JOURNAL 
OF 
The New York Botanical Garden 
VoL. XII January, 1911. No, 123. 
SOME USEFUL PLANTS OF MEXICO.* 
One who would investigate the vegetable products of Mexico 
must establish his base of operations in the public market places, 
preparing there his list of subjects for investigation, and obtaining 
there such nicemanon Hegarding them as may direct his further 
search. The ‘merc ado,” or ‘‘ricoba”’ as it is sometimes called 
in South America, is an institution of prime Seenee through- 
out the whole of Spanish America. The practice of keeping 
meats, vegetables, fruits and other country produce in isolated 
shops, then known as is coming more or less into 
vogue, mostly as a result of icaedke ae and influence, 
but it remains true that the only w which a general idea 
of such products can be gained, is ne a faithful attendance 
upon the mercados, where one is certain to find represented, 
throughout the different seasons, everything that occurs within 
the territories that are respectively tributary to them. He wi 
find, however, that the information there to be oa aes is strictly 
limited. e will be reliably informed that a certain lot was 
produced in a certain place, but he can learn little about the 
distribution of the article elsewhere. He will be correctly in- 
formed as to its current names at that place, but if he subse- 
quently encounters it some hundreds of miles distant, he is not 
only almost certain to hear one or more different names for it, 
but he is very likely to find the same name applied to an entirely 
different article. Thus, the late Dr. José Ramirez has published 
*Abstract of a lecture delivered at the New York Botanical Garden, November 
12, I910 
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