89 



The juice of this plant is viscous, of a yellowish co- 

 lour and sweetish taste ; the husbandmen take 

 great pains to destroy it, notwithstanding which, 

 it constantly springs up again, and if a horse 

 eats of it, he is sure to die, unless immediate mea- 

 sures are taken to make him sweat profusely by vio- 

 lent exercise. 



Besides those which have been brought from Eu- 

 rope Chili produces a great number of valuable 

 plants, both alimentary, medicinal and such as are 

 useful in the arts. Many of these, particularly the 

 alim.entary kind, were well known and cultivated 

 before the arrival of the Spaniards. 



Sect. II. Alimentary herbs or plants, — The 

 maize (zea mais) or Turkey wheat, called by the 

 Chilians gua, was well known in America when 

 Columbus first arrived there. This fact is confirmed 

 by all the writers of that period, and it is very cer- 

 tain that it was the only species of corn at that 

 time made use of by the natives. The improper 

 application of the name of the Indies to Amer- 

 ica has probably led M. Bomare to observe, 

 that the maize is indigenous to Asia, from whence 

 it was carried into Europe, and from thence to 

 America. There are likewise some authors, as C. 

 Durante, in his herbal, who improperly denominate 

 it Turkey wheat, considering it as originally from 

 Turkey. 



Maize grows extremely wtW in Chili,* and the 



* In the old continent wheat is the most common grain, but in 

 the new world maize has always been, ivid still is, the most gene- 

 Vofc. I. ' O 



