El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-21

duced in southern California South
of this valley and extending from Con-
cepciOn to the Strait of Magellan, is a
long narrow strip which is covered with
woods.
The climate and rainfall of Chile are
varied. In the northern part of the
country 1t never rains. In the central
valley the water drops only at long in
tervals, but down here in the south
they have a rainfall of 100 inches and
upwards per year. Valdivia has l03
inches, and further south there is more.
In some places the rain is said to fall
Is months every year. This Is not
true Still there are seasons when the
water pOurs down, and other months
when the sky is clear, and there is no
rain at all. The latter condition has
prevailed during my stay.
Many Trees Planted.
Northern Chile is treeIess, Central
Chile has groves of Eucalyptus and
South Carolina pOplars, and its irrigat-
ing bitches and streams are lined with
magnificicent trees. All of the trees of
that region have been planted The
central valley has naturally no trees
although the land is so fertile that if
you set out an oak it would grow with
in IS years 10 the height Of the virgin
oaks OF our forests. A eucalyptus will
reach 10 q height Of 70 feet IN a decade.
Southern Chile is just the reverse of
the north. 1t is a -and of forests, and
almost as well timbercd as was tie
eastern part of the United States when
0u5 first settlers came. II mas so mich
wood that Chile, Notwithstanding the
arid lands CT the north, is said to have
in prof. ortiOn 20 its area more fOreS-s
than any other country of the world.
L rcde through green fields with
stunps scattered through them, all the
way from Conception to Temuco. Fur
Their south neil we're cutting farms out
OF the woods and here sLd there The
wheat was growing among the burned
timber. sonic of which was still stand
Ing. Iierc was Z forest where the trees
haG been STRIPPED to their bark close to
the ground, ami there was one made q
the skeletons of trees killed in that
way In the latter instance the bark
had dropped off and the trunks and
branches were as white as so many
bones
Lumber Yards Numerous.
At nearly every railroad station are
lumber yards containing piles of fence
posts ties and building materials
stacked up awaiting shipment to the
north. The lumber is not good in COM
parison with ours. It is full of knots
and cracks. The boards are narrow
and they are nothing like the fine wood
which comes to Chile from California
and oregon and Washington. The most
Of the trees here are antarctic beech
and pine. There are also hard woods.
The forests are thin and there is much
underbrush among the trees. 1t is i'm
possible to clear the land as we do, on
account of the trouble in getting rid
of the stumps- Some Of the farmers are
now importing stump pullers from the
United States, and not a few are using
dynamite. Ringing and burning the
trees leaves a great deal Of dead tim
Der, and the cultivation cannot be well
done until the dead trees are out by
the roots.
After the land is cleared it looks
nothing like similar land in the United
States. The fences are of barbed wire,
but there are no large fields in clean
cultivation and fine barns and houses
as in the United States. The most
Of the buildings are log cabins of one
story, rooted with straw OF slabs
They are put up in a rude way, and but
few Of them have gardens or flowers.
There are some good homes owned by
the Germans, but the native Chilenos
They seem to be camping out rather
than settling down to build up a coun-
The most of the new land is devoted
to wheat. This is the chief cereal of
Chile, the country producing something
like 100000 bushels per year. Some
cattle are raised. but here in the south
the animals are ragged and lean, and
their meat is chiefly used for making /
charQue, or dried beef. In the central
valley the animals are much better |
and here and there you find Herefords
and Durhams
Work Done by Oxen.
The heavy work Of the farms, both /
north and south, is done by oxen. the /
team being increased according to tba |
character of the labor. A half dozen I
yokes Of oxen may be used in hauling- 1
out timber, and it takes a long team to 4
irag the wheat on carts over the mud !
-oads to the stations The oxen are
7oked by the horns, and they push /
'ather than pull. The yoke is fastened /
% the tongue of the cart, and by push
ng against the yoke the cart is forced 4
onward. The animals in front of the
first yoke which pushes the tongue
ave ropes reaching from their yoke
This method of working seems cruel
1IIhough the natives claim it is not.
w hen yoked up the oxen cannot move (
heir heads from side to side, and thew
ire driven with long goads, which end (
n sharp spikes. These goads are often /
20 mercllessly used that the blood runs
Town the sides of the beasts.
The cultivation of the farms here is
low largely done with American ma
.hlnery. L see American Windmills and
american ,plows and reapers and
c. the fences is furnished bv orr steel
rust and there is scarcely a farm that
s not now using more or less tools
from the United States.
At the same time the old methods
move along side by side with the new
1uch OF the grain is still thrashed out
y mares on thrashing floors In This
'1ocess the ground is pounded hard.
M the sheaYes of wheat are cut open (
nd spread over it. Then a drove of
1ares IS driven around and around To |
read out the grain. The winnowine is
cne by throwing the straw into the
IT. ana the bagging is by hand. Ad- 4
dining a farm where this NAV be seen
gu may find an American thresher and !