60 
Rather above the grasses and near the summit of the divide a 
resinous composite a foot or two high is abundant, large quanti- 
ties of which are pulled out by the roots, made into bales and 
sold for fuel. At about the same height also are several odd 
cespitose plants. One is perhaps umbelliferous. It grows in 
hard, dense masses, that when dug out are nearly the size of a 
bushel basket and furnish an excellent fuel. Another species 
forms more or less complete yellow-brown rings over the surface 
outside of the dense tuft it first forms. Finally the center, com- 
posed of the older branches, dies away and becomes replaced by 
sand, thus leaving a very perfect ring, often several feet across 
and of a peculiar yellowish color, in strong contrast with the 
dark sand around and within it. 
As one approaches Lake Titicaca the low flats bordering the 
lake are observed to be extensively cultivated. The principal 
crop raised is barley, next perhaps comes kenoa, then potatoes. 
The barley is mostly cut before maturity and used for fodder, and 
the potatoes are small and poor in quality. The kenoa, a species 
of Chenopodium, varies from a small plant without planes and 
thing, three or four feet tall. It becomes bright red at maturity 
and a large specimen doubtless produces half a pint or more of 
seed. The seed is cooked and eaten much the same as rice, but 
requires more care, as the first water in which it is boiled should 
be drained off. When thoroughly cooked the spirally coiled 
embryo becomes separated from the endosperm and gives the 
dish an odd appearance. At best it is quite inferior to any of the 
cereals as a food. 
Puno, the railway terminus on the lake, is in Peru, while 
Chililaya, at the southern end of the lake, is in Bolivia, so 
that one enters Bolivian territory while on one of the small 
steamers plying weekly between these points, and although 
scarcely more than 15° south of the equator, the great elevation, 
12,540 feet, makes the climate anything but tropical. Heavy 
frosts are common the greater part of the year. Snow storms 
are not rare, and during the colder periods some little ice forms 
about the margin of the lake. 
