Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/446

* MEXICO. 408 MEXICO. rainfall have been considerably modified. But many varieties of oak and also jiines and firs are found on the mountain slopes; and the hot lands have about 100 varieties of building and cabinet woods, includinf; mahogany and rosewood, be- sides dyewoods. gum trees, the fig and oil-bearing trees and plants, such as the olive, cocoa palm, sesame, and almond. Fifty-nine species of me- dicinal i)lants have been classified. Few countries equal Mexico in the variety of its economic vegetable products. !Many localities are well suited for the raising of coH'ee. an export crop of which about 60,000,000 pounds are pro- duced every year, most of it in the temperate lands of Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Cliia])as, and Michoaean. Cotton is grown chiefly in the Pacific states and also in A"era Cri7. and Coa- huila. It is not so cheaply produced as in the United States, is wholly consumed Viy the local mills, and the Government endeavors to promote its cultivation, and to improve the facilities for transportation to the spinneries so that the de- pendence upon foreign supplies of cotton cloth may be decreased. i>ugar cane is cultivated in the" lowlands of the southern States, though they as yet proiluce scarcely enough sugar for home consumption. Tobacco grown on the warm lands south of Tampico and San Bias is almost eqiial to Cuban leaf in aroma. Its improved cultiva- tion was introduced by Cuban planters about forty years ago. Maize, the chief crop through- out the temperate region, thrives best south of Durango. . other great food staple is the fri- jole or brown l>ean, cultivated with peas and len- tils and daily eaten by most Jlexieans. The wheat crop in the cold zone is worth only about one-fourth as nnuh as the maize crop. A great variety of tropical fruits are raised in the hot zones, including oranges (up to 2500 feet), lemons, bananas (up to .5000 feet), easy to cultivate and affording a large profit, pine- apples (from sea-level to 3000 feet), and cocoa- nuts along the hot coasts. Many species of the agave grow on the central plateau, some of them yielding, particularly in the eastern part of the plateau, large quantities of a white juice which, when fermented, is intoxicating, and is the na- tional beverage, j)ulquc holding the same place in the dietary of Mexico that wine occupies in France. Other species of the agave yield hene- quen or sisal hemp, whose cultivation and i)repa- ration for market is by far the most important of the fibre industries and has made the prosperity of the State of Yucatan, in the northern part of which it is produced. Knormous quantities are exported to the United States for sacking, cord- age, and binder's twine. The ('(islilloa claf:ticn is the predominant species of riiblHT tree, and though rubber-collecting is as yet little develo|)od, it is destined to be very profitable. The cacao tree thrives chiefly in Chiapas and Tabasco, but not enough cocoa is produced for home consump- tion. The vanilla l)ean grows luxuriantly on the Gulf Coast and brings a high price on account of its excellent quality. Rice on the coasts is usual- ly grown without irrigation, ilepending entirely upon the rainfall. The soils of Mexico excepting in the sandy north and some areas of sand along the coasts are excellent. The agricultural re- sources are capable of far larger development as soon as irrigation is applied to the naturally pro- ductive lands. Much of the plateau is semi-arid. but the neighboring mountains have inexhaustible supplies of water, which by the construction of reservoirs and other modern appliances may be conserved for agricultural uses. Farming meth- ods are crude and modern machinery has been in- trpduced only on the large plantations. The chief agricultural products of 1899 were, in kilograms la kilogram = 2.2 pounds) : Kice 23.100.000 Cotton 22.400,000 Wheat 252.700.000 Logwood 4r..4(io.ooo Sugar 68.600.000 t'arao I.IIDO.OOO Pauocha 59,100.000 Coffee 37.600.000 .Molasses 62.1HJ<J.00U Tobacco 7,800,000 Heuequen 118,800,000 There were produced also 93,370,000 bushels of maize, 29.059.000 gallons of spirits, and 171,710,- 000 gallons of fermented liquors. Falxa. In the plateau regions the fauna is that of the North .American continent, while it is more closely associated with that of the West Indies in the coast lauds of the Gulf; that of the Pacific seaboard partakes of the character of the Californian and South American fauna. Wolves and coyotes are common in the northern States, and bears, peccary, the puma, jaguar, and ocelot are found among the mountain forests. In the tropical forests are five varieties of monkeys and a species of sloth. Among the other animal's are the hare, rabbit, squirrel, beaver, mole, marten, otter, and several species of deer. A few boas in the south and several other species of snakes, some of them very venomous, as the rattle and coral sn-^kes, represent the ophidians. Noxious insects infest the hot regions in myriads. The coast waters and estuaries of the rivers teem with fish, and turtle-shell is an article of some trade importance. Bees are numerous and their wax is exported. Vultures are the scavengers of every town, and parrots, hununing-birds, and other tropical birds vie in brilliancj' of plum- age with iliose of Brazil. The Mexican mocking- bird and other songsters are unsurpassed by those of any other country. Only the turkey and a species of duck have been domesticated, all the other farm animals having been introduced by the Spaniards into Mexico, where they have mul- tiplied prodigiously. AxiM.L IxDisTRiES. Stock-raising is one of the leading industries. In the low-lying coast regions, particularly in Vera Cruz .and Tabasco, are moist savannahs, covered with nutritious grasses, where cattle may be reared ami fattened at small expense; and on the comparatively arid plateau of the north there is sufficient herbage to support enormous numbers of cattle. On some of the haciendas 10,000 to 30.000 head are in charge of vaqucros. who are very skillful in throwing the lasso and in all the oilier arts of the cowboy. Mexican cattle are of inferior qual- itv (long-horned type) and snuUl size, weighing otily 900 to 1000 pounds. In recent years many of the stock-raisers have begun to improve their herds by the importation of better breeds from the United States. Hides are an important ex- port to the United States, and hundreds of thou- sands of undeveloped steers are sold in Texas. The horses are small but hardy animals ; sheep produce only 1 to 2i{; pounds of coarse and in- ferior wool to the fleece, all of which is consumed in the honu- mills, which import much wool ol liner L'rades. while well-to-do Mexicans wear im- ported clothes. The tendency toward the im- provement of all the native domestic animals and of the methods of stock-raising gives promise of large expansion in these industries.