The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-06

and cattle quickly grow fat. The largest
Islands Of the archipelago are On.sIn. or
King Charles Southland, or TERRA del
Fuego proper; Desoation island which
Hes near the western entrance TO the
straits and along which I coasted for
miles on my way here; the Isle of ST.
Ives, Clarence island and Dawson island.
a little farther to the eastward and the
laege islands Of Hoste and Navarino on
the south. Cape Horn Itself il on one OF
the, little Islands at the bottom Of the
del Fuego proper. 1, is half as big as
Ohio and IL now supports hundreds OF
thousands OF sheep, The best lands of
the Chilean part of IT have been taken up
within the past few years under lease
from the Chilean government. The Ar
gentine portion is not so well settled ow-
ing 10 the difficulty of access and the
uncertainty as 10 boundary.
The Plains and Pampns of TERRA
del FuegO.
Still. from what can learn. the Argen-
tines have some of the best lands. Nearly
all OF the southern and eastern portions
Of the island are plains. wide stretches OF
moorland much like Scotland, covered
with grass which in summer is green. bat
now in winter Is turned to a reddish
brown. The other parts are made up Of
mountains. valleys and plains, Around
the west and south coasts there Is rim
OF mountains, many OF which rise almost
precfpitously from the water. and which
probably gave Darwin the ground for n =
statement that there Was not level acre
OF ground upon the whole island. The
plains are generally in The interior, Run
Ming midway between the north and
south across the country there is an eie-
waited ta3leland and beyond this TO the
north a second plain. The grass OF the
plains are rich. but they are largely
eaten up by ground rats that il takes
from three 10 I'VE acres TO support one
sheep. These rats burrow in the earth,
filing L with holes like a prairie dog
town They make it impossible TO drive
over the plains with a wagon and horse
back riding has 10 be AZ a SLOW pace. Cat
tie are the only things that VIII drive the
rats away. and they are often used 10
trample the ground for this purpose.
The Dense Vegetation.
II seems queer TO think ~ n dense vege-
tation In TERRA del Fuego. one might
almost a. soon believe that grass could he
raised on an Iceberg. The truth is chat
the winter climate OF TERRA del Fuego
IS nildsr than that Of Canada. The low
lands are seldom covered with snow for
more than i day or SO at a time, though
you ar. 4 sight OF snow and glaciers on
sht mountains ali the year around. The
climate rarte5 IN different parts but u i
generally. cool cloudy agd windy. The
worst feature s. the wind. which at times
blows for days II a stretch and sends the
chilly air through your bones n cofkscrrw
curves. Terra del t'uego Is in the lafi-
tude Of Labrador. but 80 Is a large part
OF England and Holland, and 1 imagine
tGAt. D2sfAIS iD%~S Win. i lEtEd 1Fss
as they have nicknamel the island. has
winters more like those OF northern EG-
rope than Labrador. The vegetation s
rather Ike that II 3ae temperate than the
ffiei4 zone. The gnoaDta n slopes. Dip 20
bout 1870 feet. are walled With grow "a
II trees, ferns and EnoSa so taick that It
Is Amos impossible 20 get through H.
4 pom the sides Of The sleeper mountains
the trees. instead Of gong straight up.
crawl upon the earth, 50 that "a tres with
trunk as thick as your wais, < rsot more
than three feet high. but spre ads over a
large trsc; IF ground. This is proba bly,
due 10 the mountain sDcs. watch presses
she trees down 10 t8e ground ard =; n
ksefx them wAgm enough act 20 impede
taeir growth