362. 
Sketch of the VEGETATION of the Isthmus of PANAMA ; by M. BER- 
THOLD SEEMANN, Naturalist of H. M. S. Herald. 
‘(Continued from p. 306.) 
In a eountry where nature has supplied nearly every want of life, 
and where the consumption of a limited population is little felt, 
agrieulture, deprived of its proper stimulus, cannot make much pro- 
gress. It is, therefore, in the Isthmus, in the most primitive state : 
our first parents hardly could have carried it on more rudely. A spade 
is a curiosity, the plough has never been heard of,* and the only imple- 
ment used for converting forests into fields, are the axe and the 
machete (or chopping-knife) A piece of ground intended for cultiva- 
tion is selected in the forests, cleared of the trees by felling and burning 
them, and surrounded with a fence. In the beginning of the wet 
season the field is set with plants by simply making a hole with the 
machete, and placing the seed or root in it. The extreme heat and 
moisture soon call them into activity, the fertility of a virgin soil 
affords them ample nourishment, and without the further aid of man 
a rich harvest is produced. The same ground is occupied two or three 
years in succession ; after that time the soil is so hard and the old 
stumps have thriven with so much energy, that a new spot has to be 
chosen. In most countries this mode of cultivation would be impos- 
sible to practise; but in New Granada all the unoccupied land is com- 
mon property, of which anybody may appropriate as much as he pleases, 
provided he encloses it either artificially or by taking advantage of 
rivers, the sea, or high mountains. As long as the land is enclosed it 
remains in his possession ; whenever the fence is decayed the land again 
becomes the property of the republic. 
.. . Colonial produce, such as sugar, coffee, cacao, tamarinds, &e., which 
. require more attention than the inhabitants are wont to bestow, are 
. merely raised for home consumption. Although the provincial govern- 
n ment. has tried to encourage this branch of industry by offering pre- 
_ miums for growing a certain number of plants, and the soil and 
CAO * In 1846, an Englis entleman, residing at Panama, often used to boast 
P — that he was one menage E few, if not the only one, in the city, possessing a 
Since the commencement of the railway, and a more active traffic, both 
poe ine alr Ue ME a an unknown vehicle, have become better 
known ; still they are far from being familiar sights in the country. 
