The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-02-25

| temperate zone. its fruits are much like
those of the United States-apples, cher
ries, peaches, etc. Strawberries grow to
surprising size, and are sold by the doz-
en-, never by measure. ''Greengages,
too. are enormously large, and, being
priced by good housewives for putting up
in brandy, they come high in malket-lo
cts. the dozen. ''Water pears" matur-
ing in February, retail at 30 cts. the doz-
en-, and often average pound apiece in
weight. Lemons, oranges, grapes and 9th
er semi-tropical fruits abound Nowhere
do vegetables come to such perfection
with so little trouble and therefore they
are cheap; but potatoes are scarce and
| DEAR though climate and soil are admirab-
| ly adapted to their growth, because the ma
tives have not learned to include them in
the daily menu, and therefore do not raise
many of them.
Grasses remain green and succulent the
year around furnishing the best of pas
turage. In Uruguay, as well as i'll AT
gentina. the pastoral wealth is due to the
feltilizing constituents of ''pampa mud,
geologically associated with gigantic ante
liluvian animals, whose remains abound
in these regions There are few forests
| except along the river banks, and the sier-
las have no trees worth mentioning. But
every hill side is covered with shrubs
myrtle, acacia, rosemary, MIN osa, and
the ceiho with its scarlet blooms; while
the valleys are fragrant with bay and lau-
rel, and carpeted with crimson, verbinas
and other brilliant flowers. Medicinal
plants are particularly numerous, includ-
ing the poppy, gentian, camomile, worm
wood iquoriee balsam, corianders and
sarsaparilla. Some of the rivers are so inn
pregnated with the roots of the latter as
to possess sanitary qualities for bathing
purposes. and the people who drink their
| waters are said to be exempt from any
skin diseases arising from impurities of
the blood. The Rio Negro, Black River),
| cot its name from the fact that at certain
| SbdSouS Vi lllp NtdI IL Is ny lllt
sarsaprilla growing along it's banks.
Among indigenous trees are the willow,
alder, poplar, acacia and aloe. The alb
sence Of pine oak and Fir is singular in a
temperate zone, but those trees utterly
refuse to grow in Uruguay. though often
planted and nursed by foreigners. With
| in the last uuarter-ccntury the eucalyptus
has been introduced from Australia; and
now in the environs of Montevideo there
are hundreds of groves and hedges OF this
uglieSt tree on earth. gaunt Scraggy
| ing pavcmentS and foundation walls,
and impoverishing the soil for yards
around so that nothing else will grow in
their neghborhood There is also the
| al4alroha tree. from whose pods the ma
/ tiVes disill a kind of chirha. not at all
/ like the rhicha of Perm and Chill made
from corp, wheat "r grapes. The tree is
said to make excellent timber. and cattle
thrive upon its leaves and buds. Then
there L. the limbo tree. in great demand
toI canoes its big trunk, which is general
| ly hollow, being easily scooped out, when
! the rude boat is ready for the fishermen.
I The black and white urunday is a near
relation To- rosewood. Furnishing. logs of
ten fifty feet long. 1t is said to resist de
cay in a most remark able manner, posts
and beams OF it remaining sound after
two centuries OF. use 1t is capable OF
/ beautiful polish. as is also the mmosa
and aloe The puebracho is akin to san
! 1al-wood: the 9rlayabo is a substitute fol
furnish the poorer classes with thatch fol
their houses. The long. tough leaves
make excellent roofing, shedding rain
perfectly.
There are no scorpions, centlpedes on
tarantulas here to brighten lnwary travel
lers. but enormous spiders are alarmingly
common. and are said to be venomous
! The only dangerous reptiles are rattle
snakes, and they are chiefly confined to
the stony land of Las Minas: and a queer
little viper called la vivora de la Cruz. -
because on its head are marks in the form
OF a cross. PumaS are found near the Bra
lillian frontier and along the banks of the
larger rivers. The ounce, pronounced
ween-ce) a small tiger, roams the wooded
islands; and there are wild cats, water
hogs, tapirs deer. foxes and millions OF
the little armadillos, nt-eaters, - here
called mulitas or ''little mules, ')-sole
remnants of the ancient mastodons and
mylodo1lncs. The ostrich Rhea Ameri-
cana. roams the plains There are paro-
quets in the thic kets and water fowl on
the lagoons; partl'idges. quail, several
specimens of the vulture tribe and tall.
lean. rutHed crows. The streams are full
of fish, and it is asserted that 1870 species
are found on the Sea-cuaSt.
Politically. the country is divided into
- departments, that of Montevideo being
smallest. though it contains one quarter
OF the total population. The original In
dian element has almost disappeared from
Uruguay; and so has the negro popula-
ton. which at one time was considerab Bile.
A III This Sprtjtp was nnca at.tIninI Inv tho