The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-11-03

dIUuuI DdtlcS LIN \
form the home Of the owner. They
have roofs Of red tile and their Hoors
are of brick. They have wide porch
es, and their windows look out on the
gardens. They are situated IN q
grove OF trees which are at least 100
feet high. and among these are Won
derful palms. When I visited IL the
house contained about two score OF
guests, in addition to the thirty chill
dren and grandchildren of the family |
had its own pony.
Others of the haciendas here have
beautiful buildings OF modern con-
struction, with great parks, with
miles Of shady drives, and all OF the
other surroundings of a m~illionaire's
home in the States. Many of them
are using modern machinery, and
some are now experimenting with
fertilizers and in intensive cultiva-
ton. Everywhere / go | see Ameri-
can ploWs, and there are three or four
importing houses in Chile who have
their travelling statesmen going over
the country drumming each hacienda
as to the introduction of American
harvesters. reapers and windmills.
One Of the interesting features Of
farming IN Chile has to do with the
labor. This is made up almost alto
gether of a class known as inQuilinos,
or the class Of which travellers some
\ III oPSoh 40 I1O Il ID
wrong. The word roto is a content
uous word meaning torn or ragged,
or, as 1t might be called. ragamuffin.
The proper term is inquilino or farm
er. He is a respectable person and
he may or may not be ragged. These
people are the descendants of the In
dams and the immigrants from the
northern provinces OF Spain. They
are the labOring class OF the country,
and they correspond to the poems Of
Peru, although they are far above
them in character and efficiency. They
are excellent WOrkmen. and they al
learn almost anything that requires
hardness and craft. They are very
proud and will not tolerate abuse or
insult. You might kick a Peruvian
peOn and he would stink way hum
bly,. The Bolivian indian is afraid
that his master in angry if he is not
punished now n then, but the in
quilino would be likely to resent such
treatment and leave. Indeed, I doubt
if it would be at all safe for his mas
ter to lay his hands on him. On the
haciendas where I have been there
seems to me a good spirit existing
between the haciendado and the la
borers. The latter are deferential
and the owners sustain a sort of pa
triarchal relation toward them. They
are interested in treating them Well,
for if they do not the inquilino will
leave. and it is upon his labor that
the mar must depend for the work
upon the estate.
The conditions Of employment are
somewhat like that Of the old feuda,
!. times. The h~aciendado owns th<
, land. and he lets each Of the work.
= men have a small tract to cultivate
!, and also paSturage for his stock il
he has any. This tract may consis,
: : Of two. three, four, five or ten acres
= and 1t may be only enough for E
: house and garden. In return for the
use or the lam the inQuilino agree.
to give one mans work to n owner
when he requires it. This means tina
he pays a rent for the. house an(
grounds Of about $3.50 a week, ant
r at the same time has a house for hi
family to live in. In some cases small
wages are paid, but as a rule the ma,
is expected to furnish one hand 70
his labor. If his family does work
they. Of course, receive an additiona
payment. Many Of the inQuilinos ar
in debt to their employers, but tn
Q laws here are not like those of Per-
and Bolivia, which makes the peon
almost debt slaves.
IF The huts Of the poems are Of tn
h rudest description. They are seldor
is more than fifteen feet SQuare The
d have walls of sticks covered with mu
is and the roofs are of thatch or rud
tile. The huts are seldom lighted eS
rs cept from the front, and some hay
n no light but from the door. TIL
st ground froms the floor, and. in man
rs cases. the bed Of the family. Boxe
usually take the places of chairs, an
I II there is a bedstead it consists {
e. a ledge Of sticks built up from til
d. ground. The bedstead may be seps
id rated from the other part of til
d. room by a curtain.
If / would say, however. that SON
of the farmers are paying %attentio
at to the better housing of their worl
ut men. On the SaI.ta Ines estate the
it are building tenant houses of COZ
ed crete and on some others of III
he haciendas they are putting I'D VIII;