500 



bnucbes of Mty beans each and packed in cases of tin holding from two to three 

 thousand. These tin cases are lined with tin-foil and a ticket put on the lid giving the 

 quality, size, and quantity. Some five or six of these tin cases are put into a neatly 

 made cedar chest, which is sometimes lined with zinc and hermetically sealed so as 

 to prevent moisture from getting to the vanilla in transporting, which would ruin it. 

 These cedar cases are then sewed in mats, and these are covered with a coarse bagging 

 to avoid the dangers of transportation on mules. In this manner all the Mexican 

 vanilla goes to places of sale in Europe and the United States, where it is worth from 

 $9 to .$20 per pound, the thousand beans weighing from nine to ten pounds. 



Formerly France was the great market for vanilla, but the enterprise of some of our 

 American merchants has diverted the trade to New York, which is now the great depot 

 of vanilla, and parties from Europe come to New York to buy. 



Bananas and plantains yield from $100 to $12-5 per acre, and only require to be plant- 

 ed once, for as fast as the mother stock gives its bunches of fruit and dies, a dozen little 

 ones start, phcenix-like, from its roots. They are planted about 9 feet apart, but after 

 two or three years there are a dozen stalks in each hill, each bearing its bunch of fruit, 

 worth here 12 to 18 cents a bunch. 



The pine-apple yields even more, for it is planted in rows, about 3 feet apart each way, 

 thus producing about four thousand to the acre, worth here about 6^ cents each, or over 

 1|200 per acre. Like the banana, it only recpiires to be planted once in ten or twelve 

 years, grows from the root, and each plant yields but one fruit. After the first year 

 bananas and pine-apples must be thinned out, or the fruit becomes inferior. 



Tobacco is destined to become one of the most valuable ijroducts of this part of 

 Mexico, for the country presents the same advantages of climate, soil, «fec., as the island 

 of Cuba. Already has the attention of the planters been extensively devoted to its 

 cultivation, and now there are cigars made here very little inferior to the best Havan- 

 as. There is a great want of experience in curing, and when men of intelligence shall 

 come here, very handsome returns will be made for their labor. Already from $300 to 

 $500 are realized from an acre, and, properly attended to, more may be. In places 

 where it is now cultivated, it can be had at a very low rate in its green state. 



A large business has been established in the exportation of honey from this place. 

 Formerly all the honey was thrown away, bees being kept for the wax only, of which 

 enormous quantities are used in all the ceremonies of the church. Now that honey has 

 taken a commercial value, which it did not have three years ago, the number of hives 

 has been quintupled, and is still increasing. 



The first shipment was of 500 gallons, and last year there were over 30,000 gallons 

 shipped from this place alone. As there is no winter here, and there are flowers all the 

 year round, the bees swarm about four times in the year. Formerly there was no care 

 taken of them and the bees died ; but now each swarm is looked after, and new hives 

 are made, as a valuable addition to the family resources. Some of the Indians in the 

 neighborhood have as many as five hundred hives, from which the comb is taken about 

 every four months. 



Tuspan was an important place of business in former years, but it was overwhelmed 

 by Tampico and Vera Cruz, and business died out, leaving but a small local trade. 

 From the impulse given by the arrival of foreigners, some of whom have gone mto 

 planting and others into commercial atfairs, business has again increased wonderfully. 

 Six years ago the customs receipts rarely passed §15,000 a year. Now they exgeed 

 $50,000. Formerly there were occasional coasting-vessels coming in, but rarely a for- 

 eign vessel. The following will show the extent of the commerce for the year from 

 July 1, 1873, to July 1, 1874. The English vessels named on the list are all vessels sailing 

 to and from the United States, and which, added to the American vessels, show the 

 importance of the trade which is growing up between the two countries. 



Exports to Europe $43,849 00 



Exports to the United States 89,149 .56 



132,998 56 



Imports from Europe 65,815 45 



Imports from the United States 34,922 31 



100,737 76 

 Number of vessels entered during the year — 



National vessels 47 



American vessels 38 



French vessels ^ 



English vessels -^ 



German vessels 1 



Total 9B 



Tonnage, 10,851. 



