THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
694 
[April i, 1898. 
of cofiee. Coffee is raised principally in the States 
of Chiapas, Vera Cruz, Morelos, Oaxaca, Michoacan, 
and Colima, and can be grown in several others, 
while portions of Colima, Michoacan, and Chiapas, 
have perhaps the best conditions for successful cul- 
ture. The coffee of Uruapam (Michoacan) is celebrated, 
and is considered by connoisseurs to be finer than 
Brazilian coffee. The exports to the United States 
of this bean, during the fiscal year of 1887-88 am- 
ounted to $2,117,299. The total exports for the year 
1888-89 were valued at $3,886,034. The rapid growth 
of the industry may be seen by noting the exports 
of the last few years: — 
1887 8 $2,431,025 
1888- 9 . . . . • • 3,886,034 
1889- 90 .. .. •• 4,811000 
1890- 1 6.149,808 
Of this last amount the United States took 
$3,642,851, whilst a very small amount was sent to 
England. The enormous increase in production during 
the last ten years indicates a corresponding growth 
of prosperity, as, whilst the expenses of cultivation 
are small, the profits are large. 
The price of land suitable for coffee plantations is 
low, and may be purchased over a large area. The 
prices for suitable first-class land are: — 
The State of Vera Cruz 
„ „ Colima 
„ ,, Michoacan 
„ ,, Chiapas 
„ „ Oaxaca 
$1T3 per acre. 
0-90 
0-90 „ 
0.62 
0-44 
Two companies, one English and one American, have 
lately been established to cultivate coffee in the State of 
Oaxaca. In Chiapas the landed proprietors are increas- 
ing their coffee plantations, and have organised an asso- 
ciation for protecting this industry. In the district 
of Soconusco in this State, there are now 26 Coffee plan- 
tations, which employ 1,520 men. The owner of one 
of these plantations states that there are sufficient 
coffee lands in that district still unoccupied to pro- 
duce at least 200,000 quintals of 100 lb, each of the 
berry. The cost of growing would not exceed $5 
per quintal, or 5 cents per lb. packed in sacks and 
ready for transportation and as it finds a quick sale 
at the plantation at 20 cents, there is a profit 
of 15 cents per lb. at present in this industry. The 
coffee tree begins to yield the third year, but is net 
generally in full bearing until the fifth. The cost of 
the early cultivation is often coveied by planting 
bananas between the rows, which forms a shelter for 
the young trees during their growth, and more than 
covers all the expenses of tbe plantation, as this 
fruit commences to yield the first year after planting. 
Concerning coffee culture in Mexico, the following 
data is taken from a book entitled “ Coffee Culture 
on the Southern Coast of the State of Chiapas,” pub- 
lished by Senor Don Matias Romero, in the City of 
Mexico, August 1875 : “ The cost of each coffee tree, 
four years after planting, including value of public 
land and wages, at the rate paid then in Soconusco 
is about 11 cents per tree. The yield of each tree 
in its fouth year is two pounds of coffee, which, at 
the minimum price of 10 cents per pound, is 20 cents; 
expenses of gathering the coffee beans and other ex- 
penses until the coffee is delivered to the market, 5 
cents per tree. Net profit 15 cents per tree.” Coffee 
husbandry will therefore form one of the most remu- 
nerative of Mexico’s agricultural products, as there is 
a vast area specially adapted to its culture lying 
adjacent to ports, from which shipments can be con- 
veniently made to Europe. 
Rubbek. — Rubber planting is very profitable, and is 
largely increasing, especi, illy ui the States of Chiapas, 
Oaxaca, Vera, Cruz, Tabasco, and Guerrero. In the 
first-mentioned State, on the Pacific coast, there exist 
extensive forests of rubber trees, which are only neces- 
sary to tap in order to obtain the substance. It is 
estimated that Mexico could easily produce rO.OOO 
tons per annum, which would command the same price 
as the best quality of Peru rubber, for the trees are 
identically the same as those in Brazil. It only re- 
quires the same treatment after the gum is extracted 
to produce an equal quality rubber. The present 
method of collection is by the Indians, who sp oil both 
the rubber and the trees by their unscientific and 
wasteful methods. The rubber is cured in a priini tive 
fashion, both the good and poor qualities being mixed 
together. Labour is abandoned and can be readily 
instructed to collect and cure the rubber to produce 
better quality, which being done, would largely in- 
crease the demand for Mexican Rubber. The Mexican 
Minister in Washington owns large tracts of land in 
Chiapas, where he has planted largely, and obtains a 
considerable and steady revenue from his estates. 
