148 SELLING LATIN AMERICA 
Virgin forests are numerous; in fact they 
exist throughout Central America. There is 
an abundance of pine, oak, many natural hard 
woods, such as ironwood, and mahogany, 
plenty of cedar, and a host of ideally grained 
cabinet woods, susceptible of high polish. 
Log-wood, dividivi, quebracha, and other 
trees furnish dye woods. Throughout these 
countries grows the Peruvian balsam from 
which the well known balsam of commerce 
comes. There are rubber trees. Much of 
the chicle from which chewing-gum is made 
comes from these lands, as well as other gums 
of a medicinal nature. 
Banana growing has done much to bring 
prosperity to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nica 
ragua, Honduras and Panama and the chances 
are that this industry will become the chief 
one of all these countries, along their low 
lands, which are so well adapted to the propa 
gation of this fruit now so much in demand. 
As an evidence of the growth of this busi 
ness and what it means to these localities, let