76 THE ANDES OF SOUTHERN PERU 



are capable of producing things of greater utility than brandy 

 and coca leaves. So far as profits are increased by cheaper trans- 

 portation we may expect the planter to produce more rather than 

 less of brandy and coca, his two most profitable exports, unless 

 other products can be found that are still more profitable. The 

 ratio of profits on sugar and brandy will still be the same unless 

 the government increases the tax on brandy until it becomes no 

 more profitable than sugar. That is what ought to be done for 

 the good of the Indian population. It cannot be done safely with- 

 out offering in its place the boon of cheaper railway transporta- 

 tion for the sugar crop. Furthermore, with railway improve- 

 ments should go the blessings that agricultural experiments can 

 bestow. A government farm in a suitable place would establish 

 rice and cotton cultivation. Many of the playas or lower alluvial 

 lands along the rivers can be irrigated. Only a small fraction of 

 the water of the Rio Urubamba is now turned out upon the fields. 

 For a large part of the year the natural rainfall would suffice to 

 keep rice in good condition. Six tons a year are now grown on 

 Hacienda Sahuayaco for local use on account of the heavy rate 

 on rice imported on muleback from Cuzco, whither it comes by 

 sea and by trail from distant coastal valleys. The lowland people 

 also need rice and it could be sent to them down river by an easier 

 route than that over which their supplies now come. It should be 

 exported to the highlands, not imported therefrom. There are so 

 many varieties adapted to so many kinds of soil and climate that 

 large amounts should be produced at fair profits. 



The cotton plant, on the other hand, is more particular about 

 climate and especially the duration of dry and wet seasons; in 

 spite of this its requirements are all met in the Santa Ana Valley. 

 The rainfall is moderate and there is an abundance of dry warm 

 soil. The plant could make most of its growth in the wet season, 

 and the four months of cooler dry season with only occasional 

 showers would favor both a bright staple and a good picking sea- 

 son. More labor would be required for cotton and rice and for 

 the increased production of cacao than under the present system. 

 This would not be a real difficulty if the existing labor supply 



