176 
The estates running 60 to 80 horse-power engines have two boilers, 
using them alternately every 15 days. 
ess,—Most of the small estates use small screw presses, baling from 
3 to 8 bales daily. The large estates, baling 16 to 30 bales daily, use 
hydraulic ia pe by Appleby Bros., London, and Fawcett 
and Preston, Liv 
Locomoti tig Teena y Rails, éc—The locomotive cars are made of 
wood, 20 feet by 4 feet. i“ rails are of iron with gauge 3 feet, and 
sleepers o of shtik 2 feet apart 
way trucks are of iron or wood; they are 12 feet by 3 feet. 
Ap et sleepers of iron with gauge 2 feet 4 inches, and sleepers 
2 fee 
ties tram cars with rails are se hai by Charles 
Wood, Trees Tos Works, Middlesbrough; Englan 
CULTIVATION OF THE AGAVES. 
The Estates—There are 200 Henequen estates in Yucatan, varying 
from 500 to 28,000 acres in extent, having a total inet of 105,000 
acres syrmi cultivation, employing 12,000 tadika labourer 
argest and best estates are on the rocky gravelly moia and they 
are ad from 100,000 dollars to 500,000 dollars each. Each estate is 
managed by three hal miese Pas attorney, the manager, and assistant 
m The largest of them employ locomotives for hauling in the 
se Aeres from the fields, others using tramway trucks or carts drawn by 
mules o 
Witited with less than 800 acres under cultivation erect one Raspador 
for Hats 100 acres. Those of 1,000 acres use the large automatic 
m 
Fiariâg the Fields—The size of the perean on the estates 
range from 250 to 3,500 acres. They are laid out in fields or sections 
of <4 to 200 acres, and contain from 600 to 900 eaer to the acre. 
en preparing the fields the land is cut during the dry ppt is 
then ious to spring up, after which it is “sprig weeded,” and t 
after the first fall of rain. The stumps fet cut close to the saat ge: 
as to be out of the way of the leaves of the plants, and to facilitate the 
running of the line for opt and getting r rows straight. 
Planting—The plants are “ ees out” on the different estates at 
various distances, being 6ft. by 11 ft., 5 ft. Bie 11ft., 4ft. by 11 ft. 
6ft. by 10ft., 5ft. by 10 ft., 4 by 10ft., 6ft. by 9 ft., 5 ft. by 9 ft., 
4ft. by 9 ft., 6 ft. b 8 ft 
The rows are kept perfectly straight, for if they be ae there 
would be the greatest difficulty in getting through the fie 
en planting, the labourers tt a small line with the p E E 
which the plants are to be “set out” knotted on it, and a pole cut t 
the length that the rowsare to be a srt A man and a boy are stip yed 
at each line. The boy drops the plants along the rows at the distance 
marked on the line, and then removes the line to the next row, dropping 
the plants as before. The man does the planting, and is responsible for 
the rows being straight. When coming to a rock the planter does not 
turn aside, but goes on, and places the plant in the row a little beyond. 
The row system facilitates weeding, admits a free current of air and 
sunlight, which is necessary to harden and give strength and texture to 
the fibre ; allows the labourer to cut and bring ont the leaf with despatch ; 
and, what js of the greatest importance, gives room for replanting the 
