educación pág. 75 Estación Experimental de Agricultura pág. 93 Una fuente futura de riqueza nacional. Informe de la estación experimental pág. 109 Acerca del tártago pág. 115 Algunas apuntaciones sobre el cultivo de algodón en Venezuela pág. 119 Sobre producción de arroz en Venezuela pág. 127 Apuntaciones misceláneas sobre el cacaotero y el cacao pág. 129 Sobre cooperación en la producción agrícola pág. 137 La lana vegetal o «kapok» pág. 141 Acerca del deterioro del cacao venezolano. Lo que sobre el asunto se pensaba en 1831 pág. 145 Notas sobre la agricultura en Puerto Rico pág. 149 Acerca de dos contribuciones sobre el cultivo del café pág. 157 Acerca de una plaga tal vez peligrosa de los cafetales pág. 165 Sobre cría del gusano de seda en Venezuela pág. 167 Notas acerca del cultivo de café pág. 173 A propósito de una importante contribución sobre la poda del cafeto pág. 179 El cacaotero. Apuntes históricos y botánicos pág. 183 Notas acerca de la posibilidad de cultivar el lino en Venezuela pág. 191 El problema del cacao pág. 193 Apuntes sobre organización del Ministerio de Agricultura pág. 201 Fitogeografía pág. 209 Esbozo de las formaciones vegetales de Venezuela con una breve reseña de los productos naturales y agrícolas (Complemento explicativo del Mapa Ecológico del mismo autor) pág. 211 Exploraciones botánicas y otras, en la cuenca de Maracaibo pág. 239 Algunos trabajos recientes sobre la geología de los Andes de Venezuela pág. 275 Apuntaciones sobre la geobotánica de Venezuela pág. 281 Clasificación de los bosques pág. 293 La mesa de Guanipa. Ensayo de fitogeografía pág. 307 Sobre Conservación de los Recursos Naturales pág. 335 Acerca de nuestras maderas pág. 337 Conservación de los bosques pág. 351 Notas sobre repoblación de bosques pág. 355 Consideraciones acerca de la destrucción de los bosques e incendio de las sabanas pág. 361 Notas sobre la crisis de agua en la parte central de Venezuela pág. 367 Sobre Estudios de la Flora del País pág. 381 La evolución de las ciencias naturales y las exploraciones botánicas en Venezuela pág. 383 Investigación de la flora de Venezuela y estado actual de nuestros conocimientos de ella pág. 399 El estado actual de nuestros conocimientos acerca de la flora en Venezuela pág. 407 Sobre Museos y Herbarios pág. 419 Apuntes sobre identificación de productos naturales y organización 9 de museos en la América tropical pág. 421 Acerca de tipos y nomenclatura de productos naturales de Venezuela pág. 427 El estudio de los productos forestales en Venezuela pág. 431 Miscelánea. Objetivos del Boletín del Museo Comercial de Venezuela pág. 435 El Herbario del Servicio Botánico del Ministerio de Agricultura y Cría (Entrevista) pág. 439 Sobre Meteorología pág. 445 Observatorio «Cajigal» y Servicio Meteorológico. Documento nº 441 pág. 447 Observatorio «Cajigal» y Servicio Meteorológico. Documento nº 442 pág. 449 Contribuciones al estudio de la climatología de Venezuela I. Cuarenta años de observaciones pluviométricas en el Observatorio Cajigal 1891-1930 pág. 453 Contribuciones al estudio de la climatología de Venezuela II. Observaciones pluviométricas practicadas en cincuenta estaciones entre 1891 y 1933 pág. 459 Misceláneas y Bibliografía pág. 467 La expedición al Paracaima pág. 469 Una hipótesis desechada pág. 473 A propósito de un manual de zoología y de la enseñanza de las ciencias naturales pág. 475 Bibliografía del doctor Henri Pittier 1878-1953 pág. 481 Correspondencia 1912/1950 pág. 505 10 Prólogo La obra de Henri Pittier en Venezuela abarca unos cuarenta años: desde 1913 y 1917, dos ocasiones en que vino a asesorar al gobierno venezolano sobre temas relacionados con agricultura; luego, a partir de 1920, cuando se radicó en forma definitiva en nuestro país, hasta su muerte ocurrida en 1950. Su obra científica es conocida por especialistas y por personas interesadas en el campo de los estudios botánicos. Los venezolanos más o menos informados lo reconocen como un científico que hizo contribuciones en esa ciencia; en general, es