FOOT-PLOW AGRICULTURE — COOK. 489 



this tool has a sharp cutting edge, and is used to extirpate thistles 

 or other deep-rooted weeds, not for breaking the sod. 



The work that was being done on the slopes along the pass of La 

 Raya in the middle of April, 1915, corresponds to fall plowing in 

 northern latitudes. Only narrow strips of sod were being turned at 

 this time, marking the rows where the potatoes were to be planted, 

 but all of the ground is broken later and the tough sod disintegrates 

 during the long growing season into a loose black soil. The cultiva- 

 tion of potatoes is carried to an altitude of more than 14,000 feet on 

 the southern slopes of the valley in the district between Santa Rosa 

 and Araranca. 



Agriculture in the high altitudes becomes strictly subordinate to 

 pastoral activities, the feeding of flocks of llamas, alpacas, and sheep 

 on the grassy lands above the range of cultivation. The hardiest 

 varieties of potatoes are too bitter to be eaten in the fresh state, but 

 are dried as a reserve stock of food, after freezing, thawing, and 

 treading out the juice. The natives are familiar with the names, 

 habits, and distinctive qualities of many varieties of potatoes, in- 

 cluding several types that are very different from any known in the 

 United States. The flavors, colors, and textures of the different 

 kinds of potatoes are as keenly appreciated among the high-altitude 

 people as the varieties of apples or peaches are with us. In the pass 

 of Panticalla a hospitable Indian farmer favored us with boiled 

 potatoes to eat out of hand, and insisted that we put the remainder 

 of our "treat" in our pockets. The firm textures and distinct 

 flavors of the Peruvian varieties may be due in part to their being- 

 less affected by cooking, since water boils at lower temperatures in 

 the high altitudes. Potatoes are not baked or roasted, fuel being too 

 scarce. 



At the upper limit of agriculture in the pass of La Raya the only 

 crop associated with the potato is a small species of chenopodium, 

 called canihua (canyewa). In the year after potatoes a crop of 

 canihua is grown on the same land, with no additional preparation. 

 The canihua is not the same as the better known quinoa, which is 

 grown at somewhat lower elevations, but is a smaller plant with 

 smaller seeds, not bitter like most varieties of quinoa. The canihua 

 is sown broadcast, requires no cultivation, and is gathered by pulling 

 up the plants and piling them on blankets, where the seeds are 

 rubbed out by hand as soon as the plants are gathered. And after 

 being dried and winnowed the seeds are parched and ground into a 

 meal that is similar to the cjofio of the Canary Islanders, and is used 

 for food, in the same way, by shepherds in the mountains or travelers 

 on the road. 



"Weeds and grasses resume possession of the soil while the can't Juki 

 is growing, and the land is left as pasture for several years before 



