The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-31

poorer classes live IN mud huts and till to
the utmost their little patches Of land. But
in those countries the land will produce
three crops year and the laborers get
somthing for their work. Here it is so high
that only potatoes. barley and grain called
quinoa, which is much like bird seed, and
which makes a very fair mush, will grow
The barley does not ripen, and it is raised
chiefly for fodder for the mules, donkeys or
cattle. The potatoes are very small and
few in hill. and the soil is such that 1t is
only here and there that you find patch
that can be farmed The effort to get land
than can be cultivated at all is so evident
to be almost painful. The stones have
been picked from a great part OF the
plateau. We passed long stretches of coun-
try where there were vast piles of stones
scattered over the fields, and in several
places L saw Indian women going along bent
double picking up stones in the gathered up
skirts Of their dresses, and thus carrying
them to the piles. Much of the plateau is
covered with a scanty growth of grass.
Upon such places there are herds of sheep
and llamas feeding. Each herd is watched
by an Indian shepherdess, who has a spin
ming spool in her hand and keeps on spin
ming while she tends her flock She uses
and with unerring aim sends a stone
straight at the llama or sheep that steps
on to the fields of her neighbors. There are
no fences in this part of Bolivia The cat
tie in the fields are, as rule, staked or
hobbled by tying a rope about their front
legs just above the ankles. You often see
drove of donkeys so fastened, and horses
ard mules are tied in this way all over Peru
and Bolivia.
BOLIVIAN FARMING.
Such farming as is done is after the crud-
est methods l saw no signs of manure be-
ing anywhere used, though there were great
piles of it lying at every stable where we
got new relay of mules. l have been told
that the natives know nothing Of the uses
of fertilizers, and that they only bring up
the land by letting it lie fallow and by
rotation of crops. The tools are in all
cases of native make. The only American
tools / have seen are Hartford axes. Po-
tatoes are dug by the women, who use little
strips Of iron shaped something like an ar
row, with wide, fiat stem. This is grasped
in the middle with the hand, and the wo-
man bending double, scoops the potatoes
out of the hills. Barley is cut with little
sickles with saw teeth, and such rude hoes
as are used have handles so short that the
workers have to bend close to the ground to
use them The blowing is all done by oxen
with rude wooden plows, to which point
made of a fiat iron bar about two inches
wide is fastened. A long tongue or beam
extends from the plow to the yoke, which
is tied to the horns Of the oxen, the weight
of pulling the plow being done with the
head, and not with the shoulders, as with
US.
have given you some idea of how freight
is carried here by wagons. Very few goods
are taken from one part of the country to
another on wheels. The greater part is car
ried on donkeys, mules, llamas or on the
backs of men and women. There are no
baggage wagons or drays in La Paz. We
met with none on the road to Oruro, al
though we passed droves of animals loaded
with all sorts of burdens. There were
scores of donkeys carrying bundles OF coco
leaves on their backs to the towns further
south. There were llamas loaded with
bundles of silver ore stalking proudly along
with cooked ears. and there We're many
trains of mules carrying goods of all kinds.
Each train managed by one or two
Indian men and women, who walked with
or behind the animals. and who, as far as
L could see, never ride them. Most of the
women had bundles on their backs and not
few carried little babies there slung in
shawls. All prospectors here use mules for
travelling over the country. All supplies for
the mines must be carried through the
mountains in this way. The machinery for
mining in Bolivia must be made in sections.
no piece of which can be larger than a
mule can carry on it's back, and every bit
of machinery has to be carried in this way.
The merchandise which our exporters in
tend for Bolivia should be put up in boxes
or bales of about 100 pounds each, so that
two of the packages will just form load
for a mule. Otherwise the chief centers of
Bolivian trade cannot be reached.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.