﻿VOLCANO-GIRDED 
  SALVADOR 
  

  

  195 
  

  

  Photograph 
  from 
  Harriet 
  Chalmers 
  Adams 
  

  

  ON 
  A 
  MAGUEY 
  PLANTATION 
  

  

  Although 
  Salvador 
  has 
  1,400,000 
  people 
  in 
  an 
  area 
  no 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  

   Jersey, 
  the 
  soil, 
  composed 
  mostly 
  of 
  decomposed 
  lava, 
  is 
  so 
  fertile 
  that 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  

   capable 
  of 
  supporting 
  an 
  even 
  denser 
  population. 
  Great 
  maguey 
  and 
  sugar-cane 
  plantations 
  

   occupy 
  the 
  lowland 
  country. 
  

  

  Many 
  and 
  interesting 
  were 
  our 
  trips 
  in 
  

   the 
  saddle. 
  To 
  my 
  amazement, 
  the 
  side- 
  

   saddle 
  provided 
  me 
  was 
  constructed 
  for 
  

   the 
  right 
  foot 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  left 
  in 
  the 
  

   stirrup, 
  just 
  the 
  reverse 
  of 
  the 
  Anglo- 
  

   Saxon 
  way. 
  At 
  first 
  I 
  felt 
  uncomfort- 
  

   able, 
  but 
  soon 
  accustomed 
  myself 
  to 
  the 
  

   Central 
  American 
  style. 
  Of 
  late 
  many 
  

   Salvadorian 
  women 
  have 
  adopted 
  the 
  

   safe 
  and 
  sane 
  method 
  of 
  riding 
  astride. 
  

  

  THE 
  MAJORITY 
  OP 
  THE 
  PEOPLE 
  ARE 
  

   LANDHOLDERS 
  

  

  Charming 
  is 
  the 
  scenery 
  throughout 
  

   Salvador. 
  Lowland 
  forests 
  alternate 
  

   with 
  highland 
  plateaus 
  ; 
  pleasant 
  pasture 
  

   lands 
  with 
  rugged 
  valleys. 
  Instead 
  of 
  

   fences, 
  bordering 
  the 
  highway 
  are 
  rows 
  

   of 
  giant 
  cacti 
  and 
  flowering 
  hedges. 
  The 
  

   scarlet 
  poinsettia 
  flares 
  from 
  its 
  emerald 
  

   setting. 
  The 
  air 
  is 
  laden 
  with 
  the 
  per- 
  

   fume 
  of 
  jasmine, 
  camellias, 
  and 
  tube- 
  

   roses, 
  here 
  favorite 
  flowers. 
  Giant 
  ceiba 
  

   trees, 
  shading 
  the 
  road, 
  harbor 
  merry 
  

   crews 
  of 
  chattering 
  parrakeets. 
  High 
  in 
  

  

  the 
  branches 
  I 
  sometimes 
  spied 
  a 
  brown 
  

   monkey 
  swinging 
  by 
  his 
  tail. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  healthful 
  

   uplands, 
  the 
  volcanic 
  region. 
  San 
  Miguel, 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  of 
  these 
  volcanoes, 
  has 
  

   an 
  altitude 
  of 
  7,000 
  feet. 
  Nearly 
  the 
  en- 
  

   tire 
  country 
  is 
  suitable 
  for 
  cultivation, 
  

   the 
  soil, 
  consisting 
  mainly 
  of 
  decomposed 
  

   lava, 
  being 
  exceedingly 
  fertile. 
  This, 
  and 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  

   are 
  landholders, 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  teeming 
  

   population, 
  the 
  industry 
  and 
  contentment 
  

   to 
  be 
  noted 
  everywhere. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  of 
  the 
  products, 
  long 
  

   the 
  chief 
  export 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  is 
  indigo. 
  

   This 
  native 
  plant 
  (jiquilitc) 
  supplied 
  the 
  

   blue 
  dye 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  inhabitants. 
  

   Sugar 
  now 
  ranks 
  as 
  an 
  important 
  export. 
  

   In 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  the 
  forty-niners, 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rum 
  consumed 
  by 
  the 
  

   California 
  miners 
  came 
  from 
  Salvador. 
  

   Rice, 
  like 
  sugar, 
  was 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  

   Old 
  World 
  ; 
  but 
  cacao, 
  corn, 
  and 
  tobacco 
  

   are 
  indigenous. 
  Turkeys 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  

   flocks 
  in 
  the 
  tobacco 
  fields 
  to 
  devour 
  the 
  

  

  