776 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[April i, 1892. 
‘•The chief oharaoteriatics of the water are its alka 
licity, the presence of eulphurettefi hydcogco, and the 
largo propor:ion of sslta, ohefly sulphates, carbonates 
and chlorides of calcium (lio'®)) magnesium and 
sodium. (Signed;) “Savohv & Moork.” 
The remaining pari of this rosd passes through a 
district resembling Cerro do Pasco, aud ultimately 
loads into Oliicta. 
From this point the journey was completed via 
rail to Lima, where 1 arrived on 26th October, 1891. 
I am, Qentiemen, 
Your obi'dieut Servaut, 
P, D. O. CLARK. 
Ai’PKNmx. 
The tribe inhabiting the regions of thn River Pereue 
and knewn as the Oampasor Chanchoo Indians, aro ol 
a migratory inolination. 
They are a healthy rnco, of medium height, strong 
muscular build, and of a coffee-brown colour, They 
livain groups of two to threo families in huts, oon- 
struoted of palm loaves. 
Their ohiof occupation is that of catching fish, with 
which tho rivor abottnds. This is accomplished by 
means of lioes with primitive hooks. They sre also 
expert in hunting wild animals and ehonting birds by 
means of bow and arrow, tho region atfordiiig ample 
scope. 
Trading, so far as was carried on hy us, was paid in 
kiod, tho Peruvian currency being valueiors. 
P. U. G, C. 
THE PLANTING COMMISSION TO PERU.* 
The report of Messrs. Ross and Sinclair has not 
yet appeared ; but these gentlemen havo been 
forestalled in rather a curious way by their Assistant 
and subordinate, Mr. P D. O. Clark ol Puradcuiya 
Gardens, who came back some weeks in advance ol 
them, according to one story because the Commis- 
eionera liad nu further use for his services. 
However, Mr. Clark has will) the aid (it is rumoured 
of a clever relative on the Scottish press, as also) 
of the Peruvian Corporation office prepared and 
published a report on tho work and results of the 
Commission which if not “exhaustive,” was 
certainly, with juetillcation, designated by the 
Corporation Manager in handing me a copy as both 
" very able and intercsiing.’’ As six copies of 
this Report were forwarded by last mail or 
the one before, direct to Mr. Clark (who left for 
Ceylon tho day the Commissioners landed from 
Porn), no doubt you as well as other local editors 
havo seen the document by this time and tho 
elaborate map with routep, with wliich tho Cor- 
poration accompanied it. Tho first thing tiiatttsg- 
gered me was the “ title page” which givee Mr. 
Clark (who is not oven No. 2 on Ur. Tnmon’s 
staff) tho designation of “ Curafor, Royal Bolanio 
Gardens, Peradeniya Ceylon.” As 1 find that Mr. 
Clark has not added this, or any, designation to his 
name in signing his Report, I put this down as a 
blunder of the printer or publisher ; but on enquiry 
1 learn that the Corporation staff bold Mr. Clark 
tpsponsible for the titlo page as for the rest of the 
printed matter, that in fact ho either called himself, 
or allowed himself to be called, ‘'Curator.” This may 
be ignorance, but it is rather an awkward slip ; 
and I have ventured to toll tliose conoornid that 
they could easily see Mr Clark’s official position 
itt O' “ Colonial Office List ” or “ Coylon Directory.” 
I should never for a moment havo publicly found 
fault with Mr. Clark for what may bo an inadvertent 
blunder, but tor what followe in tho general tenor 
of bis Report whioh, I feel sure, mast be both 
Bstonishing and amusing to his friends and ac- 
quaintanoee, no less than to bis superiors, in 
Ceylon. For, this Report is couched iu language 
which could only bo justified if Mr. Clark were at 
* By Mr. J. Forgusou. 
the head of the Commission, and had he an 
experience as a planter and director of labour 
wider than even Ceylon oan afford, and certainly 
far wider than ha could have gained in tho 
Peradeniya Gardens and neighbourhood The 
opening paragraph and that on ” Labour ” 
may bo taken as illustrations. The sensibio 
as well as shiowd idea, to judge ol tho rainfall 
and dew of tl:e diffi rent districts in a country, in 
which no meteorological observations were avail- 
able, by the appearance and character of tho 
vegetation was, I believe, entirely Mr. Sinclair’s, 
though no acknowledgment is made to him, 
nor his namo nor that ol Mr. Ross once men- 
tioned in the report before me. Tho latter indeed 
has been even mora unhandsomely treated ; for 
it was his idea to give some notice of hot springs 
at Ranios and ho hiroself bottled some of the 
water for analysis ami report, entrusting tho 
carriage ol it to the Aai-i-taut, with the intention 
no doubt of dealing wuh the matter when ho 
got home. Unfortunuti ly, though Mr. Clark 
thus largely benefited by his association in a 
great portion of the journey with two such 
czpcrienoed planters as the CummissionctB, he 
has not kept free of blunders ; for 1 nu- 
derstand that his eritioism ol “sugar’' cultiva- 
tion is considered to bo egrcgiously out of place ; 
the sugar planters iu Peru being better able to 
teach, than to bo taught by, anyone from Ceylon. 
In their wonderfully dry climate they can even 
produce good sugar at as low a rate a price as 
5s OJ n owt., whioh sells at Liverpool from 13a 
to 18a per owt. in bulk; and there arc plantations 
(some of them under Scotchmen from Morayshire) 
which give a clear profit of .£20,000 a year. Again, 
a German medico who recently returned from Peru, 
after nearly ruining himself as a cinchona planter, 
has made a fortune in " cotton,” growing tho very 
finest kinds and getting several crops in the 
year in tliat most wonderfully dry and 
productive climate. The “ Alfalfa,” the pasturage 
so much praised by Mr. Clark (and ol whioh 
I believe be sent seed to Kew) is simply 
“tho Lucerne” grown in England since the time 
of cur grandmothers, though it no doubt prospers 
exceedingly in Peru. On page 8, Mr. Clark con- 
founds the position of two towns ; for Tarma is 
smaller than “ Jauja” and is served by he latter. 
Under the “ 'Tropical Zone,” I doubt if Mr. 
Clark docs not advance bis personal experience 
(“of other tropical ocuntrios 1 have visited”) and 
opinion, after a more liberal fashion than probably 
Dr. 'Trimrn, Mr. Nook and tho two modest Planting 
Commissioners would have ventured to do. I 
refer to page 10, and among the rest the opinion 
expressed rrgardirg the " soil” is likely to bo 
contradicted. Ou page 11. some figures are given 
regarding “ oofico” which are scarcely encouraging 
as I work them out ; for in the valley of “ Chan- 
ohamayo” wc aro told that otfleo bears up to 8 and 
10 cwt. par acre, and yet the total outturn of 100 
gardens of from 8 to 30 acres each, is only 2,500 
cwt. or tho eiiuivalent of a miserable li to 3 owt 
per acre. 
On page 17, information is given respecting the 
size of cacao pods, but lam told that the Com- 
missioners never saw any mature pods. 
I might pursue the criticism, but what has been 
said will perhaps serve to qualify to some extent, 
tlio stateruenls made in this very long, “ able and 
interesting ” report of Mr. Clark as Assistant to 
the Commissioners, whioli you will no doubt 
reprint iu full for tho Observer and Tropical 
Ayricullurist. The more modest, though perhaps 
more practical and reliable report of tho actual 
OommaiisBioncrs themselves, will probably appear 
