Agriculture in Mexico. 



7i 



The production and value* of the principal cereals in 1 897 

 was as follows : — 



Quantities. Value. 



Bushels. £. 



Wheat ... . 9,680,000 1,868,000 



Maize - 118,126,000 8,723,000 



Barley » - 8,569,000 550,000 



Cwts. 



Rice - 415,000 226,000 



£11,367,000 



The production in 1897 accordingly represented a value of 

 about eighteen shillings per head of the population. As 

 wheat and maize are not exported, these two grains may be 

 reckoned as being wholly consumed within the country. The 

 amount produced per head thus appears to have been about 

 nine bushels of maize, and a little over two-thirds of a 

 bushel of wheat, in the course of the year. The annual pro- 

 duction of maize was approximately valued at seven dollars 

 per head (about fourteen shillings), these figures revealing 

 the economical scale of living of the majority of the 

 population, and their limited expenditure on food supplies. 



There were, according to the Customs returns, nearly three 

 million bushels of maize imported into Mexico during 1897, 

 forming an addition to the total available for consumption. 



The production of alcohols and fermented drinks, excluding 

 grape products, was given as 138 million gallons, valued at 

 £1, 607,000, of which 58,000,000 gallons were "pulque," 

 54,000,000 gallons " sweet pulque " (unfermented), and 

 18,000,000 gallons spirit from sugar-cane. According to these 

 figures the annual production of alcohol and fermented 

 liquors was about 11 gallons per head, worth about 2s. 8d. 



The production of fibres is very important in Mexico, the 

 yield of " henequen " hemp in 1897 being 1 10,000,000 lbs, of 

 "ixtle" 28,000,000 lbs, and of cotton 72,600,000 lbs. The pro- 

 duction of cotton, which prospered greatly before the conquest, 

 and which had been reduced to nothing — a condition which 

 continued until a few years ago — has now revived in 

 Mexico. The production of sugar is given as 1,293,000 cwts., 

 of " panocha" 1,215,000 cwts., and of molasses 881,000 cwts. 



* The Mexican dollar has been taken as equal to 2s. 



