Farmer Protected from Imaginary Danger. 19 



wonder here, tlie two countries are at the opposite iDoIes 

 of most that makes life endurable and desirable. 



The quotations that follow show the utter absurdity of 

 making a hob-goblin of Mexico in beef competition. 

 These are taken from ""Geographical and Statistical 

 Notes on Mexico," by Matas Eomero, one of the best 

 known and most distinguished of that nation. He was 

 for a number of years Mexican minister to the United 

 States. Such a writer is not likely to represent things as 

 worse than they are. 



''Mexico will be before long a very large producer of 

 cattle and other animals, and they will form a large share 

 of her exports. Mexico has sent within two years about 

 400,000 small, undeveloped cattle to the United States at 

 about $15, Mexican silver, per head." ($3,000,000 gold 

 value.) ''As we have the silver standard, all our public 

 accounts are kept in silver, and that makes our exports 

 appear twice as large in value as they really, when stated 

 in the money of the United States, are, while we give our 

 exports in the value of the country whence they 

 come, that is, their gold value. That has given the idea 

 of a very large balance of trade in favor of Mexico." 

 "Inquiry was made in Liverpool about the possibility of 

 the Mexican live-animal trade with England, and it was 

 found that the initial difficulty is the small size of the 

 Mexican cattle, as cattle weighing 1200 pounds are con- 

 sidered small by the trade there, and from 900 to 1000 

 pounds is therefore extremely small." He speaks of the 

 desirability of importing larger cattle for breeding pur- 

 poses, and adds, "Mexico could export annually and 

 easily after the next ten years 400,000 of fatted cattle." 



"A great need of Mexico is a reliable supply of good 

 and healthful water through artificial means." He speaks 



