The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-11-01
CHILE COUNTRY or BIG.
FARMS ANT. HAC|ENDAs.
Dairy Plants OF Thousands OF Cows
aud Vineyards That Yield NIL q
lions OF Gallons of Wine.
THE lNQuILlNo Or TENANT
Carpenter Tells OF Wonderful Agri-
cultural Conditions--Some Recent
Changes in Army-Labor Union.
ism Along Nest Coast.
ny FRANZ 6. CARPENTER.

T. OR-the past week l nave been
r. travelling here and there
through the central valley
of Chile. This extends from SAN
tiago 10 valdiviu. more than 500
miles south. 1, contains the largest
and best estates in the republic. al
though there is an extensive wheat
growing region below il. in which
great forests aro>aiow being cut down.
and the clearnss turned into farms.
The central valley of Chile is one
4 of the garden spots of the globe. IL
Will grow anything ii ii can only have
/. water. AS one of the haciendados said
to me- ".All YOU have 20 do is to spit
on the ground and drop in seed. and,
presto. there is tree. There is no
part quite fertile as that. hut trees
do grow here three times as fjtst rs in
North America. | have seen groves OF
eucalyptus that are l0n feet high, and
still only ten or fifteen years old. ]
have already described my visit 20
Santa Ines, the fields OF which are
walled with poplars as high
church stecple. There are thousands
or trees OH that estate as high rs any
in the eastern part Of our country. and
they have all been planted in the past
tweuty-fivc years. 1t is the same with
all kinds OF vegetation. In the irri-
gated sections. peach trees bear at one
and two years, and grains and grasses,
including alfalfa, arc wonderfully
luNuriant. This is SO, notwithsiand-
ing some OF the land has been under
cultivation for many generations The
lands abou, Santiago have been titled
for 800 years, anu to-day among them
are numbered some Of the fine farms
of the world.
But before describe the big
haciendas, let me tell you little more
about the region In which they are
toll 1..l1 ia
strip of lowland ranging in width
S from fifteen to Zoe miles, and about
zoo miles long. 1t begins above san
+ tiaso. and winds it's way south through
about one fourh OF Chile. On the east
OF it arc the snowy walls of the Andes,
with here and there the mighty cone
of a dead volcano rising above the
other peaks. and on the west are the
lower mountains and hills Of the coast
range, their tops almost u desert. but
their foothillc covered with green.
The average width Of the valley, all
told. is about thirty miles. and its area
is somewhere between those Of West
Virginia and Maryland This country
is settled throughout. II has many
large towns along TIE state railroad,
which runs through il from one end TO
the other, and the most of, its lands
arc divided UP into large estates.
In the north these estates areiall un-
der irrigation. and it is only in the
far south that the rainfall is sufficient
Ito dispense with the ARTIFICIAL water
ing of the crops. Much OF the country
is slightly rolling. 1t is cut by many
creeks and little rivers, which are fed
by the Andcan SHOWS. Some OF these
streams carry down II great deal OF
silt, making fat the lands over which
they go. Others. such as the Bio-hio.
are as clenr MS crystal from one years
end to the other.
Riding southwark through this coun-
try. the scenery Is far different from
tina: OF the richest parts of the Union.
There are crops in sight all the way.
but the fields are divided by rows OF
tall poplars or eucalyptus or with
walls of mud and stone rather than
fences. il is only along the railroad
that there is any barb I'd wire. The
chief buildings TO he sceI arc the great
rambling structures, the homes of the
hacicndados and the mean mud walled
thatch rooted huts of the lahorcrs.
There are no barns standing out on the
fields, and no elevators at the stations
for storing the grain. There are plenty
of cattle and horses, hut very few
stables OF outbuildinSs. The weather IL
SO mild that the stock Craze out OF
doors all the year round, and this liz 40
all the way from Santiago to the Strait
%of Magellan, Therefore there arc NJ
haystacks or strawstacks. Such grasses
and alfalfa as are cut are put mp in
bales and shipped to the cities or north
10 the nitrate desert. where they bring
higher PRICES. The climate Of the CEN
trail valley is about the same rs that
of Lower California, save that there is
less rain. and i'll the upper part Of il
nearly everything has TO beAifrigaLed.
at present therc are soiaetrfnS like
100000 acres now reached by'arti-
fetal canals. and ] am told that it is
possible to put water upon as much
hn of no ai,,. III
lands are iE the south. ] shall write
more fully OF them in tho future.
Oxen everywhere take the place OF
horses and mules They arc yoked TO
clumsy carts by wooden bare tied to
their horns, and are driven with long
Soads with steel spikes in the ends.
Nevertheless, the farming is well done
and on many estates il is equal TO that
of the United States.
Nearly everywhere the business is on
grand scale. In many parts OF the
valley 200 acres is little more than a
garden patch, and the irrigated farms
of 5000, and even 10000 acres, are com
mon. There is one farm OF 10000
acres, and several which have $4,000
and more. There are some very large
vineyards. The estate OF Lo Urmeutu
contains 1000 acres, and OF these 200
are now bearing grapes. 1t has cellars
with capacity OF 100000 gallons OF
wine, and IL bottles and ships vast
quantities every year. The Errazuriz
vineyard, at the foot Of the Andes. puts
UP 5000 bottles VI wihe n day in adj
ditlon to that which it stores away
in casks. 1t ships more than 100000
bottles of wine every month. There
is another vineyard that ships 100000
gallons year.
One OF the richest families OF Chile
is that OF Augustin Edwards, who is
now minister from here to tho court
of ST. James. He has one hacienda
about twenty-five miles North OF Val
paraiso that supplies Il part OF that
city with milk. lie mas 500 mich COWS,
and he breeds fine dairy stock. He Is
also noted as a breeder of horses, not
only for racing, but for heavy draft
He has in his stables seventy-nve
Arabian mares, eighty Pcrchcrons and
ITO York shires. He has ten shorthor,i
bulls, some OF which were brought
from England. Another big dairy
hacienda, which also supplies Valpa-
. raisu is that Of Don Con,ns