352 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov.  2,  i8y6. 
ill).?  plant  which  holds  a j>osition  like  our  buck- 
wheat, we  liave  a whole  list  of  meal-producing 
plants,  among  which,  however,  only  maize  in  its 
numerous  varieties  was  generally  cultivated  in 
the  tropical  and  temperate  regions  of  north  aiul 
south.  Not  until  the  introduction  of  domestic 
animals  from  Europe  was  the  great  wealth  of 
nutritious  grasses  utilised.  Among  many  races 
of  ancient  America,  and  above  all  among  the 
more  civilized,  vegetable  diet  prevailed  over  liesh 
food.  To  the  great  wealth  of  tropical  America 
in  palms  corresponds  in  some  measure  the  abund- 
ance of  useful  articles  wiiich  are  produced  from 
them.  Even  bamboo  hanlly  fullils  so  many  uses 
as  the  carnahuba  ])ahn  of  Brazil  (Copernicia 
cerifera),  which  lasts  through  the  woi’st  .and  longest 
droughts,  remaining  always  green  and  juicy.  Its 
root  has  medicinal  properties  similar  to  those  of 
sarsaparilla,  and  from  the  stem  fine  strong  fibres 
can  be  drawn.  Its  wood  can  be  worked  for 
poles,  beams,  laths,  palings,  musical  instruments, 
pipes,  and  pails.  The  young  leaves,  when  fresh, 
afford  a nutritious  food  ; the  tree  further  furnishes 
wine,  vinegar,  sugar,  and  a gum,  resembling  sago, 
whicli  in  times  of  famine  has  often  been  the  .sole 
sustenance  of  the  Indians.  Besides  this.  Hour, 
and  a whitish  fluid  like  the  milk  in  the  coco- 
nut, have  been  obtained  from  it.  The  soft  fibrous 
substance  in  the  interior  of  the  leaves  and  stalk 
is  a substitute  for  cork.  The  fruit  has  a llesli 
of  agreeable  flavour,  tlie  oily  kernels  are  roasted, 
ground,  and  used  as  coffee.  Erom  the  dried  leaves 
are  made  hats,  mats,  baskets,  ami  brooms,  and 
a kind  of  wa.x  for  camlles  is  also  obtained  from 
it.  Wax  is  furnished  also  by  the  slender  t'e/ury- 
lo?i  andicola,  one  of  the  handsomest  of  trees  with 
its  2U0  to  2n0  feet  of  height.  The  Tagua  palm 
gives  vegetable  ivory — witli  ca(»utehouc  and  Peru- 
vian bark  one  of  tiie  few  natural  jiroducts  of 
South  America  which  have  made  their  way  to 
any  large  extent  into  trade.  The  fan-like  leaves 
of  the  Brazilian  king  palm  {Orcodo.ra  vcyia),  nearly 
forty  feet  in  length,  find  a use  in  various  direc- 
tion's. The  Mariba  palm  has  edible  fruit  ; tlie 
juicy  sweet  flesh  in  which  its  seeds  are  covered 
is  a 'Treat  delicacy  with  the  Indians,  and  a 
maximlUana  covered  with  rijio  fruit  is  not  likely 
to  remain  long  unspared  by  travellers.  Two  or 
throe  palms  in  the  north  of  South  America  fur- 
nish cooling  drinks  such  as  the  Caribs  especially 
love.  The  Macusi  Indians  knead  the  or.ange- 
tinte'l  I'orridge -like  pulp  of  the  mauritia  into  a 
dough  which  they  tie  up  in  the  leaves  of  the 
mariba  palm  and'  take  in  water.  From  the  dark 
violet  roots  of  the  tuni  ])alm  also,  the  Indians 
and  Negroes  of  (luiana  brew  a cooling  drink 
by  the  addition  of  water.  In  consideration  of 
tiie  many  uses  to  which  jialms,  otherwise  of  no 
value,  can  be  jmt  in  the  way  of  building,  timl)er 
rooling  mateiial,  .and  so  on,  the  more  intelligent 
among  even  the  Iiulians  long  since  bcg.an  to 
take  care  of  them  .and  i)lant  them,  cspeci.ally 
the  coco-jialm  and,  on  the  Moscpiito  co.ast,  tlie 
supar  palm. 
The  primeval  forest  of  South  .and  Central 
America  contains  edible  fruits  iti  abundance — 
guava,  the  orhaba  re.sembling  the  winter  cherry, 
curupa  and  chidupa,  mainmee,  chiritnoya,  avogado 
pear,  cashew  nut,  cirnda,  I'ine  a])i)'c  - <ircn(i.dM- 
laa,  the  fiuits  of  a p.assion  flower,  soianunis  of 
all  kinds,  from  tlie  cherry  tomato  to  the  pun- 
gent chillies  which  furnish  the  so-callcd  ('nyenne 
pcjiiier,  the  indi‘ pcnsiible  .se<asonii\g  of  all  Indian 
foods.  Almost  .all  have  spreail  far  beyond  the 
confines  of  America.  North  America  has  a whole 
list  of  nut  trees,  including  walnut  and  hickory. 
