The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-03
Copyrighted, 1914, By Frank c.
Carpenter.)

Lima, PERU
] want TO give you a bird's-eye view
of this wonderful land of Peru, that
~ TO be made our neXt-door neighbor
by the opening OF the Panama Canal.
IL is n OF the chief countries OF
South America, but parts of it are as
unknown as the Wilds of Tibet. 1t is
right at the front doorsteps of eastern
North America, SO close that IL Uncle
Sam took a walk, using his thousand
league boots, he would stub his toe
upon ii before ne got three steps away
from our gulf port Of New Orleans.
l am writing at Lima, the capital. An
express steamer can cover the distance
between here and the ana in less
than three days, and when the fast
AtIanti liners from New York enter
the Pacific they will be able to come
TO Calao, the port OF Peru, quite as
quickly as they now cross over to
Hamburg or Bremen. The actual dis
lance from the Balboa docks to those
Of Callao is 1,346 miles, and the reg
ular vessels which call at the coasi
ports make the trip in five or six
days. Even now one can go from
New York 70 Lima, crossing the 18TH
mus by rail. in less than two weeks,
and when the canal is completed the
whole trip can be easily mad by
ahip in that time.
L have spoken Of Peru as unknown.
IL IItobl VI IC III Ano kSNSL
been p~rospected. 1t lies here on the
heart OF western South America, TAX
ing up about o~ne-fourth of the whole
range OF the Andes and extending for
a thousand miles along the dry, thirs-
~ Goa and an equal distance through
the rainiest region on earth, on the
opposite side of the mountains.
Peru is more han 1000 miles long,
and in places 1t is more than 100
miles wide, If you laid 1t down in the
Mississippi valley. with n Chilean
boundary at New Orleans. h Ecu
- ador line would be somewhere near
Minneapolis, and it would almost fill
che whole valley from the Mississippi
river to Pittst urgh.
The country contains about $500 0
square miles. 1t is equal to more
than one-fifth OF the area Of the
United States proper, is six times as
large as Great Britain and Ireland,
n is larger h a Germany, France
and the Spanish peninsula combined
There is enough of it to make four.
teen States as big as New York, fit.
teen as big as Pennsylvania. or sew
enteen of the size OF Ohio. The coun-
try has n province, the name OF
which many Of you have never heard
which is larger than Texas. This. il
Loretta, at the headwarters of the
Amazon. The province Of Cuzco is il
southern Peru, and the most OF II
higher UP in the Andes. 1t is bigger
than California, and there are Other
provinces that would make sizablt
American States.
The whole of Peru is divided up in.
10 three zones. 1t all lies in the trOp.
les. but the climatic influences ar,
such that most of it forms a fit HON.
for white men. The first zone is tina
81 the desert, the econd that of tn,
hig Andean valleys and plateaus
which are upheld by the three paral
tel ranges OF these mighty mountains
and the third iS the country tina
slopes down from the mountains ant
fortns a part Of the Amazon valley
The desert ION would be as hot a
. the Sahara, but it is tempered by tn,
Antarctic current, which flows up thi
coast from near the South Pole Thi
makes il cccl and healthful ALI tn
yea round.
II Andes. These highlands form
region 800 miles wide. They hay
from 1000 to $4,000 feet elevation
and are looked lCWn upon by som
peaks, almost O miles in height
Thcy are SO high that it is cool an,
healthy throughout the year. The
have summer neat that will ripen tn
hardest grains and in the lower val
legs Will grow all kinds of seini-tropi
cal fruits. 1t is rather cold there i
the winter and the o. often fan:
but The summers are not unlike Lhcs
OF the Rockies.
This region is faInous for live stocs
u provides the meat and wool for IL.
whole OF Peru, and it has large tract
of grazing lapdS where sheep an
cattle grow well. An extensive woo
and meat Industry might be deve
oped, and that with Il view to supply
ing American markets.
Upon the highest p~ldreaus axe four
the llama. alpaca and vicuna. TT
liams aye used as beasts of hurdle
bat they produce Il great deal OF WOO
ana also are eaten. The alpacaS al
smaller than llamas. They are kerC
sd. ana tley furnish excellent WOO
The Iicu1-G wool is even better. II
as fine a. silk ana is wnrtn four tim,
rs much aS the alpaca. Within II
past few years SOME oi the wo
grower nave been trying 70 cross Y
vienna ana alpaca. ana havn devc