652 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April r, 1895. 
are here already, but as a nutritious fodder they can- 
not be compared with the " Alfalfa." 
" There cannot ha said to be any cultivation here, 
but we can Hee by the well-beaten footpaths leading 
to them that certain plants are more highly prized 
than others, and coca (erytJirpzylon) is one of the 
chief favourites. Around little patches of this plant 
the jungle is occasion illy cleared away, and the coca 
leaves are carefully harvested . 
"Coca, from which the invaluable drug, cocaine, is 
obtained, is a native of this locality. It is a plant not 
unlike the Chinese tea, though scarcely so sturdy in 
habit, growing to a height of from four to five feet, 
with bright green leaves and white blossoms, followed 
by reddish berries. The leaves are plucked when well 
matured, dried in the sun, and simply packed in 
bundles for use or export. Probably tea might be 
treated in the same way and all its real virtues con- 
served in the natural vessels of the leaf till draw-n out 
in the tea-pot. The fermenting and elaborate mani- 
pulation introduced by Chinamen is of doubtful 
utility. Of the sustaining power of coca there can be 
no possible doubt ; the Ciiunchos seem not only to 
exist, but to thrive, upon this stimulant, often travel- 
ling for days with very little, if anything else, to sus- 
tain them. Unquestionably it is much superior and 
Ijss liable to abuse than the tobacco, betel, or opium 
of other nations. The Chuncho is never seen without 
his wallet containing a stock of dried leaves, a pot of 
prepared lime, or the ashes of the quinua plant, and 
he makes a halt about once an hour to replenish his 
capacious mouth. The flavour is bitter and somewhat 
nauseating at first, but the taste is soon acquired, and, 
if not exactly palatable, the benefit under fatiguing 
journeys is very palpable. Cold tea is nowhere, and 
the best of wines worthless in comparison with this 
pure unfeimented heaven-sent reviver. 
" The chief food of the Chuncho when at home, is 
however, the yucca (jatroba maniliot), the cassava of 
the Bast, which also obtains a certain amount of care 
aiid protection, ill this case almost amounting to 
Semi'cultivation. The plant may be freely grown from 
cuttings the thickness of one's finger, stuck obliquely 
into the ground. In about nine months the roots, the 
Only edible part, are fit for use. They look like huge 
kidney potatoes, or roots of the dahlia, and taste when 
boiled something between a waxy potato and a stringy 
yarn. Roasted they are better. Still, one wearies even 
of roasted yucca ; for weeks I had no other solid food, 
morning, noon, nor night, and, though duly thankful 
for these mercies, I have no craving for anotner course 
of yuocas. With the Chunchos, as I have said, they 
form the chief food. Fish is the favourite accotn 
panimsnt, though they do not despise a slice of wild 
turkey when obtainable, which is but seldom. Black 
monkey and white maggots are delicacies set before 
the king." 
And then the result of the mission conducted 
hy Messrs. lloss and Sinclair : — 
" This beautiful valley of the Perene has now be- 
come the property of a British Corporation, the con- 
cession having been duly ratified by the Peruvian 
Government, and arrangements are in progress for 
establishing a planting colony upon a scale never before 
attempted in Peru. 
" This land, as selected and conceded, extends to 
1,250.000 acres, sufficient to grow the world's pre- 
sent requirements in coffee, cocoa, coca, chinchona, 
rubber, sarsaparilla, and vanilla, &c, for all of 
which both soil and climate are admirably adapted. 
Here will be a favourable opening for many a trained 
Indian planter, and many a restive youth in Eng- 
land and Scotland will here find elbow-room of the 
most interesting and lucrative description, helping. 
I hope to solve to many an anxious father the pro- 
blem. " what to do with our boys." 
" It would be unwise to under-estirnate the hardships 
discomforts, and even dangers to which such pio- 
neers will be exposed, though these are of a nature 
which must daily diminish as the colony gets es- 
tablished. 
" The outlet, the want of which has hitherto pre- 
yented the profitable development of this region, 
will soon be supplied by rail to the Pacific, while 
roads to the nearest navigable port on the river 
will give two strings to tht bow. Danger from the 
native Chuncho will not be formidable once a colony 
of a few thousand are settled, and it is to be hoped 
the Government of Peru will rise to the occasion 
by giving every possible facility, encouragement, and 
protection to the planters and intending settlers. 
This, we may be assured, will come in time. The 
first and greatest difficulty will be the obtaining of a 
supply of suitable labour. European labour has never 
been found, and never will be found, suitable for 
purely tropical agriculture. Yet, I'eru, though situ- 
ated wholly within the tropics, offers a unique choice 
of climates, there being thousands of square miles on 
the higher table lands and highland valleys where set- 
tlers from any conceivable country might find a con- 
genial home, and probably add materially to the length 
of their days. 
" The Perene valley, however, for a tropical clim- 
ate, seems remarkably healthy : there i* little or 
no malaria, few mosquitoes, while leeches— the great 
pest of Ceylon— are unknown. " May the holy mother 
forbid !" prayed the priest, when we enquired as to the 
existence of leeches in the forests. There is an 
abundant supply of the purest water, flowing freshly 
from the snow-topped mountains, almost within 
sight. On the banks of the Perene we nightly tdept 
in the open air, and drank almost hourly of its 
wateis unfiltered ; a thing we could not with impunity 
venture to do in any other tropical country I know. 
Apart from the purity of the water, the evenness of 
temperature seems here to be the chief secret of 
immunity from sickness. Paradoxical as it sounds, 
in most hot countries it is iht r »l<l tkat kills, The 
along-shore winds of India and chilling evening bieezts 
IH Australia are more to be feared than Bed Sea heat 
or Panama steam." 
Here are two sentences wliicli speak volumes : — 
" Denser and denser became the forest, now no longer 
relieved by patches of grassy land. Such perfect lane 6 
for coffee and cocoa cheered the hearts of old plan* 
ters, while such unheard-of varieties of orchids, ferne, 
gloxinias, begonias, and caladiums, were enough to 
drive a botanist frantic. 
"Such seems the inexhaustible fertility of the soil, 
and such the forcing nature of the climate, that 
there is a mixture of awe in our admiration. In 
every other country we know, the more fertile the 
soil, the more friendly it is to man ; but here, its 
excessive fertility has led it to be looked upon as an 
enemy to his progress. But, as an old planter, I do 
not despair of its fertility being yet turned to good 
account. If we could only tap the labour supply of 
India and China, where there are millions to spare, and 
conduct the stream hither, the result, if well directed, 
would bring a wealth of supplies, such as the world 
has not before been blessed with." 
Still the opening up of the backwoods of Peru 
and the Amazonian Valley must be a slow 
process, although we can quite agree with Mi, 
Sinclair)— 
" Give but roads, labour, and political quiet, and these 
regions would supply enough of cinchona, coffee, and 
cocoa to sweep the Mrs. Malaprop of Java out of the 
market — broom and all !" 
But, then, when are we likely to see stable, 
enlightened progressive Government in a South 
American Republic, or such encouragement to 
oreign capital and fair laws for Chinese or coolie 
labourers as would warrant the introduction 
of the only people capable of opening up the 
grand valleys of the Perene and Amazon under 
European direction ? Echo may -well answer 
When ' ? 
Returning upward and westward, Mr. Sinclair 
describes a visit to Cerro de Pasco (H,20y feet 
