The farmer and mechanic., 1914-11-24

ioSH ieily. ana crowds walk the
streets and promenade back and
forth in the plaza
FaldlVla Is situated on the Valdivia |
river, which flows from the Andes
down to the Pacific. The town is
ABOUT twelve miles from the mouth of
the river where lies the port of Cor
raj. All goods are landed at Cor
raj, and carried up to Valdiyia in
bargeS. | took steam launch and
RODE down to look at the port. The
stream is about half as wide as the /
Potomac at Washington We first |
sailed by lumber yards. boat-buiId-
inSS works, SaWmillS and other wood
working establishments. \ little later
we wound our way among low hills |
covered with woods. passing through |
a maze of fine scenery. The stream |
| IS OF an emerald green and it flows |
between dark green banks and low
| nils as precipitous as those OF the
| Rhine between Mainz and Cologne
had the hills been covered with vine
yards, We might have Imagined our
| selves on launch on the Rhine, for
| there were many Germans on board
| The port of Corral has only a few
i hundred people. It's buildings are
| small the Wharves are poor. and
| much of the unloading is done out in
| the harbor. There were two steam
y,
our way to the port we passed barges
| carrying coal and machinery up the
river. Only small vessels call here,
and since the railroad has been com
pleted a large part of the freight is
carried that way
Southern Chile is far different from
the other parts of the country. Chile,
in proportion to its width is one Of
the longest lands Of the world. If
it could be laid upon the United
States with its northern end at Phil
idelphia, it would reach almost to
the Pacific, and still It's average width
; is not greater than from New York to
Albany. The upper part OF the land
is a desert as bleak and bare as that
OF the Sahara The middle part. ex-
tending from some distance above
Santiago to a days ride by train north
of where I am. is one Of the richest
? | farming regions on the globe. It is
: known as the Great Central valley
and its vast tracts Of irrigated land
will grow everything produced in
!. southern California. South OF this
valley and extending from Conception
to- the Strait OF Magellan. is a Ions
narrow strip which Is covered with
e | woods.
o The climate and rainfall OF Chile
e are varied. In the northern part Of
4 the country it never rains In the cen.
Z trail valley the water drops only a
d long intervals, but down here in the
u south they have a rainfall OF 10t
! inches and upwards per year. Valdivis
/ has 103 inches, and further south
e there is more. In some places thu
is rain is said to fall thirteen month
" every year. This is not true. Still
e there are seasons when the waite
N pours down and other months ~he!
W the sky is clear, and there is no rail-
n at all. The latter condition has pre-
l. vailed during my stay.
se Northern Chile is treeless. Centra
IS Chile has groves Of eucalyptus an
e South Carolina poplars, and its II
re rigating bitches and streams are lin
le ed with magnificent trees. All of tn
re trees of that region have been plant
&c ed. The central valley has naturall
re no trees, although the land is SO fe1
10 tile that if you set out an oak,
1t would grow within fifteen years
~ the height OF the virgin oaks Of ou
forests A eucalyptus will reach to
height Of seventy-five feet in dt
IN cade.
he Southern Chile is just the reverse
re the north It is land OF forests, an
x almost as we'll timbered as was TT
is. eastern part of the United States whe
he our first settlers came. 1t has
nd much wood that Chile. notwithstant
ef ing the arid lands or the nOTti.
it said to have in proportion TO its art
ms more forests than any other COUNT
ne Of the world. ] rode through gree
ief fields with stumps scattered throue
is them, all the way from ConcepciG
.ce to Temuco. Further south men we
ry cutting farms cut Of the woods al
ne here and there the wheat was Sro1
ed ing among the burned timber. son
I'm Of which was still standing. He
ers was a forest where the trees had be-
ms. stripped to their bark close TO I
IDS ground, and there was one made
the skeletons Of trees killed in tn
,ht way. In the latter instance the ba
,ed had dropped off and the trunks q
US branches were as "hlte a. 81 'ii@'
RI bones.
is
nat | At nearly every railroad station
is lumber yards containing piles OF fen
m posts, ties and building materi;
l. zsv fo