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very profitable one, for excellent prices are obtained in Panama for vegetables, and a considerable export business might be worked up, apart from the important question of supplying the Coast lands.
Sheep Farming.
Leaving the question of plantation industries, sheep farming for the production of wool and mutton should prove a paying industry. The Arhuaco Indians utilize the present production of wool for their own domestic needs, weaving a cloth from which they make their personal clothing. The introduction of suitable breeds of wool-producing sheep for the improvement of the native breed is desirable and would in course of time augment the production of wool for local manufactur- ing purposes.
Arhuaco Cattle.
The Indians possess an excellent breed of cattle of hardy nature, reminding one somewhat of the famous Scotch breed of Great Britain. Much might be done, however, in the improvement of these herds by the introduction of good breeding stock of say the Scotch cattle. While pasture is not over-abundant in the dry season, there are moderate areas available for cattle farming, and a good deal could be done in valleys like the Duriamenya in the improvement of the pastures, and in growing forage roots for feeding purposes. The flavour of the beef I can vouch for as being excellent, comparing very favorably with the famous Scotch beef. Were the Duriamenya valley anywhere in the Bogotá region, it would be divided up into several properties, and converted into flourishing haciendas. The Indians possess some very fine specimens of transport oxen which are very powerful, and should prove very useful for ploughing and other field work on the hill slopes.
Sierra Nevada the Sanatorium of the Coast. Apart from the agricultural side, should not the Sierra Nevada be to the Coast population of Colombia what the hill stations of India are to the labourers of the hot and tropical plains? Here is an ideal climate which should be utilized to repair the debilitating ef- fects of the trying climate of the Coast region, and to restore health and vigor to the tropical worker. Would not the Coast troops be more advantageously situated
in the Sierra Nevada, rather than in the debilitating lowlands, once railway communication be established which would facilitate their mobilization and transport? These are questions of vital importance for the Gov- ernment in framing its programme for the future, and of importance in aiding the development of these parts.
Colonization,
The future of this region depends on its coloniza- tion by suitable settlers. The region, as I have before stated, is one for the man with small capital, the worker, Nowhere in the route of my tour have I seen extensive coffee lands as are found in the interior, for example in Cundinamarca; though of course extensive coffee plan- tations exist on the Santa Marta side of this mountain. At Puebloviejo, for instance, the coffee lands are con- fined to small valleys and ravines, such as are covered with forest growth. Again lands for fruit growing are not found in extensive areas, but rather in small allot- ments suitable for the small grower, Fruit growing. by the way, it might be mentioned, is not a cultivation that can be conducted in such a careless way as coffee is grown in these parts. Fruit growing for export is an occupation which requires much care from the selection and propagation of the trees to the picking and packing of the fruit, and those not prepared to bestow the necessary care and attention would better leave that industry alone.
Roads and Railways.
It is premature, however, to consider the question of colonization previous to the opening up of the coun- Before families are es- try by railroads and roads. tablished in this region, it is necessary to provide means of communication, and this means should be suitable for the industries it is proposed to foster. Fruit grow- ing for export should be the most important cultivation in view, and to foster such an industry the Santa Marta Railway should be extended from Fundacion to the centre of the most important region for fruit growing. There is no reason why Santa Marta should not become as renowned for the export of citrus and other fruits as it is for the shipment of bananas, as the Sierra Nevada has much in its favor in being so much nearer to the American and European markets than the fruit growing lands of South Africa.
ARHUACOS.
The Arhuaco Indians who inhabit the Sierra Nevada are a people of fine physique. They appear to have no relation with the Goajiros or Mutilones, having no semblance either in physique, customs or language. En- like their neighbours the Arhnacos are a peaceful and industrious people. They possess wattle-and-dau! houses, a necessity probably barn of the rigorous cli- mate. They possess little gardens or gallineros, neatly enclosed by stone walls or Ceroxylon palm fences, in which they cultivate Canna indico, onions, cabbage, beans, peas, coffee, sugar-cane, oranges, unsanias, etc. The mansana is the fruit of a medium-size tree of the
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size of an orange, with large brown seeds embedded in a golden farinaceous substance which is edible. has no relation to the apple as the name mansand sug- gests, but belongs to the order Sapotaceae. From cotton and wool the Arhuacoa spin yarn which they weave in their simple looms cloth from which they make their clothing; which, for the men consists of a lieavy manta with trousers and sash and a quaint helmet made of fique fibre. They possess a considerable number of cattle, horses and sheep, though by no means so rich in this respect as the Goajiran Indians.
