The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-20

IL one will glance at the map of
South America he will be inn
= pressed with Its remarkable re-
semblance in shape to the contour of
sugar cured ham. There is an old
saying that the nearer the meat is
to the bone the sweeter is its flavor,
end IL one wills run dpwn the map
until 1t almost reaches, as 1t were, the
shinbone of the atlas he will find
there two of the sweetest, richest
countries of the southern hemisphere
They are little known of by most of
us Americans but they are there with
astonishing possibilities, untold wealth
and a marvellous future in store.
These two countries are the repub-
lies of Uruguay and Paraguay, study
of which is full of interest and in
formation.
The name Uruguay is an Indian cog
nomen but the inhabitants call it the
Banda Oriental to distinguish it from
Argentina, known as the Banda Occi-
dental. 1t Is one of the most progress
sive, prosperous and enterprising ma
tions of the western world and in pro-
portionslto its size and population is
making greater strides in the mercan-
tile world than is our own country. No
nation has ever suffered more from the
devastations of war than Uruguay, and
none has shown such remarkable
power of recuperation, not even France
after her struggle with Germany.
In olden times great quantities of
gold and silver were taken by lie
Spanish from the placer washings and
later a considerable trade was main
tanned In the exports of cochineal and
today 1t Is claimed that there is not
an unproductive acre of ground in the
cntire country Before aniline dyes
became the vogue many of the valleys
of the land were devoted to raising a
species of cactus called nopal, the
leaves of which were used as forage
for the insect known as the cochineal.
1t Is only the female that Is used for
dyeing and the process of collecting
the bug is quite slow. The gathering
OF two ounces a day is deemed good
work and 1t takes 10000 of the insects
to make a pound. The bodies of the
little bugs when alive are covered with
tiny white hairs so that plant in
1eSlou WIFI tnefn resembles COHul-
tion of being covered with hoar frost
The leaves of the nopal are cut close
to the ground and hung up under a
shed as tobacco is treated in this coun-
try. The drying of the leaf causes the
Ccchineal to starve to death and its
body Is scraped from the plant with a
dull knife or wooden silver, The in
sects are then baked in hot oven
or dipped in boiling water or spread
on heated plates. Those prepared by
the plates are called zacatilla, are OF
n blackish color and are considered the
finest Those cured in the ovens arc
next in value, are of an ash-grey or
silver white color and. are known as
jaspeada, while the boiled ones are Of
reddish-brown hue and least in
value. There is quality known as
granilla which is made from the dust
fragments and impurities of the process
or preparation and is used as an adui
terant. The finer grades are from the
cultivated insects but the wild coch-
1neal are also used though they are
only half the size of the others and are
not freed from the white hairs Both
grades resemble powder when dyed ana
they are packed for shipment in little
casks which are covered. with green
hides to keep out the moisture. Indeed
this process OF protection is almost
universally employed by the South
Americans in the exportation or pro-
duce. They are placed green around
the vessels that they are to preserve
end when they dry they fit as tight as
= drum.
Considerable mandioca is also raised
IN the Banda Oriental, but as this plant
is tn. staple of Paraguay ! shall speak
o. it in describing that country.
Geoloeically the resources of Uruguay
make that land veritable Eldorado but
rs its mineral wealth has as yet scarcely
zeen touched it is inclouded among her
marvellous possibilities.
Her present dover is in her agricultur-
n and pasturing industries.
The number of her cattle runs into the
tens of millions and they are doubled by
the number OF sheep that Craze IN her
Uxuriant valleys and yerdant plains.