ust be carried
on the backs of men, and the greatest difficulty is experienced in
traversing the almost inaccessible steeps and deep ravines.

Coal of inferior quality has been found near the shores of Lake Titicaca
and is used by the steamers sailing on its waters. Many rich mineral
lodes yet remain undiscovered, and a vast number of valuable mines
languish for lack of capital to develop them. Frequent revolutions and
the insecurity of private property prevent the investment of foreign
capital.

The Andes will continue to be a great storehouse of minerals for many
years to come.

[Illustration: Silver-smelting works at Cassapalca, on the Oroya
Railroad, Peru, 13,600 feet high]

Muffling the feet of the Peruvian Andes is a long narrow strip--drifting
dunes of rock waste--known as the Atacama Desert. In comparison with
this awful desert, the Sahara is said to be a botanical garden. Here
during a part of the year a fierce, relentless sun pours down its
burning rays on the shifting sands, keeping the air at a scorching heat
both day and night. Formerly the region belonged to Bolivia, but it was
annexed to Chile as a result of the war of 1881.

For miles and miles not a blade of grass, not a tree, not a shrub is to
be seen. All around is a bleak, barren waste destitute of water. Yet
underneath these sands lie concealed immense deposits of "nitrates" of
untold wealth.

Although small quantities of the nitrates had been sent to Europe for
chemical purposes--chiefly the manufacture of gunpowder--no considerable
amount was exported until a fortuitous discovery was made by a Scotchman
named George Smith. After wandering over the world for some time Smith
settled down in a little village near Iquique, where he had a small
garden containing fruit-trees and flowers. In one part of his garden he
noticed that the plants grew best where the soil contained a white
substance.

He then proceeded to gather a quantity of the material and to experiment
with it. To his surprise he found that a mere handful of it greatly
stimulated the growth of plants. He told a member of his family in
Scotland who was engaged in fruit-growing about the wonderful effects of
the material as a fertilizer. As a result several bags of nitrates were
distributed among Scottish farmers and fruit-growers. So satisfactory
did the fertilizer prove that an immediate call was made for more of it.
Thus began a business which now yields the owners of the beds one