On the mountain slopes the tierra tetnplada rises to a height of at least 5,000 feet. In places where the amount of rainfall is deficient, irrigation is necessary for the cultivation of maize and coffee, the characteristic crops of the region. The former is the chief agricultural product of the country, and the staple article of diet of the people in years of drought, but it is still found neces sary to import some from abroad. Coffee grows in Mexico on the hill slopes south of the twenty-second parallel, at an elevation of from 1,000 to 5,000 feet, but the most favourable districts for its cultivation are found between 2,000 and 4,500 feet, that is, in the upper part of the tierra caliente and the lower part of the tierra templada, and it is there that the best quality is obtained. The state of Vera Cruz, with a rainfall high but not excessive, is specially adapted to the growth of the plant. The industry appears to be in a healthy condition, more especially in the neighbourhood of large towns, where cheap labour can easily be obtained, and new land is being brought under cultivation.
The tierra fria includes the greater part of the Mexican plateau as well as the higher slopes of the mountain ranges. Much of the land is deficient in moisture, but, with the aid of irrigation, both cotton and wheat can be successfully cultivated. The former has hitherto been chiefly grown in the district known as the Laguna, where the waters of the Nazas can be utilised, but within the last few years it has spread to several other parts of the plateau, and, if the water difficulty could be solved, might become a crop of considerable importance. Wheat is also cultivated more ex tensively than formerly, but the value of the product is still much less than that of maize.
Pastoral farming is pursued both on the central plateau and on the upper mountain slopes. In the latter regions, owing to the heavier rainfall, the grass is more suitable for cattle than for sheep ; while, in the former, both cattle and sheep are reared, although the land is not capable of fattening all the cattle bred upon it. When the existing water-supply has been augmented from artesian wells, it is probable that the stock-raising industry will be greatly increased.
Although the mineral wealth of Mexico is diffused throughout the whole country, the chief mining districts occur in the region under consideration, where they occupy a wide stretch of country lying along the western slope of the eastern sierra. The silver ore deposits have hitherto proved the most valuable, and Mexico now produces about one-third of the world's supply of silver. Gold was formerly obtained almost entirely from silver ores, but within recent years gold-bearing quartz lodes have been worked, and the total production is rapidly increasing. The chief centre of activity is in the state of Mexico. Iron is found in various places, the most noteworthy deposits being in the state of Durango, which contains the Cerro de Mercado—a hill said to be capable of producing 300,000,000 tons of pure iron. Copper mines have also been
developed within the last few years, and Mexico now holds second place among copper-producing countries. The most valuable coal deposits which have yet been discovered lie in the state of Coahuila, in the north, but others exist in various places where their development is but slow. Petroleum occurs in and near the coastal districts, especially to the west and south of Tampico, where the annual production is rapidly increasing.
Manufacturing industry has not as yet made great progress. The poverty of the bulk of the people and their low standard of requirements, the comparatively undeveloped state of communica tions, the want of skilled labour, and the frequently disturbed political condition of the country, all tend to account for the back ward state of Mexico in this respect. The cotton industry is at present the most advanced, and the product, which is manufactured partly from native and partly from imported cotton, consists chiefly of coarse unbleached fabrics, but finer goods are also produced. Many of the factories are situated upon the southern part of the central plateau, but the most modern and best organised are at Orizaba, a town of Vera Cruz, at a height of about 4,000 feet above sea-level. Hydraulic and electric power is extensively used.
Iron is smelted in various parts of the country, but the most important iron and steel works are at Monterey, where iron and coal deposits occur together. Among other industries, situated mainly in the southern plateau region, are the manufacture of pulque and mezcal (the national drinks) from the agave, the making of hammocks from henequen, and flour-milling.
Of the peninsular parts of Mexico, Yucatan is low-lying and has a heavy rainfall. It is chiefly noted for the extensive growth of Agave sisalana, from which the fibre known as henequen or sisal hemp is obtained. Lower California, on the other hand, is mountain ous, has little rainfall, and is chiefly of importance for its large deposits of gold, silver, and copper.
RAILWAYS.—Along with the economic development of Mexico there has been a rapid extension of the railway system, and the Republic has now over 15,000 miles of railroad. Among the principal lines are the Mexican Central and the National Railways, which traverse the plateau, from the United States frontier at El Paso and Laredo respectively, to the city of Mexico. The capital is connected with the Gulf coast at Vera Cruz—the chief port of the country—by two lines, the Mexican and the Interoceanic, both of which have had to overcome great engineering difficulties. One branch of the Mexican Central runs to Tampico, also on the Gulf, while another goes to Manzanillo on the Pacific. The Tehuantepec Railway, which is connected with the Mexican by the Vera Cruz and Pacific, is the shortest and easiest trans-continental line in North America. The distance from Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf to Salina Cruz on the Pacific is less than 200 miles, and the highest elevation reached does not exceed 730 feet.