The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-05

Crossing over the coast range and
coming into the plateau. you find cui-
tlvated lands along both sides of the
~NIlcanota river all the way down to
CuZco. The valley in the plateau is
IN fact a series of lite gardens Il
Eden, the water being carried out
over them SO that it falls r, IN lie el
to level. The fields are in terraces
that are now green 18th luxuriant
crops. In coming here to Sicuani /
saw many patches of barley. potatoes
and beans: and also hundreds of little
fields of Indian corn. This crop now
reaches to the height of nv knee in
the high attitudes. but TO the height
of my shoulder where the lands are
a little lower and consequently |
warmer.
In the valley of Cuzco, which we
shall go through tomorrow. the crops
are still more advanced. and the bar
ley, which is grSen in the highlands, |
is there almost ready for harvest. The
lands of these valleys look very differ
ent from the plateaus that are fed
alone by the rains. The irrigated
lands are exceedingly valuable. They
have all been taken up by the whites
or the ChOlOS, and are exploited by
them with Indian labor. Here the
lands are often divided by mud fences.
The fields are consecutive, anC you
see the villages maze OIL nuu mus
which are occupied by the Indians,
who do the hard work. On the non
irrigated plateaus the land yields
much less and the greater part of
them are given over to pastures. Here
you find hundreds of Indian sQuatters,
each of whom has his little mud hut,
: with a corral or so made OF STOKES or
! mud into which his focks are driven
+, at night. He may have two or three
acres of potatoes or qulnua, and per
haps a small patch of barley, but as a
: rule the crop is grown only to supply
his own needs. The methods of such
farming are rude to an extrt-ne. but
the patches seem clea-- and the In
dams work very hard.
The chief industry of his great
plateau of the Andes is the raising
Of stock. | have seen millions OF
o sheep on my way across the plateau,
: and tens Of thousands Of alpacds,
Ilamas, as we'll as many horses. cattle
&c and donkeys. The donkeys and
80 llamas from the beasts Of burden, and
- you see them driven in long a
&c over the plain, followed by Indian
20 men and women who are eithe their
IS owners or in charge Of them for their
a masters. I never get tired of watch
ing the llamas. One can see them
everywhere or the plateau. They
m walk in caravans along the trails
If the crowd the streets of the village
re and drOves of them line the plazas OF
III every city and town. They are, ir
re fact, the freight trains of the high
Of Andes, n they compete with The
I'd railroad. They carry grain, vegeta.
at bles, hides, alcohol, coca leaves &n(
re goods of every description. Many O.
them are used to transfer the ore
wv from the mines to the sc1elters; an(
It's the farmers employ them to TAX
w their goods to the towns and rail
roads.
,st The llamas pack the freight OIL
at their backs. the burden being tied OF
al. like q saddle, and not in pannierS. a
sin upon donkeyS. There is a curren
IL story that a llama will carry just 10
'er pounds, and that if you put on on
ed, more he will lie down, and no whip
ping or beating can make him go OF
he This statement is ridiculous. Tn
lat llama eff overburdened, will surely Ii
zee down and refuse to move: but as t
ag his having the intelligence to kno'
ley when the hundred-pound load
'ep cached, that is one Of the actions G
,ht travelling Munchausens. Indeed, ther
are very few llamas that can carr
as much as a hundred pounds. TIL
-ba animals are of different strength;
TO- and the average load is about sever
ty-five or eighty pounds, althoug
,rf there are some beasts that will carr
1ed one hunoreu anu twenty. matt
to or a pound or SO H1dhsS no
and it is only when the animal fee
that he has much more than h
strength will support that he refus'
~ TO go.
d The Hamas are of different size
-, according to their ages and the ca
that has been taken of them. Whe
full grown their heads reach Il heiSl
of six feet or more; but they hay
yer lohS mems ~
hot taller. They have long ears tn;
leo stand up like those Of a fox terrie
They have full, round bodies. Ill
that OF a sheep, and comparative
ola- long ieSS. ihes iooh' III ~ 80
i, :, they have the same power as II
. is camel of going for several days wiz
Va out food or water. Many of the farr
DDS are long distances from the towns