The  nut  tree  of  Colombia  riv.als  the  walnuts  of 
Europe  and  America.  INIany  leguminous  trees 
furnish  edible  seeds.  There  are  mulberries  in 
North  America  .and  on  the  plate lu  of  Bogota. 
In  higher  situations,  and  in  the  most  soutlierly 
parts  of  South  .-\mcrica,  there  is  also  an  abun- 
dance of  berries,  even  in  Colombia  species  of 
rubus.  In  North  America  the  fruits  of  two  kinds 
of  chestnuts  are  eaten  ; there  al.so  edilde  nuts 
are  borne  bj'  two  species  of  hazel,  and  in  the 
south  by  some  witch  hazels.  .Sweet  acorns  are 
gathered  from  the  live  oaks  ; in  the  west  the 
pxhon  h.as  edible  oily  kernels ; the  wild  papaw 
or  melon  tree  (Papaya  vidqaris)  furnishe.s  fruit 
like  melons  ; species  of  wild  plum  .are  widely 
distribute'!.  In  North  America  v.arious  species 
of  the  vine  grow  wild,  some  very  - ju'oductive 
and  of  well-flavoured  fruit  which  .are  now  culti- 
vated in  Eurojie. 
Even  the  far  west  of  North  America,  and  again, 
in  spite  of  their  steppe-character,  the  plains  of 
South  America,  .are  by  no  means  destitute  of 
edible  fruits.  In  the  region  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  Great  Basin  there  are  plums, 
cherries,  raspberries,  blackberries,  currants,  and 
gooseberries.  In  Californii  meal  made  from  the 
fruit  of  the  ^^^««2«)^lYa-bush  is  an  important  arti- 
cle in  the  economy  of  the  Indians.  .Schmiedel 
mentions  bread  made  from  the  seed  of  .a  legu- 
minous plant  as  being  eaten  by  the  Indians  of 
the  Fampas.  In  New  Mexico  and  West  Tex.as 
there  are  two  s))ecies  of  mulberry  and  several 
of  vine.  Under  the  name  of  panodic  the  Indians 
of  California  know  a .saccharine  substance  of 
the  nature  of  manna,  which  is  exuded  by  .aphides 
on  the  leaves  of  the  reed  ; ami  also  the  sweetish 
juice  of  the  sugar-pine  (P.  Lambertiana),  which, 
however,  tastes,  more  of  turpentine  than  of 
sugar.  The  well-flavoured  sug.ar  of  the  sugar- 
maple  is  to  the  present  day  of  importance  for 
the  settlers  in  the  e.ast  of  IShn-th  Amcrie.a.  Be- 
sides the  numerous  conifers,  rich  in  balsam  and 
resin,  we  may  mention  the  wax-berry,  fiom  the 
berries  of  which  .a  wax-like  substance  is  ol)tained 
by  boiling.  For  a black  dj'e  tbc  North  Ameri- 
cans employ  the  seed  of  the  snnilowcr  and  the 
bark  of  the  willow,  and  for  red  the  roots  of 
sacoi/euue  and  buffalo-berry.  l'\)r  fishing-lines 
they  use  the  bast  of  the  maple,  the  rod  cedar, 
or  the  stalks— as  thick  as  a linger — of  .a  giant 
oar-weed.  Of  medicinal  hcrl)s  there  is  no  lack. 
Yuccas  and  .agaves  furnish  filuous  material.-'. 
In  old  Mexico  paper  was  i)rcparcd  from  the 
libers  of  the  nnaguey  and  the  bast  of  the  india- 
rubber  tree.  At  the  present  daj'  the  liber  of 
the  .sisal  agave  of  Yuc.atan  is  in  demand.  In 
the  highlands  of  South  America  similar  materials 
were  afforded  by  fourcroiat,  and  the  bromdiacctr. 
C.aoutchonc  is  obtained  from  various  trees 
and  crcejters  ; the  dried  juice  of  the  Mimosops 
halaia  is  used  by  the  Indians  of  Guian.a  fo  smear 
their  arrows  ; when  fresh  they  drink  it  like 
milk;  the  fruit  is  e(|ually  appreciated  by  men 
and  monkeys,  and  the  wood,  under  the  name 
of  botcri,  is  one  of  the  favourite  building  tim- 
bers of  Venezucl.a.  The  resin  of  the  serves 
for  stiffening  bow-strings.  In  the  Coloml.ian 
lowlands  all  the  huts  consist  of  bamboo,  which 
grows  in  ((uantitics  near  the  Cauca.  The  fle.di 
of  m.any  sjiecies  c>f  cucumber  is  eaten,  while 
others  provide  calabashes,  but  the  favourtie  kind, 
called  fotuiiin,  is  made  from  tlie  Imllowed-oul 
fruit  of  the  Cresenifia.  The  Smith  .\mcrican 
Indians  paint  themselves  with  annatto  from  the 
urulii  (Ui.ra  ordlaiia)  and  the  ;/cnipaba  (Gcnijia 
ainerivana).  Nowhere  is  nature  so  well  adapted 
