I,AND QUESTION AND PROPOSAI^S OF THE AGRICULTURAL COMMISSION II7 



The most important cotton plantation belongs to an Anglo-American 

 company which cultivates 24,000 hectares, on which 6,000,000 pesos has 

 been spent in purchase money, irrigation ^vorks and buildings. The annual 

 yield h 8,000 bales of cotton. 



Of late, cotton has begun to figure among the exports of Mexico. In 

 1911-12 the quantity exported was 609,283 kgs. for a value of 140,026 pesos. 



Sugar cane. — - The sugar cane grows freely in the warm regions on 

 the Atlantic and Pacific, in the States of Morelos, Veracruz, Puebla, 

 Michoacan, Jalisco, Sinaloa, Colima and Tepic, where many millions of 

 hectares are devoted to this crop. 



The price of land adapted for sugar plantations varies from 900 to 

 1,500 pesos per hectare. In 1907 (i) the produce of the sugar cane was 

 27,620,193 quintals, valued at 43,976,202 pesos. 



Sugar is occasionally exported, but this depends on the price 

 in London, and seems to have no other object than to keep up the price in 

 the interior. 



Large sugar plantations called ingenios are very numerous, and they 

 are generalh' provided with modern appliances for the extraction of sugar. 

 There are also many smaller farms, where the juice is pressed from the 

 cane by means of trapiches or mills worked by mules and where the 

 panocha so largeh^ consumed by the people is produce instead of sugar. 



In 1907 the amount of sugar produced was 116,774,165 kg., valued at 

 19,925,879 pesos. 



Coffee, Cacao and Vanilla. — Slexican coffee has a high reputation on 

 the market. But hitherto it has not been extensively cultivated, although 

 the vStates of Veracruz, Chiapas, Oaxaca and San Luis de Potosi possess 

 vast plantations, producing every year more than 30,000 tons of coffee, 

 an amount which may be increased, and Mexico may become one of 

 the largest exporters of coffee. In 1907, it produced 50,113,450 kgs. of 

 coffee, valued at 19,990,498 pesos. 



Cacao is a native of the countr3\ Its importance as an article of food 

 has been well known, ever since the Spaniards first imported it into Europe. 

 Nevertheless, Mexico scarcely produces enough for home consumption. 

 In 1907, the amount was 3,108,960 kgs., valued at 2,916,683 pesos. The 

 cacao region comprises the State of Tabasco and parts of those of Chiapas 

 and Veracruz. 



]\Iexico was formerly the sole producer of vanilla, but it now only ex- 

 ports about 100 tons. Vanilla is cultivated almost exclusively in the 

 State of Veracruz, which is the richest and most advanced in the cultivation 

 of tropical produce. The amount of vanilla produced in 1907 was 

 284,053 kgs., valued at 3,735,810 pesos. 



Tobacco — iMexican tobacco is of good quality : that which is produced 

 in certain districts of Veracruz and Tuxtla rivals the best Cuban qualities. 

 The annual production is very variable, owing to careless cultivation. 



(i) For the production of the sugar-cane, coffee, cacao, vanilla and tobacco, there are 

 no data more recent thau those of the statistical yearbook for 1907, published in 1912. 



