juNE I, 1892.3 THP TROPICAL 
of coffee and cacao; and when planting is decidifil 
upon tliis will probably form the first Bctna of ope- 
raUoi s. Fioru this point OQwards to " ttie Caaoades " 
tho cnrroiit of tbe river aversgfs (ibout fonr miles per 
hour. On either sif'e the forest increasea in density 
and continues equally fit to produce inexbauatible sup- 
plies of cocoa, coffei canda and rubber. Mai'y of the gum 
trees such ts Acacia Arahica — tho produce of which is 
btcomiuff ; o scare e— would also fiud here a congei ial 
home. Our balsas (rafis) now began to glide more 
rapidly onwards ; iufleed, we came opoD the Oafcades 
— more properly rapids — rather uuexpectediy, and had 
Bu tdenly to ci;ll a h-.lt, which we eltectcd with tome 
difficulty. Noiie of our so-oiilled guides Laving ev> r 
been here bcf,/re, they were as much takeu by surprise 
as ourselvep. 
Our nncroidi registered 1,050 feet above sea level, 
ar.d the distance from the mouth fo the Eneno, from 
vfhich we siurted, we estimated to be about 40 milesi 
Ail around these rapids we found the s land forest to 
pirtake much of the same characteristics as for the 
Ia(t ten miles, only that now both sides of; the river 
seemed to be equally good. 
Perhaps the one (jreat advantage possessed by this 
land in the Pereue Valley is the fact that it lies within 
reasonable disiance of either outlet. Ohanohamajo, 
Vitoc, o- Uiianr.cayt., may be conveniently situated 
for the Oroja r^ ilway, but in thu caee oF a temporary 
breakdowu would bo comparf.tively helplesf. Land 
nearer to LboUcaysli, on tha other baud, w ouki not for 
many years to come participate in tho utidoubfe i ad- 
vsntBgee of railway communication and if plant iig ii to 
be doue (ju a large aoHle — ts, if done at all, it ought to 
be — the quesnoii of a doubleontlet ouiibt to 1 e s^^rion^ly 
wiiphed. Hilhtrlo this, the preatest resprvo in the 
wnrlf), has been merely Hfi.diDf,' simples of its indi- 
genous pre duct". It is now high time that plantirg 
pntorpriee should be undertaken methodically, and on 
purely commercial principles. 
PLANTING, PAST AND PRESENT- 
If oi e IS to judge from the pMi.c'pal planting dis- 
trict— Oliiu chiimiiyo — there ha? really never at any 
time, lienn the r' inotest approoph to mt thodical CoSee 
planting in IVru, Tho lauii a mere fringe ah-np the 
river side, hnd b' on selected without much di^crimi- 
natien, pome 20 yenrs ago. and plp.uted in the first 
pluod wi'.h indigo, which ^-cevi well, and is still a 
thriving wt < (1 ; l ul tho proprietors not having takeu 
tho precaution to procurti mnnagors acquainted vti'h 
the prepiraiioo of tho article, the enterprise collapeed. 
(voffeo was next tried under similar couditi' ns, 
and the plants seem to have thrivtn as they 
seldom thrive in the Basr, even with greater care; 
but inasmcuh aa the be?,n was not prepared in a way 
fuited for tlie European market-', and the local prices 
wero not sufflciect to repay production and tr-.ns- 
pcirt, this too had to be abandoned. Only a few 
scattered patches now remain, sufficient, however, to 
show tj^e oupahilities of the roil and climate. The 
crop we saw on many of these uncultivated tr< es 
would not be estimated by any competent coffee 
planter at less than 20 cwts. per acre. And yet tho 
export from t'. e whole district is insij;nific nt — vari- 
ouhIj estimated as from 1,500 cwts. to 2,1)00 ^wts. — 
a qniiniity whieh might he produced by 200 acres 
prop', rly cnltivi ted. 
Segir-cano now absorbs the attrntion of the 
pi inter hoie, although not an ounce of sugar is 
manufactured, the looal demand for ruin being 
such as to exceed the present possibilities of 
supply. It may bo conceded, that no prev ous 
venture ever j aid the Chancliamayo planters so 
w, ll; but the effect of the proincl upon the 
natives may well be imagined, aud can scarcely 
fail to lie dirtaHtroue upon the local labour supply. 
