The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-03
QUEER THINGS SOLD.

coillD, out the subject is too recent
and painful, and 1 desist.
QUEER THINGS SOLD.
Let us stop for moment and make
notes upon some Of the queer things
sold all about Us. The goods are spread
upon blankets or they lie fiat on the
cobble stone street. The vegetables and
grains are divided ZIP into piles There
are neither weights or measures, and
almost all things are sold by the eye.
y GU pay 50 much pile. The piles are
eNcee d1ngly SMALL and things are
Fought in small quantities. Marketing
IS done here from day to day. 1 doubt
II there is a cellar In La Paz, and the
average cooking stove would hardly be
big enough for a dolls play house I'M
America. Think of carrying home a,
half-dozen potatoes from market This
is the size of many of the potato piles
oHereG for sale here. And such pota-
toeSiaHere is L brown-faced Indian girl
VINO is selling some at our feet 1 ven
ture you never saw such little potatoes
before. They are not bigger than mar
pies, and she offers US eight for CENTS
What queer violet color, some are as
pink as the toes of that baby who is
playing among them, and some are as
black AS the feet Of the Indian girl who
las them for sale. Potatoes do not
grow large at the altitude of La Paz,
and, though there are also large ones
in the markets, these come from the
warmer lands lower down.
FROZEN POTATOES.
But the most curious Of all the DO
tatoes sold in La Paz are those known
as chuno (choon-yo). These are sold
in large quantities, and you may see
piles Of them at every step as you go
through the market. There is a wom-
an who has large stock spread out
upon a blanket before her. The pota-
tees are as white as hleached bones.
Ihey are almost as hard, and when
You break them apart you find them
| almost as tough. They are ordinary
potatoes frozen and dried after which
process, it is said, that they can be
| kept for year without spelling. The
method Of preparation is to soak them
In water and allow them to freeze
night after night until they become
soft. Then the skins are rubbed Off
by treading upon them with the bare
rect, and the potatoes are thoroughly
dried In the open air. After drying
they are as white as snow and as hard
as stones. Such potatoes form one of
the chief foods of the Bolivians. They
are staple article among the Indians
OF the Andean highlands.
They have to be soaked for three
or four days before they can be eaten.
and are often served in the form of
stew. l have tasted them several
times. All the life Of the potato seems
to me to have been taken out of them
and I find them insipid and by no
means appetizing. Perhaps I might
be able to eat them if I did not so fire.
quently see the dirty bare feet of the
Indians with which they are sauced.
In addition to the above potatoes b.
liv1a has number of varieties which
which we do not have. It has bitter
potatoes of a dirty yellow color. which
will grow on the highest plateau. 1t
has tubers which look like potatoes,
but Which have an acid taste and
must be exposed to the sun before
cooking. and others which taste some
what like turnfps.
INDIAN CORN OF BOLIVIA.
am much interested also in the In
dian corn which I find here. There
are many species of maize here which
we never see in North America. Be-
livia has varieties Of corn, the grains
OF which are twice as large as those
OF the largest species Of corn grown
by our farmers. Some kinds are OF a
bright yellow color, every grain being
as big as my thumb nail. This
corn, when I bit into It, crumbled up
almost like -four and can see that 4
can with slight bruising be turned
into meal Another variety Is white.
and third is Of mulberry color, be-
Ing called maize morado." It also
has very floury kernel, and am
told that 1t Is used in making and COL
oring liquors. The most of these va
rieties Of corn are grown in the Yum
gas country, to the east and far lower
down than La Paz. The corn there
grows from ten to twelve feet In
height.
1t seems to me the varieties might
grow Wen In the United States, and
have forwarded samples to our sec
rotary Of agriculture, with a view OF
testing the matter.
Frank g. Carpentar.