AGRICULTURE AND INDUSTRY

709

Tlie principal vessels of the Chilian fleet are as follows :—

Name

Launched

j Displace- 1 uient, Tons

Extreme

Armouring,

Inches

Main Armament

Indicated Horse- Power

1'^ g v

Pre-Dreadiwufihts.

Capitan Prat .

1890 6,966

12

6 9-4-in. ; 8 4'7-in.

4

12,000

18-3

Dreadnoughts. Val2:)araiso . .} Almirante Cochrane j

i bldg 28,000

—

10 14-in. ; 12 6-in.

—

37,000

23

Armoured

Cruisers.

Esmeralda . O'Higgins .

1896 7,030 1896 8,500

6

7

2 8-in. ; 16 6-in. . 4 8-in.; 10 6-in. .

3 3

18,000 16,000

23-0 21-2

Protected Cruisers.

Blanco Encalada , 1893 4,420 Pres. Errazuriz . 1890 2,080 Chacabuco . . 1898 4,300

—

2 8-in.; 10 6-in. .

4 6-in

2 8-in.; 10 47 in. .

5 8

5

14,500

5,400

15,000

22-0 19 24-0

There are also 3 torpedo gunboats, 13 destroyers, 5 modern torpedo boats, and 2 submarines. Also a mine ship, and a hospital ship. Total strength of navy, 6,084 officers and men.

Agriculture and Industry.

i\c^iiculture and mining are the principal occupations, Chile produces annually large quantities of cereals, besides excellent wme, fruit, and vec^etables. In 1910, 2,285,320 acres were under wheat and 129,970 acres undei: barley. The principal crops of the harvest 1911-12 were estimated as follows :— Wheat, 248,460 tons ; potatoes, 101,240 tons ; barley, 26,281 tons; oats, 13,002 tons; maize (corn), 15,510 tons; beans, 18,513 tons; peas, 3,743 tons; wine, 26,004,394 gallons; chichas, 5,591,782 gallons ; cordials, 4,794,980 gallons, spirits, 731,241 gallons. On December 31, 1912 the live stock of Chile comprised 415,000 horse.s and mules, l,640,d2Z oxen, 3,537,738 sheep, and 159,000 pigs. Dairy farms and the production of butter and cheese are on the increase. In Patagonia and Tieria del Fuego larcre tracts of country are devoted to sheep-farming. Extensive natural forests are found, the largest being foux.d in the provinces of Valdivia (1,885,406 acres), Llanquihue (1,406,024 acres), and Chiloe (1,188,5/ 2 acres). The wealth of the country, however, consists chiefly in its minerals, es- pecially in the northern provinces of Atacama and Tarapaca.

The number of work-people employed in mineral workings m 1905 was 53 600, of whom 6,500 worked at coal mines, 15,500 at metalliferous mines ; 30,600 at nitrate of soda workings, and 1,000 at other works. In 1911, it was 73,130. , ,

The metals obtained were gold, silver, copper, cobalt, and manganese ; the non-metallic substances being coal, nitrate, borate, salt, siilphur and cruano. In June, 1912, it was reported that iron-ore deposits had been tound in the province of Coquimbo, estimated at over 200,000,000 tons. The value of mineral output in 1909, was 19,583,913?.; in 1910, 22,52/, 927Z. ;

in 1911, 24,880,000?. (nitrate alone, 20,320,0007.)