230 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 
varied by a few shallow quebradas (ravines). The 
soil is what in Yorkshire we used to call " a leight 
blaw-away sand," which, when the sun and wind are 
up, scorches and blinds the traveller, though it 
produces scanty crops of maize, barley, peas, and 
lupines (eaten here under the name of chocchos "). 
The indigenous vegetation is limited to a few 
insignificant weeds, chiefly Composites, nestling 
under the hedges of Yucca and Agave. The 
flowers of the two latter plants — so great a rarity 
in England — are here to be seen all the year round, 
and their tall tree-like peduncles are the poles used 
throughout the Cordillera for all common purposes, 
such as fences, rafters, and even walls of houses, 
etc. Long files of asses laden with them enter the 
towns of Ambato and Riobamba every market-day. 
Beyond Mocha we leave the sandy country, and 
after passing two streams which descend from 
Mount Carguairazo on our right, we begin to 
ascend to the Paramo de Sanancajas, the grassy 
meseta (plateau) which extends along the eastern 
base of Chimborazo, at a height of from ii,ooo to 
12,000 feet. Near its commencement the road 
leading from Quito to Guayaquil branches off to the 
right, while that to Riobamba and Cuenca continues 
straight on. The weather had been rainy for many 
previous days, and we had had drizzling rain all the 
way to Mocha, so that we were not without appre- 
hension of suffering from the cold on the paramo. 
Fortunately, just as we reached it, the sun shone 
forth, the clouds cleared away, and the glaciers of 
Chimborazo stood out against the blue sky like cut 
marble ; but the ground was still so sloppy that 
what I had formerly passed over in two hours now 
