The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-05
AN AMERICAN FARM HOUSE,
Interior of Paraguay.


through the cars to look at the girls.
l did not find this always an easy task,
for the seats were SO close that the
knees of the women on the opposite
seats almost touched, and l had to go
very carefully to avoid stepping on
their bare toes. Many of them aided
me by drawing in their Trilbys,' smil-
ing at my care as l went by.
WOMEN PEDDLERS.
At most of the stations the coming
of the train was the great event of
the day. Half the town would rush to
the depot as the whistle blew and
crowd of women peddlers were to be
seen sQuatting on tie platform. Some
had bushels of oranges before them.
Others sold vegetables and others
meat. Think of selling raw meat at
railroad station! Nearly every depot
on TINS road has its butcher women,
VINO SIT on the stones with great bas-
ketS of raw beef about them and peddle
chunks out to the passengers All of
these butcher women had cigars in
their mouths, and they smoked as they
chatted with one another between sales.
Other women were selling laces and
others had baby clothes. 1 saw one or
two shoe peddlers and some were SELL
ing cakes, eatables and sweets.
TEN ORANGES FOR A. CENT.
The oranges were delicious. There
are none better to be found anywhere
than in Paraguay and none elsewhere
so cheap.
l have bought dozen oranges everv
Gay since l came into Paraguay. and
1t is surprising how many one can eat.
Inc poorer people live on them during
the season, and it is not uncommon for
a man to eat twenty-five in a day. You
can get them almost for the asking
L have had ten for a cent At one of
the stations, Santa Clara, I offered a
medic, worth three-quarters of an
American cent, to an orange girl, say
ing IN my gibberish Spanish:
QuantoS oranges por un medic, SEN
orita?''
Ocho' eight, replied the damsel as
she gripped her cigar between her ivory
teeth and held out both hands full of
oranges. They were as fine as any rails
ed on the Indian river. They were
fresh from the trees, and had 1 been
able to go to the orchards I might have
Prooaply mad them for the picking.
Here orange trees are seldom cultivat-
ed, but they produce fruit of such
sweetness and color tht you might
think the sap was mixed with sugar
| and gold
The skins Of the oranges are full of
Oil. They have so much that If we
squeeze an orange peel bubbles of oil
Will stand out upon it, and If you touch
match to them these bubbles will go
off in flash as though they were pow
der. l should think that factories for
making marmalade and other things
from oranges might be esta ablished here
at profit.
QUEER THINGS IN PARAGUAY
I am surprised at the beauties of in
terror Paraguay. The country is roll
ing, and there is something new to be
seen at almost every turn of the car
wheel. There are orange trees in the
thickets and nearly every village Of
thatched huts has orange trees about
1t. There are palm trees on the plains
Ihey grow In groves or in clumps rath-
er than In forests. Some varieties are
loaded with nuts, great punches of lit-
tie balls, no larger around than a wal
nut, but OF the same shape as large
cocoanuts sold in our markets These
| little cocoanuts are very valuable. and
the raising them is one of the most
profitable of the smaller industries of
Paraguay Ihey are ground up and
used for making SOAP
Large parts of Paraguay are natural
pastures, with here and there clumns
| OF woods or forests scattered through
| them. 1t is only the hills that are COW
cred with trees. The most of the other
lands have rich growth of grass.
Nearly all of the land along the rail-
road is taken up. 1t is held in large
tracts, many Of the farms being fenced
with barbed wire. 1t is queer to notice
the different kinds Of pasture. Some
are covered with grass which is coarse.
gray and dead, and right next to these
you will ride through meadows as
| green as Kansas in June The green
| fields are where the land has been burn
ed over to improve the pasture. AS
| soon as the dead grass is burned off
the green sprouts up. This burning is
done by many farmers once every year.
have found grass better as 1 have
| come to the south. About Pirapo there
| is grass as high as your waist, and the
cattle are standing in 1t up to their
| bellies.
The cattle are of mongrel breed.
They are much like the loug-horned
stock which We had in Texas a gem
Grafton ago, and which, until within
| few years, was common In the Argen-
tine. Now the Argentines have very