of Soconusco for Goffee*<3rowing, 287 



a natural irrigation, and the soil retains during the dry season sufficient 

 moisture to keep the plant from withering; the numerous rivers, 

 streams, and waterfalls of the Cordillera contribute also to keep the 

 ground moist, as do also the heavy dews, caused probably by the 

 proximity of the sea. Shade trees, indispensable in the former locali- 

 ties, and which draw so much of its nutritive elements from the earth, 

 to the detriment of the coffee-tree, are not necessary here. In other 

 localities the soil must be manured, while in Soconusco manure is un- 

 necessary. It is true that fertilizers contribute to make the crop more 

 abundant and to prolong the life of the tree; but here no manure is 

 used, nor is the necessity for it felt; and without its use the coffee plan- 

 tations last a longer time and yield better crops than in other localities 

 where manure is used. 



The best proof of the advantages offered by Soconusco for the cul- 

 tivation of coffee, is the cheapness with which it is raised. While in 

 Colima coffee cannot be sold with profit to the planter at less than 

 from thirty to thirty-five dollars per quintal, in Soconusco it will yield 

 a profit at even eight dollars. This fact in itself is the plainest proof 

 that could be adduced of the superior advantages of this locality, as 

 compared with Colima, for the cultivation of coffee. In Colima, 

 coffee is cultivated on a small scale only; the coffee crop up to the 

 year 1871, notwithstanding the high price it brought, did not exceed 

 two hundred quintals. 



Farther on it will be seen wherein the excellence of the Colima 

 coffee consists, and how coffee of approximately the same quality 

 might be raised in Soconusco. 



B. Cheapness of Labor in Soconusco. Almost everywhere on the 

 -coast where there is a scarcity of hands and this is the case along 

 almost the whole of our coast line, where the population is so sparse 

 labor is much dearer than in the interior. Along the Southern coast 

 of the State of Veracruz, for instance, the laborer is paid not less than 

 fifty cents a day, and in many other localities he is paid even more. 

 Soconusco may be considered, however, as an exception to this rule, for 

 wages are here as low as in the interior of the Republic. 



The price of labor in Soconusco is now regulated by the price paid in 

 Guatemala. On coffee plantations it ranges from a real and a half to 

 two reals and a half per day ; the average wages being two reals a day, 

 a sum which seems very moderate. In Costa Rica wages are now as 

 high as a dollar a day. 



The scarcity of labor in Soconusco is, however, the principal diffi- 

 culty with which every agricultural enterprise has to contend, as will 

 be seen farther on. 



C. Proximity of good Coffee Land to the Sea. The proximity to the 

 sea, in Soconusco, of the land suitable for coffee cultivation is a very 



