32 



ANNUAL REPORT 1919 AND 1920 



The records at Puebla show the relative humidity of that region to have 

 averaged 63° during a period of 10 years, and 64 during another period of five 

 years. Atlixco should differ very little from Puebla in this respect. 



So far as I can judge, this region is practically free from winds of great 

 velocity, such as those sometimes experienced in parts of southern California. 

 During the dry season a light breeze usually commences to blow about ten o'clock 

 in the morning and persists until sundown. It is not sufficiently strong to affect 

 avocado trees injuriously in any way. 



PRODUCTS OF ATLIXCO 



The valley of Atlixco is best known throughout neighboring parts of Mexico 

 for its wheat, its avocados, its sweet limes and its winter vegetables. In addition 

 to these products, however, it yields a number of others which are consumed locally 

 or shipped to nearby cities. 



The field-crops of the valley are numerous. Most important is wheat, which 

 can be considered the staple crop. Modern methods are employed in its produc- 

 tion, gasohne tractors having recently been brought to the valley for use in pre- 

 paring the land. Wheat is sown from October to December, and harvested from 

 April to May. The quality of the grain produced here is considered excellent. 

 Maize or Indian corn is another important crop, particularly in the lower end of the 

 valley. Barley is grovsoi to a very limited extent. Peanuts are produced in large 

 quantities ; about Christmas time, carloads of them are sent to Puebla and Mexico 

 City. Habas or broad beans, and garbanzos or chick peas are produced com- 

 mercially; the common frijol or black bean is also a standard crop. Squashes 

 and tomatoes are grown extensively during the winter months to supply the mark- 

 ets of Puebla and Mexico City. Alfalfa was formerly an important crop in the 

 vicinity of the town, but during the last few years its cultivation has declined. 

 Sweet potatoes of several varieties are grown commercially. Chiles of several 

 kinds, including the large sweet chiles and the small hot ones, are important 

 crops, as also the tomate (Ph^salis peruviana L.), which enters into the preparation 

 of many Mexican stews and sauces. The jicama (Pachyrhizus tuberosus Spreng) 

 is cultivated for its edible roots, which are eaten like turnips. 



Coffee forms an important culture in Atlixco. It is planted in nearly all the 

 solares or huertas, usually occupying the ground beneath avocados, jinicuiles, and 

 other fruit trees. The quality of the berry produced here is said to be excellent, 

 but the ; /oduction is not great enough to make Atlixco coffee an important factor 

 in the market. In the lower end of the valley, around Matainoros Izucar, cane 

 is grown extensively, and a considerable quantity of sugar is annually produced. 

 The guaje (Leucaena esculenta Benth.), an indigenous tree belonging to the 

 Leguminosae, is very abundant around the edge of the valley, and also in the town. 

 It produces long, slender, flattened pods, containing numerous flattened seeds 

 which form an important article of food among the lower classes. 



It may be worth while to mention the common ornamental plants found in 

 Atlixco gardens, since they help to indicate the nature of the climate. It will be 

 noted that most of them are plants characteristic of southern California gardens. 

 Probably the commonest one is Schinus molle L., the so-called California pepper 

 tree, here known as Peru. An ash (Fraxinus berlandieriana DC) and a willow 

 Salix bonplandiana HBK) are also common. There is a single tree in the edge 

 of town, — and it is a historic old giant, mentioned in the chronicles of the early 

 travelers, — of the ahuehuete or Montezuma cypress (Taxodium mucronatum 

 Ten.). One or more species of Eucalyptus have become fairly common. Casu- 

 arinas, Ficus elastica Roxbg. and Araucaria excelsa R. Br. have been planted in 



