Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-05

1
treated to meat and potatoes twice every
week.
| We went out into the wheat fields on a
cart, topped by very high and narrow hay
rick made Of cane poles lashed together
with thongs, drawn by bullocks The cart
was driven to place where the cut sheaves
were thickest; the cattle were taken from
the tongue and tied to a wheel, and the
/ work of gathering commenced. Each man
seized bundle and carried it to the cart,
until all the nearby sheaves were loaded
1t did not occur to anybody to make the
bnllocks remove the cart to another part of
the field; the bundles were still laboriously
carried to the same place, however the dis
tance heightened and the noon-tide heat in
creased, and perspiration streamed down
each swarthy face. When the enormous
load was complete, it was hauled to the
| threshlng yard, where the wheat was care
| lessly dumped in heaps, without the trouble
| of stacking it-for here it rarely rains dur
| ing the summer months, 80 there is little
| danger of the grain spelling. Meanwhile
threshing was going on, slowly but surely.
A spot of hard ground had been swept, and
| upon it were pitched few bundles; then
| horses were driven over and over them,
until the wheat was shelled from the straw.
| The straw was then removed, the wheat
| raked to the center, and more bundles
| thrown down. When a considerable guam
| tity of shelled wheat was collected, a
| windmill was introduced to blow away the
chaff
The Wheat of Excellent Quality.
No wheat could be of better quality. The
plump, sound grains were fully one-fourth
of an inch long, and was told that an av-
erage yield here is 20 bushels to the acre.
The corn crop is smaller, because the sea-
sons are too cold. Oats return about 60
bushels to the acre, but, unfortunately,
there is no market for them. Oranges,
lemons, figs, peaches, apples, pears, grapes,
melons, ETC., are always a sure crop, be-
cause-though the summers of Chile are
seldom warm enough to make thin clothing
necessary-there is never frost enough in
winter to kill the flowers. All kinds Of
vegetables thrive remarkably, and when
ever native plants beets, he ties knot in
the end of each growing plant to prevent it
from running beyond reasonable bounds.
The plows in general use are primitive
impiements-a beam, with one long, stout
handle extending far enough downward to
attach fiat piece of iron which has been
hammered sharp on a stone OF course,
with such a rude machine the earth can
barely be scratched. Wheat is sown broad
cast, and covered by dragging it over with
weighted plank. Corn land is furrowed
into rows, in one direction. Holes are
made at regular intervals in the rows with
sharpened sticks, into which the corn is
The hoes are about IA inches high by 5
inches wide, and each weighs not less than
eight pounds.
Everybody Uses the Wine.
Every well regulated hacienda has its
vineyard, and that of Senior Smith includes
100 acres. The crop is ALWAYS abundant and
the grapes sell in market for about 1 cent
per pound. They make good raisins as well
as wine. A superior quality of the latter
costs about cents per quart, but is too new
to be desired by anybody but Chileans.
Every native, old or young, drinks wine at
all times of day or night, at meals and be-
tween meals. He may not afford more
luxurious dinner than common puchero,
(Which is composed fall the seeds and veg
etables the cook can lay hands on, boiled
with bit of beef or bacon and favored, if
possible, with a few links of sausage), but
he must wash it down with glass or two of
wine, and so must his wife and children.
There is never word heard here on the
temperance question; yet drunkenness is
far more rare than in the United States.
ByIdint of diligent questioning CLEANED
the following facts relative to farming in
Chile. Nowhere is agriculture more profit
able, because labor is cheap, prices high
and crops certain. 1t costs less than 81 to
raise three bushels of wheat, and it sells for
about 81 % per busheL What little can be
grown this year, since the laborers have
mostly rushed off to the war, will bring a
much higher price in market. Wheat and
barley, however, are about the only profita-
BILE crops, there being no foreign demand for
anything else. 1 inquired of the gentle
manly administrator if all his harvests were
gathered in with reap-hooks and threshed
by being trodden upon as we had seen that
day, -,.
Machinery From the United States.
"Bless my soul, nor replied he. 81 have
% Of the latest improved reaping machines,
right from the United States, and two good
threshing machines. The reapers cost me
$3.50 apiece and the threshers 5000 each.
The duties, freight and exchange make such
things frightfully expensive, because we
have no direct line of communication with
the United States. Most all the Chilean
farmers are ready to introduce modern i'm
plements in place of their reap-hooks and
wooden plows, but they cannot afford the
enormous expense of transportation, not to
mention the duties, which on agricultural
implements are about 40 per cent of their
original valuation. If we have American
machinery and it gets little out of repair,
from six months to year are consumed in
sending it back to be mended.
"Were there direct communication, the
clumsy..carts of Chile would soon give place
to American farm wagons. The timber of
the country, though beautiful for furniture
is not fit for wagons, being too porous and
swelling badly in wet weather. All we use
for that purpose has to be imported. These
huge carts, with their ponderous wheels are
necessary. If made smaller, they would
twist out of shape before the rainy season
was over, and the wood is so brittle that the
wheels would fall in pieces on the first
journey"
In reply to the question whether taxes
are exorbitant, the gentleman said. Gas
general thing, no. Of course during these
war times everything is out of joint But
1 would gladly pay three times the amount
to feel as sure Of life and property here as
in the United States. Rich men residing in
the country are regarded as lawful prey for
every lazy rascal inclined to steal. The
haciendado cannot even be sure of his life
from one day to another, and that is the
reason why they so generally reside in the
city," FANNIE B. WARD.
BUY TOBACCO INSTEAD OF BREAD.
A Boston Doctor Says He Finds 1t Is Eco