Under this caption we include Mexico. Cuba, and the Philip- 

 pine Islands. Mexico usually produces from 15,000,000 to 

 20,000,000 bushels of wheat annually, and imports about 

 1 ,000,000 bushels. Some corn is also grown. Cuba purchases 

 500,000 barrels of flour annually, in addition to a large quan- 

 tity of corn meal. S Mexico is the home of the sisal fibre 

 industry. In Yucatan the sisal plant is grown on large plan- 

 tations embracing thousands of acres, and supplying nearly all 

 the fibre used in harvesting the crops of the world. Manila 

 fibre is procured from the Philippine Islands, which supply 

 about fifteen per cent of the fibre used in the manufacture of 

 binder twine. The illustrations show sisal and manila plants, 

 and the methods employed by the natives to procure the 

 fibre and prepare it for shipment. Sfi One page is given to 

 illustrations of the desert where cactus, sage brush, mes- 

 quite, and verde trees grow. Enough of the earth's surface 

 is overspread with desert to warrant us in presenting the 

 illustrations — moreover, we believe that every stu- 

 dent is interested in the harvest of the desert, many 

 thousand acres of which have already been brought 

 under cultivation by means of irrigation. It is 

 to the desert and to the swamp that we must 

 look for any material increase that may 

 be made in the arable area. 



