Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

1829. SOIL CORN — POTATOES. 287 The large ends are then forced down, the ground turned up, and the lunias pushed forward again, while the woman uses her stick to turn the clods over, to the right afid left, alter- nately. These clods are afterwards broken up by a wooden tool, in the shape of a pick-axe, called ' hualate,^ made of the wood named meli. Rude as this process is, the operation is rapidly performed, and I have seen a field, ploughed in this way, that would not do much discredit to an expert plough- man with a European plough. The soil is a rich, sandy loam, of a dark red colour ; and although rarely, if ever manured, produces fair average crops. According: to the usual allowance of ITSlbs for a fanega of wheat,* the weight of a bushel would not be more than Slilbs., which shews that the grain is but poor. Wheat is sown in the month of April, and cut in the same month of the following year ; but from the humidity of the climate, and constant rain, particularly at that season (the commencement of winter), it is frequently reaped before it is ripe, and almost always gathered in wet. Every subsequent sunny day is taken advantage of, to dry the grain, but a part must be spoiled by mildew. The evaporation, however, is so great, that merely moving it about, and keeping it thinly strewed in granaries, will effect much. It is trodden out by oxen, and to clean it, the grain is thrown up in the wind by means of broad wooden shovels, and effec- tually separated from the chaff. This rude winnowing takes place frequently in the principal streets of San Carlos, and even at the mole, where one would suppose that a great deal must be lost ; but from the adroitness of the operation, it is not only well cleaned, but suffers no diminution. Potatoes are planted in September, October, and November, and are fit to dig up in May. Of the proceeds of harvest, one-tenth is paid as a tribute, or • The fanega weighs 175 lbs. and contains twelve almudes, which being cubic measures of eight inches and a half, contain each 614vl25 cubic inches ; therefore a fanega contains 7369-5 cubic inches, and as an English bushel contains 2150-4 cubic inches ^^^^^^ = 51 /^ lbs. the weight of a bushel.