HONDURAS— ECUADOR 153 



Ticks are prevalent, and the introduction of dips and dipping 

 is badly needed. On the coa.st lands and in the interior well 

 watered valleys, or where irrigation is practicable, permanent 

 fenced pastures are the rule. These are planted with Para, a 

 Guinea grass, which make plentiful and succulent forage. 



The average rainfall of the whole country annually is abo^'t 

 48 inches. 



The cattle of the countr^^ are descended from importations 

 from Spain soon after the conquest. These naturally have much 

 degenerated, the native stock being small ; though fleshed and 

 slow to reach maturity, they generally kill at about 400 lbs. 

 weight. 



So far little has been done to improve them, but the advent 

 of men from the United States, as I said before, is making itself 

 felt. Cuba used to get a lot of cattle from Honduras, but that 

 country is now fully stocked up. The worst disease is the tick ; 

 tuberculosis and foot and mouth is unknown. Dips and dipping 

 are badly required, but they nuTst come as modern management is 

 brought in. Honduras has, in addition to an outlet to the 

 Atlantic, an outlet to the Pacific. The best way to improve 

 the stock would be to import good sires, immune to tick fever, 

 from the southern portion of the United States, and to construct 

 dips everywhere. This country as a meat producer should 

 have a future. 



ECUADOR. 



The area of the country is 116,000 square miles. Estimated 

 population, 14 millions. 



Concerted attempts are being made by influential landowners 

 to raise the stock breeding and cattle raising industry to a posi- 

 tion of importance, and to enter into the meat export trade. To 

 this end Agricultural Expositions are now held annually at 

 Quito under the auspices of a number of large plantation owners, 

 with the object of fostering the agricultural industries generally. 

 Some of the high valleys and tablelands of Ecuador are par- 

 ticularly adapted to the raising of stock, and a fine quality of 

 hides and beef is yearly being produced in the Republic in 

 increasing quantities. 



