On leaving the Indian suburbs and climbing the river towards the south we reached a little wood of cacti, and then a marvelous place shaded by tamarind trees, brazilettos, bombax and other trees remarkable for their leaves and flowers. Here the soil is rich enough for pasturing, and among the trees there are dairies built of reeds. The milk is kept fresh not in the calabashes, which are made of thick ligneous fibers, but in porous earthenware pots from Maniquarez. A prejudice current in northern countries led me to believe that cows in the torrid zone did not give buttery milk. However, during my stay in Cumana, and especially while on a trip through the vast plains of Calabozo, covered in grasses and sensitive plants, I learned that European cows adapt perfectly to extreme heat provided they are given water and good fodder.