The district of lluanuco — so famous for the quality 
of its coffee * was a disappointment to us, the extant 
under this crop being quite insignificant; and all the 
laud around tho township was said to bo in private 
hands. On some of tho principal haciendas, tho 
extent in coffoe is only from '2 to ;J acres, which, 
though bearing enormous crops, gives a total export 
of under LoOO ewl. Uuliko Chauchmayo, ovovy plant 
iiaa to bo iirigatot,! here ; ami it may bo reuiaikcd 
AGRICULTURIST. Z^>^ 
that, with irrigation, coffee could be grown almost 
anywhere in Peru, under 7, .500 feet of altitude. In 
the neighbourhood of Lima, for instance, we have 
seen coffee growing, with no particular care but 
with a sufficient supply of water, bearing as heavily 
and looking as healthy as the best we ever saw any 
where, and some of the finest samples we have seen 
came from the west side of tho Andes, about 100 
miles north-east of Salaverry. 
The iSuf/ar Estates on the coast, particularly in the 
valleys of Chicania and Chiclayo are exceedingly well 
cultivated, and even at recent low prices leave an 
ample marking of profit. Some admirably managed 
properties we have the best authority for stating, 
yielde i an annual net profit of over .i'20,000 dnring 
the past three years ; and this grand industry might 
be extended indefinitely for hundreds of miles along 
the seaboard of Peru. 
TUANSPORT AND OUXLKT. 
The meam of transport fmm the lands allotted to 
the Corporation are in course ol being mado e»By ; 
and though objection may bn taken to the cost of 
transport as compared with that prevailing elsewhere, 
the difference need Ue no barrier t ) a close and suc- 
cessful competition with te tor known ccinutriee, whose 
intarests it m'.y aff ct. 
Ap^rt from this, Peru offers the advantage of a large 
local demand certain to increase, proximity to North 
and South American centres of tmde, and facilities 
of transport thither ; ai d there are in ad iitinu the 
usual Eurnpesn and Asiatic markets, to which vessels 
t ading to these mark, ts would nereifarily carry itB 
products. 
Whatever may be the requirements of tho Perene 
Valley in future years, when transport will be 
necessary for millious of cwts. annually, there can 
be no doubt that lor present purposes a light rail- 
way to Oroya would be most suitable, though for 
future ( xigeucies it would only be courting misfortune 
to have suoh an important district confined to one 
cu'Ut 
The cost of extending the railway would be com- 
par;itively little; tho present real from Tarma to 
Cfanch-.ma\0 might be largely utilized for tha 
purpose, and from thence, through an undulating 
country with abundance of timber, 30 miles of rail 
would not be a serious undertaking. The railway 
would also tap such labour supplies as the country 
iiffordd. 
The other, or altercative outlet, via the Amazon, 
ini.ht be effectually secured by blssfng the rocks 
in tho rapids <r cutting around them a road, the 
hi)?hest estimate of which does not exceed a length 
of 12 miles. With these two outlets the district 
would only bo sufBciently supplied ; for while it would 
be exoee^linf^ly inconvenient; to be cut off froo) the 
eapitsl of the country and the means of drawing 
supplies from the Pacific side, it would at the same 
lime be liazar.loua to be entirely dependent upon one 
thread of ruilway. 
At 1 resent, rates of transport by means of 
pack animals are prohibitory, lint with the ex- 
tension of the railway to Oroya withiu a few 
months, the speedy completion of the road from 
T .rma to Chancharaayo, aud the substilutioa of roads 
at ea'-y gradients for those now used between 
Oroya and Tarnia (a distance of about 20 miles). La 
Merced and Port Wertheman (about 12 miles), all 
what we indicate can be accomplished. 
LABOUR. 
Of the gratest importance to the future of Peru is 
the speedy, ample and successful introduction of 
labour from ditant countries. 
The Chola inhabitants of the hills, and the mixed 
Indians of the towns and villages, who with the 
Chinese on tho coast haciendas, at present con- 
stitute tho supply, are insufficient of tho wants which 
any extension of agricultural industry would create. 
Tho former, living as they do within reach of their 
homes, cannot bo depended upon for tho efficient 
and oconomical working of plantations. Advancesaro 
made to thorn, amounting to thoir pay for periods 
of three months. Those advances they work off after 
which they are free to, iiud often do, leiwe fo{ 
