42 Meyen on the Distribution of Vegetation on the 



knotty Magericarpus, &c., are next to the Syngenesian plants in 

 number. It is, therefore, not surprising, that Mr Scott, who 

 has lived so many years in that treeless region, should give 

 the name of trees to such small shrubs, since the value of wood 

 in such a country is extremely great. 



It appears to me, that the planting woods on the Plateau of 

 Chuquito would be quite possible, and that for this purpose 

 it would be advisable to select such trees as flourish in the vici- 

 nity of the polar circle. This plan was proposed by Scholtz 

 of Breslau, who resided many years at Lima, and has distin- 

 guished himself by many useful memoirs. Large quantities of 

 seeds have been sent there ; they were sown, but unfortunately 

 none have succeeded. The climate itself, as we would willingly 

 suppose, is certainly not to be blamed, but only the little 

 care which has been bestowed on the planting; and it is 

 much to be wished for the benefit of the inhabitants, that other 

 friends of humanity would interest themselves in this matter. 

 On the other hand, the planting operations carried on by Scholtz 

 in several other places of the higher regions of Peru, as, for 

 example, on the Plateau of Pasco, have had the most favourable 



result. 



It would then seem probable, not only that the vegetation, 

 especially of the larger description, occurs at a lower level 

 on the Himalayah than on the Cordillera of South Peru, but 

 also that in the latter there are some localities, which surpass, in a 

 most remarkable manner, all similar phenomena in the Hima- 

 layah. In conclusion, let us cast a glance at the vegetation in 

 general, which covers the greatest heights on those so widely 

 separated points on the earth's surface, in order to indicate their 

 analofries as well as their differences. 



When we consider, in a general point of view, the physio- 

 crnomy of the vegetation of the northern half of the globe, we 

 arrive at the conclusion, that it varies considerably according to 

 latitude, but that the variation is, in fact, very slight according to 

 a chano-e of meridian. It is the trees and shrubs which, 

 by their physiognomy, chiefly communicate character to the 

 veoetalion of a country ; and it is on the mode of their reciprocal 

 distribution ; on the arrangement in series, one with another, of 

 ♦he different forms of these plants ; and on their alternation with 



