.38 
GUATEMALA. 
the distance between Livingston and New York is much 
in favor of that route over the better-known one from 
Aspinwall to the metropolis; and when to this saving 
of time and avoidance of the dangers of navigation is 
added the greater facilities for raising and shipping fruit 
which Livingston is now developing, there is great proba¬ 
bility that New Orleans will not long be allowed to absorb 
all the bananas, plantains, and pines, or England all the 
coffee and mahogany, shipped at Livingston. 
The natural advantages of a port and the conveniences 
of trade between that and other countries are of small 
moment if there is nothing beyond the port; and one must 
look well into the interior of the country to see its pov¬ 
erty or richness. Before crossing the republic, the fruit- 
lands of Livingston are worthy of exploration. The little 
plantations at Cocali, on the coast northward, and those 
along the banks of the Rio Dulce, are easily seen, and in 
their present condition offer nothing new or especially 
interesting. Bananas and plantains are almost the only 
product of commercial importance; for the pines grow 
wild, cassava, bread-fruit, mangoes, and sapotes are not 
exported, and the coconut is native on the shores. 
No systematic cultivation is known in this region, and 
the crops grow very much as they did in the Garden of 
Eden. Plantation-work consists of clearing the land of 
forest (which is done in January and February), allowing 
the felled trees to dry, burning in May, and planting in 
June. No plough ever furrows the rich ground, and the 
hoe is sufficient for the planter’s needs, while most handy 
for the laborers. As may be supposed, the labor of keep¬ 
ing the crops clear of weeds is considerable, but not so 
great as on our Northern farms; for although the vege- 
