Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-14
TNClt SAM

side of Chill and the
Argentine Republic, because the climate is
not suited to its cultivation. Thus it comes
about that ordinary bread is regarded there as
the greatest and rarest Of Injuries, so that the
prudent housewife at the conclusion of q repast
locks up the bread in the cupboard and leaves
the wine on the table.
The heavy import duties imposed by the
South American countries upon wheat and
other breadstuffs make bread so costly that
only the wealthier classes can afford to eat it.
1t is the same way with Goldfish, imported from
New England. which, under the name Of "bac-
aloa. 10 esteemed as great q luxury as is terra
pin here. At q recent state dinner given to the
mala Goldfish was made to compose five of the
nine courses, cooked in as many different ways
Supplies of this delicacy, which retails at 60
cents pound, are brought, dried and salted,
from Boston.
BUrTLR rs RARE LUXURY.
Butter Il rare q luxury in South America
as bread. The sort one pays 80 cents q pound
for here sells there for 81 pound For every
pound of this commodity manufactured in that
part Of the world 1000 pounds are imported
from abroad Again. it is the climate that is at
fault There are cows, plenty of them, and the
milk has the usual amount of cream; but the
cream will not rise. Besides, there are no con-
veniences for refrigeration, such as cool spring
houses, &c.
All these things will suddenly be made cheap
for the people of South America when the
reciprocity treaties have been signed, as has
Just been done with Brazil. They will no
longer be compelled to pay 20 cents pound
for hams and a corresponding price for bacon,
as hitherto For they cannot raise hogs for
lack of corn to feed them with, and anyway
these animals do not seem to thrive in warm
climates South of Mason and Dixon's line in
this country they present a degenerated type,
the unwieldly and corpulent porker Of the
north being transformed into the '.razor-
back
These and other agricultural products the
south American republics viii buy from the
United States, admitting them duty free, so
that an enormous and most profitable market
will at once be opened to the farmers of this
country. The same market will also be thrown
open to all our manufactured goods, such as
cotton goods. leather goods Of all sorts from
shoes to trunks, hard ware. glass ware, cutlery
and particularly machinery. They are not
manufacturing peoples and they will always be
obliged to import all such things. These ma
tions, which have been transformed into re-
publes by series of revolutions, were originally
colonies of Spain and are at this day peopled by
most highly civilized Spaniards by descent who
speak the tongue. of their mother country.
Brazil, Portuguese colony, Is the exception.
However, the same NAV be said of the Portu-
guese of the Spaniard: that he has no notion
never invented anything worth mentioning. If
he breaks a machine he doesn't know how to
mend it. All the machinists, mechanical engi-
neers and mechanics of all sorts in South Amer
lea are imported from abroad.
INVENTION LACKING IN WARM CLIMATES.
For some reason, which only an anthropolo-
gist can attempt an explanation of, warm
climates do not produce inventors. Further
more, they do not seem to give birth to 60
ahead. creative people. Whatever is done to
help the Advancement of the South American
republics is the work of foreigners. This very
reciprocity business, which Is to be of such
enormous benefit to these republics, is being
engineered by men Of enterprise from other
lands, who. like Mendonca, have assumed large
property interests in Brazil the Argentine
Chill and elsewhere. II the foreigners includ.
ing those from the United States were all with
drawn from South America tomorrow there
would be general revolution within twenty
four hours. The people, Notwithstanding their
civilization, equal in most respects and supe-
rior in some to our own, do not know how to
take care Of themselves or to achieve progress
Nothing does the Latin-American originate.
almost never does he so much as write a book
Brazil estimates Its loss of revenue by the re-
moval OF duties on imports from the United
States according to the treaty just signed
at 100000 yearly. The other republics
viii lose proportionately when thew come
into the agreement. But they are willing to
make the sacrifice for the sake of finding an
open market In this country, tariff removed.
for their coffee, sugar, rubber, cochineal woods.
chocolate and cipchona- The taking of of du-
ties on these commodities brought from south
America at our ports will give the greatest pos
sible encouragement to planters and all their
agricultural industries will be enormously
stimulated Coffee is the great product Of that
part Of the world. though rubber gathered ali
over it, save in Chill and the Argentine. per-
haps equals il in value. The sugar of Brazil
stands with these two. For the quality of its
neeces the Argentine il celebrated, as well as
Tor the hard and beautiful woods 30 useful for
veneering purposes, which are not to be found
anywhere else in the world, except in Central
America All these things ought to become
much cheaper for Us before very long.
SOME DELICATE FRUITS.
The guava jelly 30 priced as q luxury in this
country is less esteemed in South America than
the preserved fruits imported from the United
States, which are regarded as dainties fit for
only the rich can afford to Indulge in them.
Many things which considered luxuries
here are despised by them because they are so
common They do not eat bananas save occa-
nonally fried, but feed them to the hogs More
delicate fruits they have, which they prefer as
We should il they would stand voyage and
keep. For example there 10 the ''sepote." As il
Is called, the flavor Of which precisely resem-
bles baked custard- Frozen in an ice-chest il
tastes exactly like frozen custard- Another
ing else in the world that can be called to mind,
but resembles in appearance q small musk
melon as big as beet For eating il is cut in
two, after which the seeds are taken out and il
y gobbled like canteloupe. There are many
others equally strange and delicious.
HIaH-roSKD BAKERIES.
In South America no bread 10 ever made In a
private house, for the reason that stoves have
been unknown there until within two or three
years. Recently an enterprising Yankee has
been fetching them by the shipload from the
United States, and they are selling rapidly in
Brazil and the Argentine. An the bread il
baked BY big companies. which call themselves
by the most extraordinary names. One COM
panys establishment il the Bakery of the
Holy Spirit" Another bears the sign: BAKERY
Of the Poor Devil" Still another is called the
bakery Of Jesus Christ" All this entirely in
ssptrit Of reverence, be il understood.
The bread IL supplied to families in smaIl
eakes somewhat Ike breakfast rolls, which are
carried In baskets on mems heads. People buv
- many as they happen to want ct about 5 cents
apiece There il no such thing as A loaf ~
bread, unless il il made by special order. in
which case IL will cost 50 cents or more. To
supply the interior districts with bread the
cakes are carried In quantities on mule back
hundreds Of miles When they reach their des-
tinAtions they are exceedingly stale, a. well az
dear, but the well-to-do folks buy them and
steam them, regarding them even thus a. the
greatest Of delcacies- Corn can be grown to
some extent In the highlands, and this 10 used
g. . substitute. The lower Glasses generally
To- h.