The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-31
The Vast Dried-Up Seas Of the Middle
Apdes---Tbe Bolivian Coafbmap
a9d His Horrible Cruelty.

Each herd Is watched by an Indian shop
herdess. who has a spinning spool IN hei
hand and Keeps on spinning while she
tends her no,k. She uses q sling 10 keep
the animals from straying. ana with I'M
errinS aim sends stone straight a, the
llama OF sheep that steps onto the fields
OF her neighoors. There are no fences in
this part OF Bolivia. Tie cattle IN the
fields are as rule. stakea or hoSo.ed by
TYING 8 rope about their front less juoe
above the ankles. You often see a drovo
Of donkeys so fastened. and horses ana
mules ara tied in this way all over Peru
and Bolivia
bolivian Farming.
Such farming as il done is after the crud-
est me thodsl saw no signs Of manure be-
Ing anywhere used. though there were
grea, piles Of il lying at every stable
where We got a new relay of mules.
have been tod that the natives know moth
ing OF the lasss of fertilizers. and that they
only bring up the land by letting II lie
fallow and by rotation Of crops. The
tools are in ali cases of native make The
only American tooas | have seen are Hart
ford axes, Potatoes are dug by the wo-
men. who ,ee little strips OF iron shaped
something like an arrow with wide nat
stem. This is grasped in the middle with
the hand. and the woman bending double.
scoops the potatoes cut of the hilla Bar
ley IL cut with little sickies with saw
teeth. and such rude hoes as are used have
handles SO short that the workers have 70
bend close 10 the ground to use them. Tho
blowing is all done by oxen with rude
wooden psows 10 which a point made Of
nat iron bar about two inches wide ID
fastened A long tongue or beam ex-
tends from the piow 10 the yoke. which II
tied 20 the horns OF the oxen, the weight
OF pulling the plow being done with Tho
head and not with the shoulders with us.
The Freight Wagons Of the Andes.
have given you some Idea Of how
freight is carried here by wagon. Very
few goods are taken from one part Of the
| country TO another on wheels. The great
| er part is carried on donkeys. mules.
llamas or on the backs OF men and women.
| There are no baggage wagons or dTays
| In La Paz. We met with none on the
road TO Oruro. although we passed iroves
/ OF animals loaded with all sorts OF bur
| densl There were scores, OF donkeys car
rying bundles of COCO leaves on their backs
TO the towns further south. There wero
! llamas loaded with bundles OF silver ore
| stalking proudly along with cooked ears.
/ and there were many trains Of mules car
| ry1ng goods Of all kinds Each train was
/ managed DN one OF TWO inut3D men ana
| women. who walked with or behind the
| animals, and who. as far rs ] could soc.
| never ride them. Most of the women had
| bundles on their backs. and not a few
| carried little babies there slung in shawls.
| All prospectors here use mules for trav-
cling over the country. All supplies for the
mines must be carried through In this
way. The machinery for mining in Boz
iivia 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 ma
chinery has TO he 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. 20 that
two OF the packages will just form load
for a mule. Otherwise the chief centers OF
Bolivian trade cannot be reached.
FRANK c. CARPENTER.