ord
altitude for potatoes. When commencing to plough or spade a potato
field on the high slopes near here, it is the custom of the Indians to
mark it off into squares, by "furrows" about fifteen feet apart. The
Quichuas commence their task soon after daybreak. Due to the absence
of artificial lighting and the discomfort of rising in the bitter cold
before dawn, their wives do not prepare breakfast before ten o'clock,
at which time it is either brought from home in covered earthenware
vessels or cooked in the open fields near where the men are working.

We came across one energetic landowner supervising a score or more
of Indians who were engaged in "ploughing" a potato field. Although
he was dressed in European garb and was evidently a man of means and
intelligence, and near the railroad, there were no modern implements
in sight. We found that it is difficult to get Indians to use any
except the implements of their ancestors. The process of "ploughing"
this field was undoubtedly one that had been used for centuries,
probably long before the Spanish Conquest. The men, working in unison
and in a long row, each armed with a primitive spade or "foot plough,"
to the handle of which footholds were lashed, would, at a signal, leap
forward with a shout and plunge their spades into the turf. Facing
each pair of men was a girl or woman whose duty it was to turn the
clods over by hand. The men had taken off their ponchos, so as to
secure greater freedom of action, but the women were fully clothed as
usual, modesty seeming to require them even to keep heavy shawls over
their shoulders. Although the work was hard and painful, the toil was
lightened by the joyous contact of community activity. Every one worked
with a will. There appeared to be a keen desire among the workers to
keep up with the procession. Those who fell behind were subjected to
good-natured teasing. Community work is sometimes pleasant, even though
it appears to require a strong directing hand. The "boss" was right
there. Such practices would never suit those who love independence.

In the centuries of Inca domination there was little opportunity for
individual effort. Private property was not understood. Everything
belonged to the government. The crops were taken by the priests,
the Incas and the nobles. The people were not as unhappy as we
should be. One seldom had to labor alone. Everything was done in
common. When it was time to cultivate the fields or to harve