THE VEGETATION OF THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 363 
climate are favourable, yet none, except a few enterprising foreigners, 
have taken a prominent part in the cultivation ; and there is reason to 
believe that while the country remains so thinly populated as at 
present, that natural consequence of such a state of society, the high 
price of labour, will be a lasting impediment to the establishing of 
plantations on a large scale. 
Most of the cultivated plants have been brought over from foreign 
countries. The cerealia grown are Rice and Indian Corn. The former 
was introduced by the Spaniards; the latter was known, before the 
conquest, to the Aborigines, who raised it extensively, and used to 
prepare from it their bread, and also chicha, a kind of beer. At present 
there are several varieties of Indian Corn, chiefly distinguished, from 
each other by the colour and size of their respective grains. Some 
successful experiments with Wheat have lately been made on the 
mountains of Veraguas, which will probably lead to an extensive culti- 
vation of that grain. 
Of dessert fruit probably no country can exhibit a greater variety. 
Besides many indigenous ones, there are to be found the Aguacate 
(Persea gratissima, Gertn.), Anona (Anona laurifolia, Dunal), Aqui 
(Cupania Akeesia, Cambess.), Chirimoya (Anona Cherimolia, Mill), 
Granadilla (Passiflora quadrangularis, Linn.), Jobo (Spondias lutea, 
Linn.), Zima (Citrus Limetto, Risso), Limon (Citrus Limonum, Risso), 
Mammey de Cartagena (Lucuma mammosum, Gærtn.), Mango (Mangifera 
Indica, Linn.) Melon (Cucumis Melo, Linn.), Naranja agria (Citrus 
vulgaris, Risso), Naranja dulce (Citrus Aurantium, Risso), Palo de pan 
(Artocarpus incisa, Linn.), Papaya (Carica Papaya, Linn.) Pinna 
(Ananassa vulgaris, Lindl.), Pomarosa (Jambosa vulgaris, DC.), different 
species of Ciruelas (Spondias, sp. pl.), and Toronjil (Citrus Decumana, 
Linn.). The Mangosteen was introduced in 1848, plants having been 
obtained from the Royal Botanie Gardens at Kew. 
The Plantain is most extensively cultivated, and furnishes the inhabi- 
tants with the chief portion of their food. The question whether the 
Plantain and its kindred are indigenous to the New World, or whether 
they have been introduced, has hitherto formed a topic for historians 
rather than for naturalists, and no satisfactory conclusion has as yet 
been arrived at. Some incline to the former, others to the latter 
opinion ; and again a third party thinks that while some species are’ 
indigenous, others have been brought from foreign countries. Robert- 
