The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-07-19

MEXICO AT THE CENTENNIAL.
A Button Worth Huvinx--Beautiful speci-
mems of Nnrble.-Other Products.
Mexico has been late in making her
display at the Centennial, but now she
occupies large space in the Main build
ing, with an ornamental inclosure, and
everything within is arranged skillfully
and in good taste. What first ATTRACTS
attention is a huge button of silver
weighing about 1000 pounds, and worth
$4,000. This seems extraordinary; but
Nevada intends to have a mass weigh
ing several tons more on exhibition,
while weekly shipments from silver
mines in Utah and other Western re-.
gions are. in the shape of buttons of
about 500 pounds each, all of which, for
several years, have been sent to connec-
ticut to be worked into silverware.
Next are most beautiful and polished
slabs of variegated marble, with green
as the predominating color, and blush
ing streaks and clouds through the
stone, making the resemblance to agate
almost exact. In fact, one might sus-
peet them to be a species of petrifac-
ton. Some heavy sales of these slabs
have already been made to Europeon
potentates. ., - & 3D. .@i
The various cities of Mexico, such as
Puebla, La Magdalena and Mexico, pre-
sent great variety of manufactured
goods, including plain cotton cloth, kid
leather and gloves. woolen flannel,
I blankets, coarse carpeting, cassimeres
of low grade, and cotton yarn suited for
Edomesting weaving, There is q large
display of native wines, and fair one
of chemical preparations and extracts OF
fruits and roots. N Some silk fabrics look
well, and there are stuffs woven in gold
that resemble Egyptian work. Ladies'
shoes and fancy articles look we'll, but
they do not present the finish given by
the French .shoemakers, nor even by
those of Massachusetts. There are many
specimens of Indian manufacture, such
as pottery, braiding, and coarse cloth.
The implements exhibited are few and
poor, but the mining tools seem to be
excellent. There is some iron in heavy
square bars, and many specimens Of gold
and silver ores. Samples of coal are
shown, but they do not. indicate high
quality nor deep veins. A section of a
large mahogany tree shows that it was
hauled like sled from the forest to the
shipping port. There are many fiber
plants, and they ought to haye large
commercial values, for they grow spon-
taneously and the yield is heavy.
ghe cotton on exhibition is not re-
markable for length Of staple, nor for
strength; but the deficiency is as likely
to arise from want. of good improved
seed as from adverse climatic conditions.
The planters of our Southern States
have taken great pains to cultivate and
introduce the best varieties of cotton,
and their seed has been in demand both
in Egypt and India. : The Mexican
maize or Indian corn is decidedly in
ferior, though it makes much of the
bread of the people; but undoubtedly
they should have better seed. Fine
masses of sugar are shown, much OF it
in the shape of our old sugar loaves; but
it has a brownish color, proving that
they do not yet clarity we'll. The many
samples of coffee are good. Several
hundred samples of forest woods indi-
cate that they have a great variety Of
valuable sorts ranging from pine to
Ggnumvitee. The specimens Of raw silk
ara not remarkable. The wheat is
really number one, and oats and barley
are good. The wheat -four has rich
golden hue. .
None Of their mechanical work is
superior. .Horseshoes and other IRON
ware are forged. by hand. The govern.
ment is an exhibitor of leather -snd
paper and the qualities a1e fair. None
of the other exhibits are SO exhaustive
as that of cigars and it may he presumed
that the quality cau scarcely be excelled.
Mexican wool nev-r had O high reputa-
tion and the feeces on exhibition do not
change ones opinion. Fine specimens
| Of honey are shown and it is likely that
Mexico Is the best country for honey in
the world. ., ~.
The only countries represented at the
Centennial in which crops must be
grown wholly by irrigation are Egypt,
northern Italy, Peru, Colorado, and
Mexico. The annual rainfall is sufficient
to mature wheat in California, Turkey,
Spain, Palestine, India and in most parts
of China. There irrigation is only neces-
sary for gardens and orchards. In the
countries fist named the rainfall OF the
whole year, if coming at the most sea.
sonable times, would be scarcely sufi-
cient to grow wheat; but as il. comes
out of secson it is of little value. In
some of the western portions of Mexico,
however, rains are more frequent; still,
there is deficiency. The mountains
have great elevation and snow water fills
thousands of creeks and rivers. A pho
tograph of Mexican farming scene re-
presents q large number of men and
teams at work in an irrigated field, and
the water comes on abundantly. The
laws that govern irrigation in Mexico,
and they are severe and we'll fixed, were
derived from the Moors, and have been
transferred to Arizona, Colorado, Utah
and Montana.
Mexico is the southern extension of
the eastern Rocky mountain slope, the
same as the Black Hills country lis the
northern extension. The mountains
present full face to the plains; every
few miles streams and rivers issue
through canyons, their floods being high
during the heat of summer and these
waters are conducted by irrigating canals
into bitches that water all the gardens
and fields. Seldom is the SUN clouded,
and outside the water courses the whole
country is brown and sere, in winter as
we'll as summer, though it furnishes q
rich grass sufficient to support thou
sands of sheep and cattle.
Mexico needs nothing 30 much as
cheap transportation. There are mining
cities high among the mountains con-
tanning from 10000 to $4,000 inhabit-
ants, to which all kinds of supplies and
goods are carried on the backs of mules;
| ond II costa mora IN toka q pound of