Page:Appleton's Guide to Mexico.djvu/131

Rh Cattle-raising bids fair to become an important industry in Northern Mexico at an early day. The mildness of the winters admits of the stock feeding on the pastures, and there is no danger of losing the herd by a snow-storm. The natives are good herdsmen. It may be remarked, however, that marauding bands of Indians occasionally make raids on the stock-ranches, involving great loss to the owners. Ranches are usually sold by the sitio, which is equivalent to 4,428 acres. It is said that several large cattle-ranches in Northern Mexico are for sale at present. (Vide next chapter.)

French metric system of weights and measures has been adopted in the Republic of Mexico, but in the rural districts the inhabitants have not done away with the old system (although it is no longer the legal one), of which we give a sketch.

The Mexican vara is the same as the vara of Castile, and is divided into thirds or foot-fourths, sixths, and thirty-sixth inches. It equals 33 inches, American measure.

Fifty Mexican varas make a measure called a cordel.

A Mexican league contains 100 cordels, or 5,000 varas.

The league is divided into halves and quarters. The half-league contains 2,500 varas.

Sitio de Ganado Mayor (sitio, a farm for raising cattle).

—The form of a sitio de estancia de ganado mayor is a square whose sides measure 5,000 Mexican varus. The area of a sitio is 25,000,000 square varas, or 4,428 acres.