THR  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [Srpt.  i,  1896. 
however,  that  anyone  accnstomecl  to  live  either  in 
Europe  or  the  t Tnited  States  would  bo  satisfied  with 
so  low  a standard  of  comfort  as  is  implied  by  these 
figures.  The  cost  of  the  house  must,  of  course, 
largely  depend  on  the  habits  aud  inclinations  of  the 
planter,  but  if  he  be  a person  of  moderate  require- 
ments some  100/.  to  200/.  should  cover  his  expen- 
diture on  this  head. 
In  treating  of  the  expense  of  starting  a planta- 
tion it  should  be  mentioned  that  the  cultivation  of 
other  crops  is  frequently  combined  with  that  of 
coffee.  For  instance,  maize  may  be  advantageously 
planted  between  the  rows  of  coffee  plants  on  newly 
cleared  land.  The  shade  is  most  beneficial  to  the 
trees  at  this  stage  of  their  growth,  aud  the  profit 
on  the  crop  may  be  reckoned  at  about  25  per  cent, 
on  the  cost  of  clearing  the  land. 
In  its  fifth  year  of  growth  the  coffee  plant  attains 
its  full  power  of  production,  and  the  estimated  yield 
for  that  year  may  be  accounted  the  normal  crop. 
By  that  time,  too,  the  initial  expenses  in  connection 
with  that  part  of  the  plantation  will  naturally  have 
ceased.  The  account  for  the  sixth  year  should, 
therefore,  stand  approximately  as  follows : — 
EXPENSES  PER  ACRE  IN  SIXTH  AND  SUBSEQUENT 
YE.IRS. 
Amount. 
£ s.  d. 
Clearing  or  weeding  . . .,140 
Pruning,  &c.  . . . . ..050 
Harvesting,  &c,,  1,200  lb.  coffee  . . 10  8 0 
Total  ..  11  17  0 
RECEIPTS  PER  ACRE  IN  SIXTH  AND  SUBSEQUENT 
YEARS, 
Amount. 
£.  s.  d. 
1,200  lb.  coffee  at  21  Mexican 
cents  . . . . , . 27  6 0 
It  will  be  seen  that  these  figures  would  admit  of 
liberal  allowances  for  interest  on  capital  and  for 
personal  expenditure,  and  would  still  leave  a sub- 
stantial balance  in  the  planter’s  favour. 
General  Remarks. — In  purchasing  an  estate  in 
Mexico,  a new  comer  should  as  a rule  have  recourse  to  a 
reliable  foreign  agency.  Direct  negotiations  with  the 
owners  of  the  soil  are  often  extremely  tedious,  and 
they  should  not  be  undertaken  by  any  one  who 
does  not  possess  a thorough  knowledge  of  the  coun- 
try. Care  must  of  course  be  taken  to  obtain  a 
good  title  to  the  land  purchased,  and  in  most  case 
this  can  now  be  done  without  m ch  difficulty  or 
expense.  In  some  districts  the  Indian  villagers  lay 
claim  to  certain  rights  over  adjoining  lands,  and 
however  unfounded  such  claims  may  be,  they  are 
sometimes  a source  of  great  irritation  and  conse- 
quent annoyance  to  the  foreign  planter.  It  will 
almost  always  be  found,  however,  that  these  difficulties 
may  be  overcome  by  a little  tact  and  liberality. 
A foreigner  buying  real  estate  should,  if  he  desire 
to  preserve  his  nationality,  take  the  proper  legal 
steps  to  do  so. 
The  intending  planter  v.ill  generally  do  well  to 
spend  some  little  time  in  the  country  before  making 
a purchase,  and  should  if  possible  acquire  some 
practical  knowledge  of  his  business  at  an  existing 
Elantation.  He  will  be  apt  to  think  that  by  waiting 
e is  letting  slip  many  a golden  opportunity,  but 
such  opportunities  will  probably  recur  later,  aud  the 
experience  he  will  have  gained  will  save  him  much 
loss  and  disappointment.  A considerable  number  of 
small  foreign  capitalists  in  this  country  would  pro- 
bably admit  that  for  a year  or  two  after  their 
arrival,  experience  was  their  only  profit,  and  that 
it  had  been  gained  at  a needlessly  high  price. 
In  order  that  this  report  may  be  comprehensible 
to  English  readers  all  values  have  been  given  in 
sterling,  calculated  at  26(/.  to  tiie  Mexican  dollar. 
Mexico,  however,  uses  the  silver  standard,  aud  though 
the  silver  price  of  labour,  Ac.,  has  not  altered  very 
much  the  ‘equivalent  price  in  gold  has  fallen  con- 
siderably of  late  years  and  remains  an  ever-varying 
quantity.  It  is  obviously  to  the  advantage  of  the 
English  capitalist  settling  in  Mexico  that  the  price 
of  silver  should  remain  low  as  compared  wdth  gold- 
first,  he  receives  more  silver  dollars  in  exchamm  for 
his  sterling  capital,  and  secondly,  whilst  most  of  his 
outgoings  are  in  the  cheaper  currency,  any  produce 
exported  is  ultimately  paid  for  at  gold  ratel 
In  conclusion  it  may  be  mentioned  that  there  is 
probably  no  country  in  the  w'orld  where  the  settler 
must  more  exclusive. y depend  for  success  on  his  own 
energy  and  ability , and  that  it  is  far  more  difficult 
than  in  eastern  countries  to  secure  the  proper  con- 
duct  of  a business  without  the  constant  supervision 
interested  in  it.  Moreover 
pi-oblems  have  to  be  faced  in  different 
paits  of  the  country,  and  in  some  localities  coffee 
scarcely  yet  passed  the  experimental 
of  fho  calculations 
tions  undertaking  under  such  condi- 
The  total  exports  of  coffee  from  Mexico  for  the  past 
L^en  as  fXws":-'' 
Quantity. 
..  14,Sij77 
11,058,279 
14,514,949 
18,866,590 
^ 16,512,648 
producing  States  are  Vera  Graz 
fniimo  1 M added  Michoacan. 
Colima  coffee  is  also  well-known  in  the  market  thou<^h 
the  quantity  produced  there  is  much  smaller  than  in 
even  the  last  of  the  above-named  States. 
Uffited^States^^^  e.xported  almost  exclusively  to  the 
V coffee  in  the  United  States  in  the  fiscal 
year  1893-94  ranged  from  16  to  18i  c.  gold  (8d  to  9id) 
per  11b.  for  Rio  standard  (vide  United  States  Return 
of  Commerce  and  Navigation).  Mexican  coffee  always 
commanded  a somewhat  higher  price.  ^ 
1891- 92 
1892- 93 
1893- 94 
1894- 95 
The  principal  coffee-, 
and  Oaxaca  to  which 
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