RECIPROCITY

353

America  are  reversed,  so  that  they  have  summer ­
  when  we  have  winter,  which  means  that
their  fruits  and  vegetables,  melons  and  berries
are  ripe  when  we  have  snow  on  the  ground.
The  apples,  peaches,  pears,  plums,  apricots,
nectarines,  cherries,  grapes  and  melons  of
Chile  are  as  good  as  our  own.  A  profitable
return  awaits  the  one  who  will  forward  these
goods  in  refrigerator  ships  to  our  big  northern
markets.
In  Colombia  and  Ecuador  large  quantities
of  tagua  or  ivory  nuts  formerly  grew  wild.
They  are  about  the  size  of  a  goose  egg,  or
slightly  larger,  very  hard  and  a  dead  white,
protected  by  a  thin  black  skin.  For  years  no
one  knew  what  to  do  with  them.  Finally  an
enterprising  German  found  that  they  could  be
converted  into  buttons.  To-day  the  ivory  nut
is  cultivated  for  this  purpose,  and  forms  one  of
the  leading  exports  from  the  countries  named;
the  shipments  for  1913  amounted  to  over
$5,000,000.  The  finished  button  is  sold  not
only  to  the  Latin  Americans,  but  throughout
the  world  as  well.