Indian Women of the Arbusco Trihe
Coca.
One of the peculiar and interesting customs of the Arhuacos is the use of coca by the men. No Arhuaco is ever seen without his muchile of coca leaves and a calabashita of lime. One of the friendly customs of these people when they meet on the road is to ex- change a small handful of coca leaves. This, to them divine leaf, they chew nearly all day long and it is said that they can forego food for a considerable time with- out inconvenience if they have coca leaves. It is chewed together with lime much in the same way as the areca net in India.
One of the chief characteristics of these people is their extreme tardiness. If on a journey and two friends meet they do not part until they have recounted every detail of news. On the arrival of one of my Indian companions at a camp where there were many Indians repairing a road, he spent nearly an hour recounting the object of my mission, detailing what I had said and what I had done, and during this time the crowd lis- tened standing around without a single interruption. These people must have marvelous memories, for this custom must be a wonderful aid to the cultivation of memory; not one second did the orator falter for want of a word, it seemed like the recital of an oration learnt by memory. The Arhuacos are very independent and appear to have no desire for civilized customs; in fact, they have a strong desire to deal with and administer their own affairs, although extremely loyal to the Gov- crument. They appear to have little desire for trading. and do not seem to care to sell or even hire their cattle or horses; only as a favor do they part with a chicken or a few eggs. Even the Indians who are rich plead poverty and will tell you that they have very few or no cattle. I offered to buy a horse from an Indian known to have many, but the owner would not sell, observing that he would not be able to lend it to another person if he sold it to me.
VALLE DUPAR TO THE MAGDALENA RIVER.
Valle Dupar to the Magdalena River.
After having dealt with my collections at Valle Dupar, we left on January 3rd for El Banco on the Magdalena river via El Paso. We first journeyed through poor sandy lands, but the character improved as we pro- ceeded, and later in the way we passed through heavy forests containing much useful timber. We camped the first night near the river Viejo.
Corozo or Cuesco Palm.
The following day we continued our journey through heavy forest land, which, however, was soon replaced by more open lands with extensive sabanas of fiue short grass, affording excellent grazing lands for cattle. The chief feature in this part is the cuesco or coroza palm, which is very abundant. I have referred to this palm in an earlier part of this report and mentioned that a sack of its nuts have been forwarded to the Exterior for examination and report. If these nuts prove to contain a percentage of oil that would pay for extraction, this region, in view of the abundance of these palms, should become an important centre for the collection of the nuts, I observed that the palms were more productive in the forest lands than on the sabanas, a fact doubtless due to injury caused to the palms by the annual fires of the sabanas. At noon we rested by a river to continue in the afternoon, owing to the heat of the plains by day. Leaving at dusk we travelled on till nearly midnight when we camped at a ranch near the village of Los Venados.
A Moonlight Ride.
Having rested during the day on the 5th, we left at 4 o'clock in the afternoon to continue our journey across the plains by moonlight, since it was difficult to travel by day owing to the heat of the plains and the absence of water along the rest of the road to El Paso. We rode on through these dusty plains till nearly midnight, when we camped under a small tree, passing the night without food or water. At 4 a. m. we continued our journey and reached El Paso in the early morning,
Cattle Lands,
These plains afford excellent grazing lands for cattle, but owing to the absence of water in the dry seasons, the cattle have then to be removed to the playones near the Caesar river. Artesian wells established at various intervals along these plains would immensely increase their value as cattle lands. It also occurs to me that their grazing value would be enormously enhanced if the famous cadilla grass of Goajira, to which I have already drawn attention, could be established on these plains; the experiment is certainly one well worth mak- ing. This region of the Province of Valle Dupar is very important from a cattle point of view, and its advantages over the cattle lands of the Magdalena river zone has been amply demonstrated recently by the
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