force the blossoms, and if followed by hot weather, they burn 
the leaves. 
The early rains of March and April may cause the rotting of 
the pods. There are also seasons in which the plant suffers from 
u Blanco ” and “ Polvillo,” when there are many consecutive 
cloudy days during the first stage of development. 
Among the endless variety of beans known to exist in Chile, 
those chiefly sown are the following: Caballeros, Bayos Grandes, 
Bayos Chicos, Coscorrones, Canarios, Burritos, Mantecos, Trigos, 
Azufrados, Arvejilios, etc. 
The crop is gathered between March and April and is threshed 
by either hand, horses, or machinery, according to the importance 
of the crop. The average yield on good soil is 30 hectolitres 
per hectare. 
The total area sown annually with beans is about 15,000 hec¬ 
tares, which yield about one million and a half hectolitres. 
Nearly one million hectolitres of beans are consumed in the 
country alone, as this article and wheat are the principal food of 
the Chilean laborer throughout the north and central districts, 
while in the south beans are substituted with peas. The surplus 
of the production is exported. 
The cultivation of beans, as it is conducted at present, requires 
too much manual labor, and as the population of the country is 
yet small, this industry has not yet attained the proper develop¬ 
ment. 
There is every indication to believe that as soon as manual 
labor has been substituted by implements and machinery, the 
country will then produce from four to five millions hectolitres of 
beans per year. 
The market price of this article on April 1st was from $8.00 
to $12.00 (say $2.75 to $4.00 U. S. currency) per 100 kilograms 
(217 lbs.), according to class. 
POTATOES. 
The potato is the root plant most largely cultivated in Chile. 
It grows wild throughout the coast region, and the territory is 
nearly all suited for its cultivation. 
12 
