The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-06-02

of the weight. AS to the VOL we ouy
that by the fleece without regard 10
weight. Every fleece OF sneep ; Voc,
is sold to US for five cents. and We seis
it for ten. fifteen or twenty times that
amount. This is by our contract
made at the time OF the lease. AS 10
the alpacas, We pay for their "ooi
according to the quality, but the
amount is a bagatelle in comparison
with what we get from the exporters
But if the man works five days for
YOU how is he to take care OF his
own crop and to watch his cattle and
Sheep"
That is done by his wife and chill
dren," was the reply. The chlldreh
learn to herd the sheep and cattle
almost as soon as they are able TO
walk, and the women keep the weeds
out of the potatoes and help hoe the
| crops. The Indian can do the same
| on Saturday and Sunday. All of the
Indian women work, and the husband
selects his wife as much for her
strength as her beauty. The women
are industrious. They are always
spinning or knitting while looking af-
ter their sheep and >alpacas. The
| do their own weaving and make all
the clothes for the family. They do
all the cooking, and, in fact. alIaost
everything connected with the farm
and the house"
Tell me something about the
homes and life of the Indians on the
farm"
Their homes are just about the
same as those you see De-
tween here and Lake Titicaca. They
are mud huts, matched with straw.
The nuts have no windows. and are
entered by low doors. There is only
one door to a hut. n this is made
small on account of the cold wealth
er. There is no floor but the
ground, and the people sit and sleep
on the floor. They lie dow at night
upon skins of llamas or alpacas. COW
ering themselves with their ponchOs
or blankets. In some hutS there are
mud lodges on which to sit and sleep.
The Indians ave no arrangements
for bathing or washing the hands and
race. Nearly every woman has a
comb, but the hair Of the men is left
to go frowsy."
How about the daily life of the
Indians &"
The ordinary Indian family gets
up at sunrise. and all start preparing
the breakfast. This meal is as sub
~stantial as the people can afford. If
the family is well-to-do it will consist
+ of a stew of boiled potatoes, corn and
:, meat, and a plate Of quinua cooked
+ together to the thickness OF a Cruel
' They may have some crushed corn
I | COOkcO lIlO d Sup, III az IdI0 IlIIlC
some rOast llama, alpaca Or mutton
f In the latter case the animal killed is
divided among a number of families
After breakfast the Indians star
4 out to their work. The men go of
: to the fields Of the farmer of whom
!, women hoe in the little patches abou
+ the house or herd h stock. On m!
a farm the men do not start working
0 much before 8 o'clock. They tak'
r things easy, and at 10 knock off TO
S a half an hours rest During thi
s back to work until l o'clock. WheI
e they take an hour for their lunch
@ They bring the lunch with them. A
IS 4 o'clock they have another rest Q
o half an hour for coca chewing, an(
shortly after hat they stop for tn
% day and return to their homes. TIL,
d dinner is about the same as tn
II breakfast. They have no light t
speak of, and by dark they ar
asleep"
ye Tell me more about the debt ar
k rangements,' said I.
I'VE loan the Indians money &C
r cOrding to the lumber and value o
re their stock, being careful not t
c. credit them with more thar their cat
rs tie, sheep, alpacas and other animal
would bring at forced sale. We a
to some indians who are in debt to u
ut only $50 or $40. and we nave som
he who owe as much as $500. Severa
b. OF my Indians have each a larg
to amount Of stock. We have one
so named Paucar, who owns 400 alpaca:
to which are worth perhaps 81 apiece
It. and we have some who own shee
90 and cattle to a value of three or fou
to hundred dollars and ever a thousan
re dollars. Such men work on the farr
Is. on the same conditions a. the othe
to Indians, and they live just about TIL
no same.
va las a rule the Indian will borro,
all that he can. He wants none
for feast days and for marriages an
ng ~ haE no' ilald VI uep
or ~ IL -
a. poets to stay SO all his life. Whe
,c he dies his debt must be paid out
- what he leaves, or it is assumed b
his widow and children