Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-09-09

high above the terraced farms on the
mountain slopes that today constitute
the chief spectacles Of the world. Our
best work and even the pyramids OF
Egypt are IKE the work OF children in
comparison.
AS farmers. az plant wizards. the |
Peruyians were the greatest the worlt |
has known. They cultivated upon Il |
large scale nearly hundred species Of /
:ood plants, many Of which. succulent /
and delicious. are unknown 10 US even /,
today. though used by the natives OF
Peru-the survivors of the ancien,
race.
They had, and still have, corn, called
Cuzco corn. the kernels OF which are
an inch in diameter. marvellous type
| perfectly adapted TO high attitudes and
short seasons, which doubtless would
grow we'll in this part of Nevada
From DR.. Cooks scientific description.
It seems probable that this wonderful
corn would be a marvellous money crop
in this section. The kernels are of
huge size and the Peruvians eat them,
| one at time. like grapes or chestnuts.
The delicious meat slips out OF the
skin when the boiled kernels are
pressed between thumb and forefinger.
Ripe corn Is eaten this way. as well as
green corn, and il is q staple article
of diet among the Indians. who call il
mott
Pizarro and his cut.throats found
enormous treasures of gold in Peru. of
which they robbed the Incas, but the
greatest treasure which they took bacl;
to Spain was the POTATO. Carrying
the potato to Europe" says DR. Cook.
was an event of much more profound
significance in relation to the subsc-
quent history of the world than send.
ing the Inca gold to the Golfers of
Spain
the potato. and It's Peruvian origin was
GENERAL: forgotten before the plant
became well known. Instead of Peru.
Wan potatoes we still call them Irish
potatoes.
The potato did not begin To be
grown as crop until the period OF the
French revolution, when the people
were starving and would eat almos,
anything. Even then it had to be
forced on the public by the persistent
efforts OF the French philanthropist,
Parmentier. who demonstrated its food
possibilities by establishing a large
number of soup kitchens for the poor
of Paris. Potato soup still bears the
name Parmentier on French menus.
| George Washington never enjoyed a
dish of French-fricd, and even in An.
drew Jackson's day the potato was a
novelty among the farmers OF the
United States. Today the worlds crop
exceeds six billion bushels.
DR. Cook says that Peru. the home
OF the potato. where there are many
varieties superior To any that We have
could give us many other valua bic food
plants-root crops of which we are en-
tirely ignorant. For instance. they
have several varieties of hardy and dc
licious tomatoes that undoubtedly
-, would grow to perfection in ElkC
county and throughout the Northwest
=
The conqucring and devastation oI
Peru by PiZarrO and his cut-throats
was an irrcparable loss to The world
The last of the cOnquistadores, on his
death-bed, conscienceaccused. wro.,
this to King Philip:
The InCas were governed in sucl
. a way that in all the land neither
thief, nonsa vicious man, nor n bad
, dishonest woman was known Thc
+, men all had honest and profitable en-
ploymcnt, The woods and mines ant
all kinds OF property were so divide,
-, that each man knew what belonged I,
him, and there were no lawsuits.
But we took away their land an
n. placed ii under the crown OF Spai
N and made them subjects
n. Your Majesty must understand tina
n my reason for making this statemen
q. Is to relieve my conscience. for W
~ have destroyed this people by our ba
~ examples. Crimes were once so it'll
known among them that an India
with one hundred thousand pieces {
N. gold and silver in his house, left
he open. only placing a little stick aCros
~ the door. as the sign that the mast,
was out. and nobody went in. b,
when they saw that we placed loci
'd and keys upon our doors. they unde
~ stood that 1t was from fear of thieve
X. and when they saw that we Ia