140 THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



MEXICO. 



The Republic of Mexico has an area of 772,652 square miles, 

 and is roughly 800 miles from east to west at its widest point, 

 and 2000 miles from north to south, thus being equal to New 

 South Wales, \'ictoria, and South Australia, or, say, a quarter of 

 federated Australia. 



Mexico has about 6,000,000 cattle and 4,000,000 sheep, and 

 with its great advantages in railway communications with its 

 great northern neighbour, the United States, and its excellent 

 shipping facilities on the Atlantic side, should, wdth an improve- 

 ment in its quality of stock, soon become an important factor 

 in the export of frozen meat. 



There seems to be a considerable confusion in the minds of 

 many between Mexico and New Mexico. Mexico (or, as it is 

 generally called, Old Mexico), after the termination of the war 

 with the United States of America in February, 1848, ceded to 

 that Republic as war indemnity all lands north and west of the 

 Rio Grande River ; included in this was the territory called New 

 Mexico. 



Mexico as a country has been endowed by Nature with an 

 over-abundant supply of natural resources, rich in minerals, 

 silver in almost every mountain, copper and lead are plentiful, 

 gold also being found in fairly large proportions. The northern 

 States are phenomenally rich in immense coal beds, and in the 

 States of Durango and Nuevo Leon are found almost solid 

 mountains of iron. Turning to the other sources of its wealth, 

 we find large tracts of splendid agricultural and grazing lands. 

 The formation of the country is peculiar. It rises in three 

 distinct tablelands from the coast; first are the hot lands (tierra 

 caliente) near the coast, where all tropical growth is abundant 

 in fruits and forests ; then as the land rises from 2000 to 5000 ft. 

 above sea-level, comes what is called the temperate zone (tierra 

 templada). Here it is eternal spring. Then as the land gets 

 higher up to the Sierra Madre comes the cold belt (tierra fria), 

 cold only in comparison with the other warmer parts, as snow 

 is seldom seen except on the high mountain peaks, hut where 

 frosts in winter prevent the growth of the more tropical fruits 

 and vegetables. The two latter zones are the great stock-raising 

 portions of the Republic, healthy alike for man and beast. 



The system of running stock in Mexico is very much after 

 the old style that was in vogue in Australia fifty years ago. 

 Sheep and goats are shepherded in flocks of from 1200 to 2000, 



