Ummfaration, 127 



lar districts in the United States. The difference of race, language, 

 religion, and education between a young man brought up in this country 

 and the small Mexican farmers, are enough to create difficulties at first 

 sight insuperable to any young man from the United States who settles 

 there. If he establishes himself in a district inhabited only by Indians 

 these difficulties are considerably increased. If the settler prefers the 

 hot lands, which are the most fertile and productive, the severity of 

 the climate is such as to challenge the courage of the bravest. The 

 mosquitoes of several varieties, the flies, and many other insects are 

 very annoying, besides the sickness inherent to such climate. 



The question of labor is another great difficulty in the way, because, 

 while it is cheap and abundant in the cold regions, it is generally scarce 

 and unreliable in the hot lands. 



The conditions of the two countries are so very different that the 

 change experienced by one brought up in this country who goes into 

 Mexico, is very apt to discourage the strongest and most sanguine, at 

 least in the beginning, as the lapse of time makes anybody adapt him- 

 self to existing conditions and to appreciate the advantages of his 

 new home. 



The land question is also a serious objection. A large portion of 

 the public lands have already been disposed of, and comparatively 

 little of the public and private lands have been surveyed, and cannot 

 easily be had in small lots. The large land-holders are unwilling to 

 divide their estates, and the Indians holding large tracts of land are 

 very reluctant to part with them at any price. 



Coffee raising is undoubtedly one of the most profitable undertak- 

 ings in Mexico, but at the same time it has serious drawbacks. It 

 takes from three to four years before the trees begin to yield, and the 

 planter must be provided with sufficient means to defray not only his 

 personal expenses, but also those of the plantation, like houses, 

 machinery, cultivation, etc., without receiving any proceeds until the 

 third or fourth year. Besides, if he makes any mistake in the selec- 

 tion of his land, his profits will be considerably reduced. The gen- 

 eral impression prevailing in Mexico is that coffee is the product of the 

 hot lands, where the coffee trees need shade ; but a plantation in such 

 lands would cost a great deal more money to make and to keep, and 

 would yield smaller profits than one located in the temperate zone, 

 that is, just below the frost line. 1 



1 The same views were expressed in Mexico to the State Department by the 

 United States Consuls, and even published in the Consular Reports for August, 1894, 

 vol. xlv., No. 167, pp. 628, 629. 



" Consular advices received at the Department of State warn Americans about 

 emigrating to Mexico, with a view to permanent settlement, with insufficient means or 

 without informing themselves in a reliable way as to the prospects for earning liveli- 



