The Washington herald., 1912-03-31
MANS NEXT STEP AHEAD
WILL BE AMAZON CONQUEST
Panama Canal Zone Methods Will Be Employed in
Brazilian Territory

| merging immense areas Of forest to the
tree-tops.
Yet. with all its fertility. and with
such unlimited supplies of water, in a
region where nature offers every climatic
encouragement to the growing of plants.
there are not to-day-more than four
centuries after the discovery OF the river
twenty-five square miles of the Amazon
basin under cultivation. The extensive
exports OF the vast valley are almost en-
tirely derived from products Of the forest
The ''hevea" tree. which produces the
finest rubber in the world. is native TO
the Amazon Valley. 1t is a large tree OF
slow growth, never found in clumps or
groves, but scattered through the tropi-
cal forests. The "cacao" which fur
nIshes the chocolate Of commerce, like
wise grows plentifuIly wild in the same
region.
The coffee tree in that part OF the world
yields four times as much fruit as In
Mexico. But il Is not a native. II was
introduced from Africa. In 1850 Brasil
exported thirteen sacks OF coffee; last
year she exported more than 100000
sacks. Many delicious fruits grow there
which are unknown TO the people Of the
United States, Mandioca hourishes and
furnishes a staple food. From its tuber-
Gus root is made the tapioca Of com
merce. and so prolific Is It that a farm
Of twelve acres will produce So 90 pounds
of tapioca per annum.
The forests ((full of Iong-taIlsd mon
keys abound In precious woods. A cat
alogue has been made Of zoo species
or trees found in the valley Of the
Amazon Most Familiarity known are
rosewood. satinwood. and shellwood-
from which last exquisite sheII-Iike ar
ticles are made The lovely ''vinhatIco."
with a shaded yellow coloring. is already
used To some extent for furniture and
cabinet work, and is destined TO be far
more widely employed
No Clothing on Natives
Dwelling in so hot climate, the
aboriginal natives OF the Amazon Valley
require no clothing worth mentioning,
and are accustomed to dispense with it
almost entirely. being among the naked
est people in the world.
Along the lower reaches Of the
great river reside the Botocudos, who
distend their lips and ear Iobes with
huge plugs Of wood They paint their
faces bright red above the mouth. and
use speaking trumpets made from the
skin of the tail OF the great armadillo
for calling to one another in the forest.
The Jivaros Of the Upper Amazon and
its tributaries are the most beautifully
dressed people in the world. They
wear coronets and tunIcs of the brill
liantly colored feathers Of the toucan
trogon. macaw, and scarlet cock-of-the-
rock, which are sewn on a bark cloth
foundation To these are added arm
lets and legiets of iridescent beetles
wings: and on ceremonial occasions the
warriors carry IN their hands feather
scepters. Such a scepter is a rod three
feet long. to which yellow and white
feathers from the toucan's breast are
fastened with wax. and at the top 10
expands into a great plume OF the long
tail feathers OF the macaw.
The Quichuas are accustomed to send
messages at the rate of 100 miles an
hour by taps of drums Cmade OF hollow
logs) from hilltop to hilltop. Another
tribe, the Lorenzos. wear not q stitch
except a gorgeous hecddress of par
rots' feathers They are nearly white.
and very Caucasian in appearsnce-a
circumstance supposed 10 be due to the
fact that in the year 1899 they totally
destroyed a Spanish settlement. carry
ing OF all the women and female chill
dren.3
The Mundurucus wear diadems Of alII-
gator scales These people. who dwell
along the tributaries OF the Upper ANA
Zon, have earned a peculiar reputation
for themselves by their method Of num-
mifying the heads of their enemies. Re-
moving the skull by a skiIIfuI surgical
progress. they put hot pebbles into the
skin of the head. thus reducing the lat
ter in size until Il is actually not bigger
than that of a small doll. In this shape
the heads are preserved as trophies. and
are hung from the rafters Of the own
er's dwelling.
The natives Of the Amazon Valley are
deadly marksmen with the blow gun. the
weapon being made from a young stalk
Of a kind of palm. deprived OF its pith.
while the projectiles are splinters of reed.
wrapped at the butt end with tree cot
ton to make them Mt the bore. and often
poisoned at the point with 'curari." the
most important ingredients Of which are
snake venom and strychnine.
Among the unpleasant animals Of the
region are vampire bats. which attack
people at night and suck their blood. In
the rivers and lakes there are ferocious
crocodiles. twenty-five feet
long. and many swamps and creeks are
infested BY electric cells, which carry
storage batteries powerful enough to-
knock down a horse. Some Of the rivers
are infested by ferocious fishes, called
''caribs." which, though very small in
size, are exceedingly dangerous A num-
Der of them together Will attack a man
and literally bite him to pieces In a few
minutes. RENE BACaE.