heat is often almost unbearable.

The summer in Paraguay lasts from October to March and the winter from
April to September, July and August being the coldest months. The Parana
river takes to the sea a greater volume of water than our great
Mississippi. Near the place where the Iguassu river empties into the
Parana are the famous Iguassu Falls which are twice as wide and fifty
feet higher than Niagara Falls.

In the eastern part of Paraguay are great orange groves and all kinds of
tropical fruits. The oranges are delicious and are so plentiful that
they are fed to the pigs. As many as thirty are sometimes sold for a
penny. Wheat and corn are grown and tobacco and cotton plantations are
numerous.

They say that in Paraguay a great many of the women smoke, but I imagine
that this is greatly exaggerated. The same has been said of other South
American countries but after traveling more than twelve thousand miles
in and around this country I here record the fact that in not more than
a case or two did I see a woman smoking. My traveling company only saw
two or three cases so we are forced to think that many talk who do not
know. For if any large number, as is often reported, used the weed in
this way we would have discovered it.

There is a very valuable tree that grows in Paraguay that is not often
found in other countries. It is called the quebracho tree. The name
really means "ax-breaker," and the wood is almost as hard as iron. A
quebracho log will not float upon water, but will sink like iron. This
wood makes the most valuable railroad ties known.

But a certain variety of the quebracho tree is much more valuable for
another purpose, viz: the tanning of leather. For ages the world's great
tanneries used the bark of oak, hemlock and other trees for that
purpose. But it was discovered that not only the bark of this tree but
the wood itself makes better tanning extract than any other bark or tree
known.

In the heart of the continent there is a vast plain that takes in not
only western Paraguay but reaches into Brazil and Bolivia on the north
and Argentina on the south. This is called the Gran Chaco and it is
nearly as large as the state of Texas. Most of this region is as yet
unexplored. In parts of it are tribes of wild Indians as well as wild
and ferocious beasts, alligators and snakes that are usually found in
tropical jungles. In other parts are grassy plains suitable for cattle
and other livestock. Already t