76  SELLING  LATIN  AMERICA
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fruits  would  reach  our  markets  during  winter,
and  this  could  be  developed  into  a  profitable
trade.
Chile  exports  nitrate  of  soda  (nitrate),  copper, ­
  iodine,  wheat,  borate  of  lime,  iron,  gold,
silver,  wool,  hides,  woods,  honey,  and  wax.
She  imports  bottles,  cars  and  rolling  stock,
cement,  cotton  goods,  glassware,  iron  and  steel
manufactures,  such  as  wire,  nails,  pipes,  corrugated ­
  iron,  hardware,  tools,  locomotives,
mining  and  agricultural  machinery,  mineral
waters,  paper,  petroleum,  rice,  sacks,  tinned
salmon,  thread,  tea,  woolen  goods,  shoes,  and
hats.
Chilean  money  is  unstable  and  fluctuates
from  day  to  day,  the  paper  peso  or  dollar  being ­
  worth  from  17  to  36  cents,  according  to
variations  in  exchange.  A  gold  peso  exists
fictitiously  for  trade  purposes,  being  estimated
at  18  pence  or  36  cents  U.  S.  gold.  When  this
mark  is  followed  by  the  word  oro  the
amount  is  understood  to  be  gold.  If  however
this  abbreviation  is  used  “m/c”  it  means