223 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST  [Oct.  i,  1896. 
and  ram  for  local  use,  gold-mining,  and  the  collection 
of  natural  products,  such  as  vegetable  ivory,  ebony  and 
other  woods,  dyewoods,  and  a variety  of  articles  ot 
minor  importance  for  exportation.  Coffee  is  the  main 
staple  of  Venezuelan  wealth,  the  cultivation  extending 
in  more  or  less  degree  to  all  districts  of  the  llepnblic 
where  soil  ard  climate  are  suitable.  The  port  of  Mara- 
cayboships  annually  some  30,000  tons  from  the  Arn'i^ 
States  adjoinim-  Cdlnnbia,  Puerto  Gabe-llo  abo  ut  i 
tons  from  the  country  round  about  Valencia,  and  ira 
Guayra  from  12,000  to  13.000  tons  from  the  districts 
withia  reach  Caracas.  Venezuelan  coffee  deserve  y 
bears  a high  reputation,  and  would  gam  still  more 
in  favour  if  greater  attention  was  paid  to  the  method 
of  cultivation  and  preparation  for  market,  i-im 
total  area  under  coffee  is  estsmated  at  f>;om  33^ 
to  200  000  acres,  and  the  average  yield  at  a little  unae 
5cwt.  per  acre.  The  plantations  have  neglected 
appearance  generally-knee-deep  weeds  and  the 
trees  unpruned  and  nncared  for.  Tne  coffee  is  giown 
under  shade  trees,  forming  a strong  protection  trom 
the  hot  sun.  The  total  cost  of  cultivation  and  othei 
charges  up  to  the  time  of  the  delivery  of  the  bean 
in  a marketable  state  in  Caracas  or  elsewhere  is 
calculated  at  about  35s.  per  cwt.,  thus  leaving  a 
considerable  profit  the  grower  at 
values.  But  naiiy  drawbacks  exist  to  deter  Europeans 
from  embarking  in  the  enterprise.  A revolution  breaks 
out,  and  the  male  labourers  “’e  ^requisition^  to 
serve  as  soldiers  on  one  side  or  the  other.  Other 
difficulties  incidental  to  these  South  American  conntne 
are  always  liable  to  crop  up.  In  the  sitting  room 
of  Mr.  Middleton,  Her  Majesty’s  former  Ministei 
Resident  to  this  country,  are  two  large  water-coloius. 
The  one  represents  a coffee  plantation  at  H a.  m., 
everybody  smiling  and  happy,  and  the  routine  work 
in  full  swing , the  other  shows  ine  same  P^ 
>S  n 111  with  dead  and  wounded  men  on  all  siae,., 
and  tierce  tiring  going  on  between  the  Government 
troops  and  the  insurgents.  I know  of  no  better  exainple 
of  the  risks  to  which  the  owner  of  a coffee  estate 
is  constantly  liable.  All  these  dangers  are  equal  y 
present  to  the  grower  of  cocoa,  and,  indeed,  to  any 
undertaking  necessitating  the  employment  of  laige 
numbers  of  labourers.  Under  such  circumstances  it 
it  is  not  a matter  for  wonder  that  merchants  or  otoers 
making  advances  against  crops  should  ask  and  obtain 
unusually  high  rates  of  interest.  I he  coffee  ar  cocoa, 
once  ready  for  the  market,  is  despatclied  on  the  backs 
of  donkeys  or  mules  to  the  nearest  conimorical  centre, 
and  there  bought  for  shipment  to  Europe  or  the 
United  States.  . . , . 
The  sugar  industry  only  survives  iii  Venezuela  owing 
to  the  fact  that  the  importation  of  foreign  sugars 
is  absolutely  prohibited.  The  result  of  this  extreme 
form  of  protection  is  that  a pound  of  coarse  brown 
sugar  costs  from  8d.  to  lOd.  in  Caracas.  Neither 
soil  nor  climate  is  specially  adapted  to  the  growth 
of  sugar-cane,  and  without  the  help  of  Pi'otcctive 
legislation  the  industry  would  immediately  be  ki  led 
bv  foreign  competition.  Of  other  branches  of  agriculture 
the  most  important  are  the  cultivation  of  Indian 
corn,  beans,  and  the  ordinary  tropical  fruits  and 
vegetables  for  local  consumption.  In  the  western 
portion  of  the  Republic  a little  wheat  is  grown, 
but  the  area  is  extremely  limited.  Tobacco  is 
produced  in  some  districts;  the  amount  is  however, 
insufficient  for  local  needs,  and  none  is  exported. 
Of  the  remaining  sources  of  wealth  cattle-raising  is 
the  most  important.  Whilst  it  is  impossible  to 
obtain  any  reliable  data  as  to  the  number  of  animals, 
the  generally-accepted  estimate  of  between  4,000, OOJ 
and  5,000,000  is  probably  not  far  wide  of  the  mark. 
In  the  long  civil  wars  and  constant  rovolutious 
which  have  so  completely  devastated  Venezuela 
during  the  past  70  years  tlie  cattle  industry  has 
suffered  severely,  both  sides  invariably  taking  prompt 
advantage  of  a supply  of  food  so  reiyly  to  hand  and 
easy  to  utilize.  The  distncls  devoted  to  cattle-breed- 
ing are  the  vast  plains  reached  after  the  mountain 
ranges  near  the  sea  coast  aro  passed.  Theso  plains 
stretch  away  to  the  southwards  as  far  as  the  banks 
nf  the  Orinoco.  The  climate  is  hot  and  malarious, 
and  offers  small  inducement  to  European  settlors. 
