Pomona College Journal of Economic Botany 63 



made to compete favorably with the sugar-cane would be a matter of some 

 doubt until a trial had been made, but they make splendid food for hogs and 

 cattle. The San Luis Potosi territory is admirably adapted to the culture of 

 the maguey fibre, as are, also, other parts of the country. 



One must bear well in mind that most of the crops mentioned here have to 

 be acclimatised before they can produce, and this work rightly belongs to the 

 experimental station. There are many methods of grafting and crossing and 

 selecting known to the expert horticulturist which are wholly unknown to the 

 average farmer. Therefore it is only reasonable that the government should 

 take this into hand and develop it for the good of the country as a whole, just 

 as it is done in many other countries. 



Then again there is the improvement of crops and methods of culture now 

 existing in the country in a more or less undeveloped state. Under this would 

 be included the breeding and introduction of better varieties in all parts of the 

 country. The peaches are always small and often of very inferior taste simply 

 because there has been no attempt to better them ; then, too, the trees do not 

 receive proper care. The same is true of the orange. Often the trees are 

 scattered indiscriminately among other trees and receive no cultivation or care. 

 In some cases, as at Yautepec, in Morelos, the trees are set out in much the 

 same way as they are here, but no attempt is made to improve the varieties by 

 grafting or budding, and, furthermore, many of the trees are eighty to one 

 hundred years old. The oranges are usually quite sweet, but they could not 

 compete with improved stock for several reasons ; they are somewhat inferior 

 in taste and quite inferior in appearance. As a proof of this, the seedling 

 oranges are sold on the street for from one to five cents each (Mexican 

 money), while the navel oranges (some are grown in Jalisco, Sonora and 

 other states) are sold for from four to ten cents each, and are considered 

 much more of a luxury. 



This work of improvement also belongs to the experimental farm, and 

 should be developed along with the initiative work mentioned above. But 

 for this work as briefly outlined, four stations, three field stations and one 

 central and purely technical, are far from adequate. It is no doubt the present 

 intention of the Mexican government to establish more stations in the near 

 future, and it is sincerely hoped that they will come soon and be made very 

 efficient for the needs demanded of each. Great things are in store for the 

 agriculture of Mexico, if it is energetically developed. It will be a source of 

 immense national wealth when the mines have all been exhausted. 



