=Sugar cane= grows rapidly and many sections are suited to it, as also to rice, but not enough of either is produced to supply the home market, though the sugar output amounts to 16,000,000 pounds and much cane is turned into _aguardiente_ or rum. Suitable land is open in Esmeraldas and Manabí. In the Guayas Valley large possibilities exist for extending the rice industry. =Tobacco= is cultivated in low lying river lands and plains; that of the Daule River with culture might rival the Havana; that of Esmeraldas is noted for its agreeable aroma. For the poor people along the shore the =plantain= is the staff of life, being eaten green, half ripe or ripe, cooked or raw. For the Indians above, maize is the staple article of food, chiefly eaten dry and toasted, and much used by others as a green vegetable. =Coffee=, which grows up to 5000 feet, is raised for export on the large plantations in the lower zone. It is said to be of quality superior to the Brazilian and brings a high price. Tropical fruits abound such as pomegranates, _paltas_, _chirimoias_, _granadillas_, oranges, grape-fruit, etc., some of which are exported to Peru and elsewhere. On the higher lands wheat and barley are cultivated, also maize in sheltered places as well as in the lowlands. Potatoes thrive in the sierra, and other temperate zone fruits and vegetables. Alfalfa is extensively raised wherever possible as fodder for traffic animals. FORESTRY =Tagua= and =rubber= are more forest than cultivated products, though a few plantations of each have been set out. In Western Ecuador rubber is produced by the _caucho_ tree, and in consequence of the destruction of these by cutting down, they are now to be found in remote districts only. The rubber of the finer class, the _hevea_, is obtained from the Amazon Basin only. The forests contain many valuable plants and trees of which little use is made save by the Indians for their huts and for other necessities. STOCK RAISING AND FISHERIES The =cattle= industry is in a backward state, and the wool of the highland sheep is poor. It is used locally, a little exported; also hides. The quality of these is called very good. Goat and alligator skins are also exported. The llama, so much employed as a beast of burden farther south, is little used in Ecuador, in one or two Provinces only. A few horses and mules are exported. A great variety of =fish= is found along the coast including oysters and lobsters. The industry is important, fish forming a material part of the food supply for this region. Some pearls are found near the island La Plata, off the coast of Manabí; the industry near Manta was suspended on account of the ferocious sharks which infest these waters. MINING