Sharp County record., 1881-06-30
Hrxieo's Immense Resources.

So much has been said and written
about the resources Of MsyicO. and 20
TitCIe Las been made Out OF them that
shadow Of distrusJOTeFcloUds the glow
ing euL0gies OF all the travellers: ouI the
testimony is uniform. and AZ the risk u
being discredited IS q new addition 20
the long list Of Mulberry Sellerses Wh0
swarm here. Z can only Join n the gen
eral voice which prOclaIms Mexico the
world wonder. and the richest OF al
Tie lands II the earth n the production
gf nature. It's mining wealth mas hardly
been scratched. Whilewe have reached
adeU-h OF nearly 5000 feet on the Com
stock and hand up ore by the ton IN
hotel elevator the Mexican miner IN the
Pachuca district climbs down 700 Ieet
on poles with pegs stuck n them- With
an empty BAG J1 MS back. and climbs
back with his bag full Of Ore-say eIghrv
uOunds-aud bis labor IS less effective
1t fifty cents a day than that OF the
COmstOcker II fOur dollars. Yet. with
this rude labor Mexico has managed TO
produce nearly haIfOf the whole worlds
supply Of gold and silver since the DAYS
of EubaI Cain. There Is not q blast
furnace in the land. but the iron mount
ain OF Durango could furnish all the
world with ore for q generation and
there are JUJ,UJJ.yID tons lying above
the surface IN MiclJaGan. Coal has.
never been mined. bU- now there g
fT--.. -.H-
cOverv IS not located or denounced. ~
is they call it here. There is copper
enough in Mexico TO bring down the
price On6-haIE. There is quicksilver.
and lead nickel. anIimOuv, tin zinc.
As for sulphur and chemicals the great
laboratories OF nature are still at work
producing them.
But none Of these things are good to
eat. and. after all. the basis Of peTma-
uent prosperity and equally diHused
wealth consists not IN mines. but IN the
agricultural products Of the soil. Unless
there IS q large and wealthy population
OF CuItiTa1Ors to consume the product
OF the mines and manufactures, the
country viii be at q great disadvantage.
How does Mexico stand in this respect?
The resources Of her soil are simply
more marvellous than her mineral
wealth. The marvellous feature Of it Is
that the ranges Of mountains, by their
varying elevation, bring all the climates
Of the world side by side. and day
Journey I'D from the coast on either
side takes one from the tropics 20 the
temperate zones. The chief commercial
export Of Mexico is coffee, and the Mex
lean coffee IS cheapertO grow and more
nutritious to drink than that Of any 9TH
er country; the sugar cane here grows
to a height Of twenty feet without cuIri-
VatiOn. and excellent pure sugar Is
everywhere abundant. Cotton is but
little cultivated. but il grows we'll The
Mexican tobacco is good enough to eE-
port TO Cuba and to come back IS Ha-
Vaua tobacco. and 1 an very sure that
under better cultivation its plantations
wIllTlTal those O1 the Fuelta ADalO. Rice.
indigo, cocoa, dyestu-fs and all tropical
products flourish IN the Terra CaIieIre,
or low lands. while o hundred miles of.
amid the ranges. the eteIds are green with
wheat and barley and the waving leaves
Of the graceful Indian corn. The fruits
OF Mexico, ike everything else here,
attest how much nature does for the
country and how little IS done by man.
l took dinner last Sunday at the hOspit-
able house Of IN American resident. and
as. q matter Of course We had straw0er-
ries and strawberry shOrt-Cake. When
l asked how long the strawberry season
lasted Twas tod it lasted elevenmOnths.
We had our choice also Of watermelOns
and muskIneLOns. and the pyramid OF
fruit passed around included bananas,
grenadines, mameys, ChIrimOyas, aqua
Gates and other more or less sweet and
Juicy natural fruits Of the country. Of
these the greu&diua is the fruit Of the
passion flower, its interior looking and
tasting ike a nagnitied and sWpeteled
gOOseberrv; the chirimova is called the
king OF fruits, and looks and tastes very
much ike good vanilla ice-cream: the
alUacUte or alligator pear the Nancy
and the sapOrte taste ike nothing out
. 1llC VI -lEAlLOs 4 EGiL5 tsLAA J-dLAAEo III z
poor and dear; strawberries dear but
very fine; but all the tropical fruits are
good and cheap and plentiful, and are
in universal use among rich and poor.
They are eaten raw, they are made into
salads, they are stewed into sweetmeats.
every meal having its duiee as one Of
the courses; they are candied with the
pure sugar OF the country, their sweet
ened juices are drunk with water, they
are Invaluable aids to good health and
good living. As for the vegetables,
peas and string beans, tomatoes, arti-
chokes, cabbages, caulidowers. brussels
sprouts, broccoli, onions. lettuce and ev-
erything known to the American palate.
seem to be plentiful and perennial -
Cor. So. Louis Globe Democrat.
Be Careful in Choosing Your Associates.