3. AGRICULTURE AND STOCK RAIS ING. In normal times the chief agrientra product of Mexico is Indian corn, which is rit ued at from $80,000,000 to $100,000,000 a fez yet, owing to the unscientific methods of c-ultir, tion still in use, it often happens that corn etio is not grown in the country for its own nee-, in which case the government is forced throw off the duty and, in extreme cases. I import corn itself in large quantities and sell it to the masses at cost. The nest re-; valuable product of Mexico is henequen is valued annually at over $40,000,000. As greater part of this product is exported constitutes the chief wealth cif Yucatan, has grown to be, for its size and population richest state in the republic, though it la once the poorest. Although Mexico has acre been looked upon as a wheat-producing cow. yet the owners of large estates have lately to realize that its capacities in this direction a' practically unlimited and an annual Num wheat valued at over $20,000,000 is not mon, while this figure is sometimes exceei. One of the products of Mexico which come of national importance within very years is rubber (including quayule), the ofr of which was over $33,000,000 in 1911, r'± vast extents of young rubber plantations TIT idly coming into bearing. The following stagy tics of the growth of this industry are elove-' In the fiscal year ending 30 June 1911 ports of henequen were valued at over $25.0 000; the cattle exports were $4,438,000. wt did not include vast numbers which left Mn: without the knowledge of the governmer from those parts of the country under the Cr' trol of rebel factions. Some of these nen!' Guatemala, but the greater part to the Lt.' States. In the same year the value of the h exported reached nearly $10,000,000 from territory controlled by the then existing ment. In normal times the value of the Pr - ucts of sugar cane (sugar, alcohol, rum u lasses and cognac) is second only to thy' corn, reaching, as it does, usually over Pain 000 a year. This is a branch of the native dustries which is capable of great expareA since Mexico possesses vast bodies of laud able to the cultivation of sugar cane. The
years of the revolution showed a very erable increase in the exports of coffee, ru chide, tropical fruits, guayule, henequen. dyewoods, cabinet and building woods. tot•: and vanilla. Owing to the fact that the tionists had gotten possession of the great ct state of Morelos the sugar cane output 4 creased to less than 1,000,000 pesos and the" dustry became practically paralyzed. from !iv:* condition it has not yet recovered. prince' because the production of the sugar cane a its products calls for the investment of heavy capital and the employment of skilled labor in certain departments.
A brief reference to the chief features of the agricultural industry of the country will prove instructive and interesting.
Sugar.— The greater part of the cane is grown at altitudes above 2,000 feet, but the best results are obtained in the lower country, where it matures sooner and where it may be cut twice annually without necessitating replanting more than once in upward of 10 years. In the Cuernavaca Valley, state of Morelos. the first sugar estates were cultivated by negro slaves, bought at Vera Cruz, at from $300 to $400 each. But the experiment proved unsatisfactory and free labor was soon substituted. Now the plan tations are worked chiefly by Mexican labor and the mills are supplied with modern machinery.
Tobacco.— This industry is also developing great possibilities. The climatic and soil condi tions, especially in the tropics, are very favor able to the best results, and whereas in Cuba the soil, after 400 years of constant use, has be come comparatively unproductive, in Mexico no artificial stimulant is needed and the flavor and aroma of the tobacco are conceded to be equal to those of the Cuban product. The chief to bacco states are Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, Hidalgo, Tabasco and Chiapas. Much of the Mexican tobacco is bought up two or more years in ad vance of production and resold as fine Cuban tobacco.