The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-04-02
AMONG THE AZTECs.
CURIOUS MODES OF AGRICULTURE-.MIN MINES
AND MINING-A BRILLIANT LETTER PROM
OUR WESTERN CORRESPONDENT.

|
The denizens Of this strange city and the
surrounding country are a curious study.
This letter will be devoted to giving your
readers some idea of their habits of life
and their modes of agriculture. The
Mesilla valley from which this city takes
its name Is one Of the most famous in New
Mexico tor its agricultural products. 1t
extends along the Rio Grande for seventy
five miles and having an elevation Of near
1000 feet the air is permeated with electric
ity and ozone making it sanitarium
which is visited by thousands affected with
asthma, bronchial and pulmonary diseases
The climate is. superb, the thermometer
never reaching zero. Snow rarely whitens
the earth and hot and sultry nights are
| unknown. To an eastern traveller
the novel sights and experiences he en-
counters are so full of interest that he is
10th to depart from this land OF the Aztecs.
| came here sin the full Of harvest time"
when this beautiful valley along the Rio
| Grande was yellow as gold with its carpet
Of rpened cereals Since then | have
learned much by being brought into con-
tact with the people of this foreign country
who, until within few months, have been
so isolated and shut out from the outside
world as 10 know nothing of its modes,
| styles and modern civilization. Let me
show your readers picture Of tins valley
On either side grand old mountains rear
their peaks high up into heaven pure ether
| Courslng along at our feet IN sluggish quiet
rolls the historic Rio Grande which rises in
Colorado,runs into New Mexico between the
two chains of the Rockies, and continues
southwark through the whole length of
| the territory. Just there on its bank
is gathered large number Of MeNcans
bedecked in gay and bright array. Hill
anty and mirth rule queen OF the hour
Men and women join in dances and strange
sports. A little distance away a gay fan
dango is going on to the time OF monoto-
nous music. We approach and In our
"half-grown Spanish ask why this merry
making, and are told that it Is "the harvest
festival" The God of the Aztecs has
smiled upon the cereals and the harvest
has been abundant. At little distance to
the left the process of threshing out the
grain is going on. Shades of Colorado
How antiquated A circular enclosure is
made by driving poles side by side close
together into the earth. The hard ground
has been swept clean and the wheat to be
threshed is spread upon it. Within are a
dozen goats and as many children who are
shouting and laughing and drying the
frightened animals round and round the
arena, while now and then halt is made
to allow the master Of the harvest to turn
over the straw, when off again scamper
| the goats and children. This is kept up
for several days when the straw is removed
ana the plump grain gathered into bowl
shaped grass baskets, TO be picked over,
winnowed and cleaned by the women. The
harvest time is always gay season. and
all the young people join in the festivities
Now let me showyou one Of their agricul-
tural implements You will, fear, laugh
but you must not let them see you for these
are sensitive and unforgivng people.
Here is pillow, long beam, to one end
Of which is hitched a single steer or OK,
while the other end is smoothed off for
handle. Fastened TO il about midway in
a sloping position, is stick pointed at the
lower end, which scratches up the fertile
and mellow soil. This is the chief imple-
mcnt of Mexican agriculture. Imagine
it, you farmers on the pralrios who ride
upon your sulky plows and sow your
wheat with drills. This condition of
things, however, is soon likely to change,
to be superseded by American implements.
The fertility and magnificent climate of the
Rio Grande valley, the great demand for
agricultural products, owing to the advent
of the A. T. Il +. r, Il. is settling this val
ley with better class of farmers who will
not only open the eyes of the Mexicans but
make fortunes for themselves. had soon
er own good farm land they can be had
for q song in this valley than any place |
have visited in the west The vast mineral
interests and the mining camps are Great
inc great demand for cereals and vegeta-
bles. Fruit grows here luyuriantly and is
found in great abundance. Apples, pears,
pums, apricots, ounces, figs, pome granates
and all small fruits are grown in great per-
lection. The grape was introduced by the
Spaniards long years ago.
never tasted such lucious fruit and the