Very  little  has  been  done  to  improve  the  breed  of 
cattle,  and  they  are  mostly  long-horned,  small-bodied 
animals  of  no  great  value  except  for  their  hides. 
An  approximate  estimate  of  the  nuniber  of  la- 
bourerss  employed  in  the  industries  which  I have 
mentioned  is  as  follows 
Industry. 
Average 
Daily 
Wage. 
Number’d 
Employe. 
Total  Yearly 
Eariiigs 
(300  days.) 
Coffee,  ocoac, 
and  sugar 
plantations 
3s. 
41,000 
1,000 
£1,845,000 
Gold  mining. . 
Gs. 
135,000 
Cattle  ranches 
■ £2  lOs. 
per  month 
1 8,000 
240,000 
Other  fnrming 
[ ann  food. 
1 3s. 
1 
1 10,000 
1 
450,000 
Total  . . 50,500  | i^2, 670,000 
At  tirut  sight  the  rate  of  wages  may  appear  high 
to  Europeans,  but  when  the  cost  of  living  is  con- 
sidered the  value  earned  is  by  no  means  too  great. 
The  necessaries  of  life  are  costly  to  purchase  on 
account  of  the  high  protective  tariff,  the  duty  on 
flour  being  over  lU.  per  100  lb.  for  the  ordinary  and 
sdditional  Custom-house  charges. 
Of  manufactures  the  only  important  ones  are  boots 
and  leather  work  of  all  kinds,  hats,  and  soap  and 
candles.  The  manufacture  of  these  articles  is  en- 
tirely for  home  use.  A little  cocoa  is  refined  and 
made  up  for  foreign  markets,  but  the  quantity  is 
small. 
One  great  hindrance  to  the  speedy  settlement 
and  development  of  Venezuela  lies  in  the  physical 
features  of  the  country.  The  great  mountain  ranges, 
beginning  close  to  the  sea  shore  and  extending  some 
hundreds  of  miles  inland,  make  all  transport  a long 
and  tedious  matter,  and  to  overcome  these  difficul- 
ties by  extending  the  existing  railway  system  is 
beyond  the  present  means  of  Venezuela.  To-day 
the  patient  and  haady  donkey  is  the  sole  medium 
of  carrying  merchandise  from  the  fringe  of  the  cost- 
line tapped  by  the  railways  to  supply  the  needs  of 
the  inhabitants  in  tha  far  interior,  and  the  produce 
of  the  interior  is  sent  down  in  a similar  manner 
to  meet  the  railways.  Roads,  with  few  exceptions, 
do  not  ezist,  or  only  as  represented  by  donkey  tracks 
along  the  mountain  aides.  On  she  other  hand,  this 
mountanious  country  makes  life  possible  for  the 
European  in  these  latitudes,  the  climate  of  the  high- 
lands being  temperate  and  fairly  healthy,  whilst  that 
of  the  plains  and  lowlands  is  quite  the  reverse. 
The  Orinoco  may  in  the  future  provide  a more  easy 
means  of  access  to  many  portions  of  the  intetior, 
but  it  is  little  used  at  present,  and  haixlly  likely  to 
be  so  for  many  a long  year  to  come,  unless  thrown 
open  to  free  navigation. 
There  are  now  406  miles  of  railway  open  for 
traflic.  The  lines  are  all  situated  on  the  northern 
coast,  the  obj  et  being  to  provide  transport  over 
the  precipitate  mountain  ranges  immediately  adjoin- 
ing the  cost-line.  In  all  there  are  11  separat'^  com- 
panies. six  of  theso  being  English,  three' native,  one 
German,  and  one  French.  In  most  cases  the  Govern- 
ment subscribed  a portiod  of  the  capital  for  cons- 
truction, and  to  seven  of  the  companie.s  further 
guaranteed  7 per  cent,  annually  on  a capital  not  to 
exceed  .t‘10,000  per  mile  of  railway  built.  Th  s 
5uarauteed  interest  is  now  a bone  of  contention 
between  tlie  Government  and  the  companies,  the 
former  allegiiis  the  inability  of  the  country  to  meet 
such  heavy  obligations,  and  the  latter  being  unable 
to  pay  dividends  to  their  shareholders  unless  the 
Government  fulfils  tho  terms  of  its  contract.  In 
the  case  of  the  La  Guayra  and  Caracas  Railway, 
which  has  no  Government  guarantee,  good  dividends 
have  beun  earned  in  the  past  and  should  contiirue 
iir  the  future  if  no  uuforeseeir  circumstances  arise. 
width  from  2ft.  to  3ft-  6in. 
- - — circumstances  arise. 
The  r-ailw.ays  are  all  of  irarrow  gaguo,  varying  tu 
ab 
- j-  P<  
by  an  English  company,  the  La  Guayra  llarboul; 
VYlblbll  iLsjtik  niu. 
Ol’  other  public  works  the  labour  at  Lii  Guayra 
is  the  most  noteworthy.  The  port  was  constructed 
