392 



grass, which is fed upon by the cattle which are driven across 

 the continent to the coast. With the exception of these spots, 

 the country between the above-named towns, and extending 

 many leagues to the north and south, is a dreary desert, covered 

 with a low growth of thorn bushes and a few species of gnarled 

 trees, some of which bear pods. 



This substance penetrates the earth from a few inches to a 

 couple of feet. It is particularly abundant at certain places east 

 of the town of San Juan, where the ground is covered with a 

 thin incrustation. It is here exceedingly painful to the eyes 

 from the reflection of the sun's rays, and the inhabitants are 

 constantly affected with inflammation of the eyes. 



The method of treating the soil by the natives is very simple. 

 The water is conducted from the rivers Mendoza and San Juan 

 (which take their rise in the Cordillera) through a sequia or 

 canal, around squares of level land, at irregular intervals of 

 time, and, to use their own expression, they tvash off the salitre. 

 Then a plough, constructed of two pieces of wood, is brought 

 into service, and turns up from six to eight inches of the soil, 

 which goes through the same washing process as the first. 

 After two or three repetitions of this operation, a shallow soil 

 is obtained, partially free from salitre, in which wheat, clover, 

 pumpkins, melons, etc., are raised. The remaining salitre, ac- 

 cording to the belief of the natives, is exhausted by successive 

 crops, and after several years of tillage, the soil is suitable for 

 the vine. Oranges, peaches, quinces, olives, figs, etc., flourish. 

 Within a few years, large tracts of land have been made exceed- 

 ingly fertile by the process above described, and could the New 

 England plough be introduced there, the process would be far 

 more valuable. 



Dr. A. A. Hayes, communicated the following as the 

 results of his analysis of the saline mineral, presented 

 by Mr. Bishop : — 



The specimen was a white, crystaUine solid, formed by the 

 union of two layers of salt, as often results from the evaporation 

 of a saline solution, when the pellicle formed on the surface falls 

 to the bottom. Along the line of junction, crystal facets are seen, 



