Show GREEN SPOTS IN wilderness relieve the desolation of desert of northern chile northern chile which la Is so BO largely mountain or desert Is generally regarded as a forbidden wilderness but in spite of its natural desolation the landscape presents a scene of great beauty under the softening lines hues of 01 sunset and here and there in the waste of sand and salt may bo be found by looking for them a number numb er of 0 gases oases the most conspicuous of which are plea pica and alamilla Mat llla these oases are supplied with water from the high andes but the particular streams that support their life are not certainly known it has been found that in various vailous parts ol of the great atacama desert the earth underneath the surface layer of solid sand or salt sail la Is sufficiently moist to grow crops capillary attraction ae the water ti through rough the soil the rainless atacama desert Is the scene scena of the greatest industry of its kind hind in ili the world yield yielding ilag enormous quantities of nitrates used to lo enrich the fields of europe and the united states the oases play a very important economic c role in the industries of the region supplying vegetables and foodstuffs for the support of the workmen alfalfa for the cattle and various fruits and also serving as timber producers for the nitrate works which require much fuel w there to Is no part of the world where agriculture Is more extensively carried on than in these green spots in the desert zions herald alverald |