vagamente asociado al parque nacional que lleva su nombre, en la región norcentral del país. Su obra divulgativa, incluida en esta recopilación, es menos conocida, quizás por encontrarse dispersa en revistas de difícil acceso o porque los venezolanos tenemos mala memoria, sobre todo cuando ésta se refiere al período gomecista, durante el cual Pittier escribió la mayoría de los trabajos que aquí se presentan 1. Con la publicación de su obra divulgativa, pretendemos destacar el compromiso que asumió con algunos de los problemas más acuciantes del país, los cuales él pensaba que la ciencia podía contribuir a resolver. Gran parte de sus artículos divulgativos son resultado de investigaciones o de experiencias acumuladas en Venezuela y otros países tropicales; algunos son llamados a la reflexión, a la necesidad de estudiar los problemas antes de presentar soluciones. En todo caso, Pittier consideraba que era necesario que fueran también conocidos por el público no especializado. Sus artículos abarcan temas como agricultura, conservación, educación, meteorología, fito- geografía, entre otros, que pensamos son de enorme interés para cualquier tipo de público, en particular para los historiadores de estos temas. La obra divulgativa de Pittier es un medio de acceder a un período de nuestra historia en el cual Venezuela inició un proceso de modernización que gana en comprensión al ser visto a través de la mirada de un extranjero quien, a diferencia de tantos que contribuyeron al desarrollo del país, tenía un conocimiento y una experiencia vivida de los problemas de los países tropicales, a los cuales había dedicado gran parte de su vida antes de venir a Venezuela. Vino a radicarse en 1920, a una edad –sesenta y tres años– en que la mayoría de los hombres están haciendo planes para su retiro. La forma como encaraba los problemas que presentaban estos países no fue la aplicación de fórmulas en forma mecánica. Y, claro, cuando se va contra recetas facilistas se enfrentan problemas y se crean enemigos. Sus artículos, así como su correspondencia, parte de la cual se incluye, es reveladora de las dificultades que tuvo que vencer; de allí el título que hemos escogido para esta recopilación: La modernización difícil. Hemos organizado la presentación de este libro en tres partes. En primer lugar, presentamos un estudio introductorio que el lector podría obviar si quiere entrar directamente a leer los artículos y cartas de Pittier. Sin embargo, esa vía no es recomendable si no está familiarizado con el personaje ni con las circunstancias en las cuales éstos fueron escritos; en la segunda parte, se recogen sus artículos publicados 11 en varias revistas venezolanas, copias de los cuales fueron cedidas por la Hemeroteca Nacional. Éstos fueron agrupados por temas: agricultura y educación agrícola, fitogeografía, conservación, estudios sobre la flora del país, museos y herbarios, meteorología, trabajos misceláneos y, por último, la bibliografía de Pittier. Algunos de estos trabajos tienen carácter científico, en particular los de fitogeografía, pero decidimos incluirlos por cuanto son de mucho interés para el estudioso de esos temas y, en todo caso, están escritos en un estilo narrativo comprensible para el lector lego. La tercera parte la reservamos a la correspondencia. Ésta representa apenas una fracción de su voluminosa producción epistolar, la cual consultamos en el Archivo Pittier, depositado en la Biblioteca del Jardín Botánico de Caracas y en el Smithsonian Institution de Washington, instituciones cuya colaboración agra- decemos. Las cartas de y a Carlos Chardón, de Puerto Rico, pertenecen a sus archivos y fueron cedidas gentilmente por su hijo, por intermedio de Stuart McCook. No podemos calcular con precisión el número total de cartas que tuvimos que revisar, pero la cifra no está lejos de tres mil. Hemos seleccionado las que consideramos más interesantes, por ser más polémicas, más reveladoras de su pensamiento, sus angustias
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