It is a tree which gives little or no trouble in cul- 
tivatien, requiring no preparation of the land, as it 
seems to prefer poor and arid soil. In fact, it yields 
a finer quality rubber if it is planted under such 
conditions. The cost is about £9 to £10 to plant 
an acre with 300 trees, which is about the largest 
number to plant without overcrowding. The average 
yield of sap from a tree in four or five years is six lb. 
giving a total of 1,800 lb. to the acre; this would 
boil down to about 800 lb. of solid rubber, and when 
sold would realise about £24, giving, say, £20 net 
profit to the acre. This profit would gradually in- 
crease until. the yield would more than double in 
the eighth and succeeding years. 
Cocoa. — Ooooa-planting is one of the oldest indus- 
tries of Mexico, for the cocoa palm, known botani- 
cally as cacao theobroma, is indigenous, and was 
largely cultivated by the Aztecs. It is a source of 
considerable revenue to Mexico, for like most other 
agricultural industries in the country, where labour 
and land are so cheap, tbe cost of growing is pro- 
portionately low. Over 400 trees can be planted to 
the acre. There is a small return in the third and 
fourth years, but the yield is large enough in the 
fith and sixth to pay all expenses with a little over. 
In the seventh year the trees ai'e in full bearing, 
continuing so for 30 years and over. The trees like 
lemons, bear buds, flowei's, and fruit at the same 
time, so that ripe pods may be collected at any 
time. but there are periodical harvests depending on the 
dryness of the weather. Each tree yields about 60 
pods which contain from 20 to 30 beans, which should 
give about 13 to 14 lbs. of cocoa beans, or an aggre- 
gate of nearly 7 cwt. per acre, and consequemly pays 
handsomely. The cocoa bean is chiefly cultivated ia 
the States of Tabasco and Chiapas. The best is 
grown round the Port of Soconusco, near the Guate- 
malan frontier, and is considered by connoisseurs to 
be of the finest quality grown. Its flavour and natural 
richness commends it to manufacturers in England. 
Chocolate sells at Soconusco for 20 cents per lb., and 
an excellent opening is offered for the cultivation of 
the cocoa tree on a large and systematic scale. 
Mexico had a population at the Census ot 1895 
of close on 13 million — 19 per cent being pure 
white race ; 43 per cent mixed ; and 58 per cent 
of Im’iaii race. Mexico, tlie capital, is a town 
of 350,000 people, of whom perhaps 8,000 are 
foreigners. The following passage from the latest 
Statesman’s Year-book is of interest in this con- 
nection : — 
Government has assisted in introducing plants of 
vines, olives, and other fruit trees, while seeds of 
vegetables and of silkworms have bee ■ distributed 
gratuitously. The chief agricultural products are rice, 
maize, barley, wheat, beans. The cultivation of cocoa, 
coffee, and tobacco is extending. In 1893-94, 18.563 
tons of coffee were exported from the Republic; in 
1894-95, 16,247 tons; and in 1893-94, 356 tons of manu- 
factured and 1,596 tons of raw tobacco were exported; 
in 1894-95, 360 and 929 tons respectively. Henequen 
is grown chiefly in Yucatan. The fibre exported 
in 1894-95 amounted to 147,984,457 lb. Other products 
are cotton, sugar-cane, vanilla, cacao, indigo, rubber, 
bananas. Large numbers of cattle are reared in 
Mexico for the United States. In 1883, in Northern 
Mexico alone, on an area of 300,000 square miles, there 
were 1,500,000 cattle 2,500,000 goats, 1,000,000 horses, 
and 1,000,000 sheep. In the whole of Mexico in 1883 
there were 20,574 cattle ranches, valued at 103,000,0001. 
