The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-25

with the garden, and would undoubtedly hav
restored the place to its former beauty an
: grandeur had he been permitted to remain. w
spent the entire morning wandering along til
deserted paths, lounging lu1urIouslv upon tn
terraces, and eating del cious mangaos, OF wLlcl
the servant in charge brought us several OF tn
= finest varieties.
MODEL MEXICAN HACIENDA.
We set off at an early hour the next morning
to visit the weu-known TemiscO Hacienda, Sr
Benediti Arena, in charge Of the same, having
sent horses for the whole party, and guard o
four cavalrymen to take charge OF US. TIT
estate one Of the oldest in the valley, is tn,
); property of Mr.. Bermjillo Of Mexico, and Il
about thirty-three miles in length and twelv,
or fifteen miles in breadth. OF THU
large tract. however, only q very small
too hilly broken and barren to entitle it even e
fence. The extensive buildings of the hacienda
are situated about five miles from town, and be
ing all OF stone and surrounded by high wall
resemble somewhat an old English monastery
They were erected more than a hundred years
ago, and consist OF an immense residence sugar.
houses, stables and chapel, all Of the plainest
possible design but oil great solidity and rength
as,ns th entered tn? single large gste.ay with
closely barred and guarded at night, We were
most c0urteOusly received by Signor Arena, who
conducted us up the stone stairway into the
house. and, having given us cup OF coffee, pro-
ceeded to show us over the whole establishment.
l
yard or pGsO, and being separated from each other
by very narrow intervals not only easily access
sble, but completely under the observation Of the
administrator, whose desk and chair occupy one
end of tho open gallery of the sugar-house
The machinery for crushing the cane is like that
| IN general use in Louisiana, with the exception
that it is operated by water power, applied to .
| large overshot wheel and the pliers are most
it flows from the mill. As the sugar made here,
however, is all clarified by clay, q great number
OF earthern pots or molds are required, which
necessarily occupy q very large part of the inn
grand scale, and one of them, used only for rest
ing the mules and horses during certain hours
OF the day, is constructed so as to admit Is little
light as practicable in order to prevent the an.
nOyance OF flies, which at some seasons of the
year are very numerous and annoying. Back of
the stables is y large reservoir, through which a
stream OF water is continually flowing, and in
which the horses are treated to bath regularly
evevy day.
Leaving the inclosure, We walked into the cane
field, embracing six or eight hundred acres which
Is irr igated by stream Of water, three or four
feet wide, passing along one side and distributed
over the entire surface by means Of smaller chan
nels communicating with j, at proper intervals
but, being Of very light, porous character, per.
mits the water to pass through 80 rapidly that no
accumulation of the latter ever takes place. The
cane is planted every seventh year, in August
y O0pIDnlDQ
the following year in November, and Yields upon
an average from two to three thousand pounds
per acre. The sugar usually commands about
six cents per pound, and when the season is
favorable and the arbitrary taxation to which
1t is liable lie not excessive the cost of its produce
ton is nearly covered by the receipts from the
sale of the mOlasses. there are employed upon
the hacienda from two to three hundred peons.
or Indians, who receive each 374 cents per day,
and live at their own expense in the little viii.
n do
families cultivate small patches of maize and fri
Joles, and rMse q few chickens and turkeys. Two
hundred mules, the same number of oxen, and |
nlseen or twenty horses are also kept in use-the |
one carrying about 800 pounos the oxen 70.
blowing, and the horses for riding.
After breakfast which was served at 2 P. NJ.
and an hours rest, We took horses and rode about
cente, also the property of Senior Bermijillo Here
we were shown most extensive and complicated
centrifugal apparatus for extracting sugar,
brought from France three or four years ago.
md erected at total cost of not less than $780,,
200. How it was ever transported from Vera
Cruz-the railroad to Mexico being unfinished at
he tme-is . mystery to those Of us who are I
acquainted only with the steep, rocky roads
II the country and the great difficulties which '
to snoher We getting t from
ver, that some Of the pieces of machinery were &
placed upon cars, and sometimes required the !
raction OF forty or fifty mules, and the blows and
generations OF nearly equal number Of arrieros,
r muleteers; to move them. The worst part OF
he whole business, however, to the proprietors !
Vas tho fact that the apparatus, when set to I
FORK, was found to answer no better purpose a
han that ordinarily employed. The manufac- t
rom the Same juice, but up to the present time '
My per cent has been obtained, which is no ]
lore than is produced by the common process. c
PRIMITIVE FLOWING. a
On our way back to the Temisco we had an t
pportunty OF observing, more closely than dill t
ence or railroad can permit the process of plow-
,g, as commonly practsed in this country. The a
low itself is almost fac sinile of the pattern G
sed by the Egyptians in the time Of Abraham, Il
nd certainly commends itself to all agricutursts
q account Of it's great simplicity and cheapness.
consists Of wooden shaft, about four feet long d
nd four3 inches thick, armed at it's lower ex
entity with an iron point, slightly fattened and g
. presenting = feeble forward curve. r.
Used through . hole, to serve as . handle q,
he pole, consisting of the stem Of q small b
ee from which the bark has been peeled, Ia
fifteen feet long, and attached to the tt
,plement, thus constituted, is fastened 1t the OF
'tremity Of the pole to the middle Of a yerv
yht wooden yoke, about seven feet long, which til
SITS Immediately behind the horns of pair Of d.
de passed around the roots of the horns. Not 70
80 than hfty such cOntrivances were crawling st
. snail's pace over the field which we stopped OF
notice, scratching up the ground to depth of a
Q or three inches, certainly to us very novel va
,ht: It is due. however, to DIR. Bermijillo to by
y that he is in advance of the customs of his =
untrymen in having persuaded some Of his he
,orers to use American plows drawn by mules tn
The usual O'Clock dinner at the hacienda SO
wing been vigorously discussed, we all retired wi
our respective cots in the lofty gloomy, echo wa
, and unfurnished halls to which we were IS
'igned, with the understanding that we were to
up and dressed by daylight for an excureion. hi
der the charge of our very accommodating and Hi
host. to the RUNS of Xochlcalco. nil
'onounced So-chi-cal-co,) about three leagues fol-
tant, the account of which will have to re- so
We for my next letter. Ter. he
hu
feminine mobs are becoming quite the thing in sta
gland. The Pal Mall Gazette notices the sli
wing tendency on the part of the humber ae
sses of society to express disapprobation in SUI
b form. Thus tendency created an extraordi- .o o
y riot in Oxford street, one, Of the main he he
n who, with his wife, lodged over q bakers Is Is
p on that street, committed suicide 1t began na