Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-07-20
VOL. XXXVIII.

forest monarchs. Logwood, mahogany,
ash and many other kinds of hard wooiS
render these forests exceedingly valuable
as well MS beautiful.
Haven lamentcd that the time must soon
come when the practical and unromantic
New England lumbermln would lay them
low, seeing no value save of so many
thousand feet of timber. The growth of
civillz ,tion sometimes makes sad inroads
upon the natural beauties of landscape.
But more attractive to many are the
fruit trees of Mexico. From the varied
climate nearly every species of fruit can
be grown in abundant profusion, and
almost without cultivation. Oranges, figs,
bananas, lemons and fruits innumerable
help to render the place delightful. An
uncle of mine once said that if person
would lie down in his fruit garden in
Florida almost, if not quite, fruit enough
would fall into his mouth, the year round,
to sustain life If so in Florida, then
much more sa- in Mexico, as three crops
year grow spontaneously, and one sees at
the same time bud. blossom and fruit.
Some idea may be obtained of the pos
sble trade to be had and the possible profits
that one farmer alone sends to market
tUenty thousand tons of oranges annuity.
But if fruit grows in abundance flowers
grow in much greater abundance. From
time immemoral the Mexicans have been
passionately fond of fl)wers. The rareSt
eXotcs of northern conservatories are
native to Mexico. Flowers in the garden,
by the roadside, in the fields, in church, at
meals, flowers in the hair, in the button
one of the triumphal professions of the
SpaniardS, hung gorgeous wreaths of
howers over the necks of the hardy vet
erans.
But among the other productions the
American aloe, or as 1t is called in Mexico
the maquey or mczeal, must not be left
| uIllIOllCCus IIOlu lillS pltub Is utllNtu
puiQue, an intoxic ,ting beverage highly
esteemed by the natives. Bishop Haven
said that it tasted like sour and bad
smelling buttermilk, is white like that,
but thin. 1t is only not so
villainous drink as lager and London
porter and Bavarian beer and French
vinegar wine and Albany ale" How the
good bishop knew the exact taste of these
various liquors is nut for the curious to
crack.
The aloe grows number of years
from eight to seventy -five-unlil it comes
to maturity, when an excavation about the
size of water pail is made, and this fills
with the intoxicating drink, pulque, daily
from three to four months. Surely Mexico
must be a sensuous paradise to the lazy
man, when not only food and flowers grow
spontaneously, but nature even furnishes
him his narcotic and intoxcanL ready to
take!
But the aloe is not without its real value,
rs its bruised leaves formed paste for the
manufacture of paper also in their origin
al state they we're used as a thatch for the
house roofs, while thread, cords and rope
were metamorphosed from its fibre, pins
and needles from its thorns, food from its
roots, balls of soap from another part, and
" from the centre of the stem split longi-
tudinally, substitute is obtained for a
hone or razor strop." What more could
be desired from a single plant?
Some of the other products are rice
Indian corn the great staple, tobacco
sugar cane, coffee, flax, hemp and cotton.
The coffee is especially good, and to fully
realize this one must drink it on the spo
fresh made by the native Mexican maid
ems
, Mexico has manufactures for her flax,
hemp. cotton and sugar cane, and the
annual worth of her manufactured goods
, is from ninety millions dollars to one hun
drcd millions dollars. Yet but little il
, done in comparison with what might b.
, done if only northern capital and northern
energy were invested and the real resource
J of the country developed. The possiblitie
of the country in this direction are almos
/ infinite. Even the present value of tn
exports exceeds that of the imports AM
t thus money from foreign markets is comm,
- in to render the future brighter.
3; But among all the products the gold an,
silver must not be overlooked. Prior t.
= the conquest but little silver was mined,
S being considered of but trihing value i
= comparison with gold, as in the time {
e Solomon when he "made silver to be i
e Jerusalem as stones for abundance
l. Since the conquest in 1919 to 1856 ther
# was taken from the gold mines S96,
If 892, 542, and from the silver mines so, ,534
: 49, ,679. thus making an annual revenue {
If over $75,000000 of silver alone. Th
presents of gold given to Cortes by Monte
If yuma were simply marvellous, both i
of respect to value and fine workmanship
y The godsmiths of Europe were compele
lr to acknowledge the skill of their formi'
/. able rivals in this so called wilderness
l. the new world.
Of The principal cities of Mexico are Me!
i'd leo, Puebla, Vera Cruz, Leon, Guadala,
IN ara, Guanaxuato and Acapulco. Vel
Cruz and Acapulco are seaports. The'
" cities are regularly laid out have som
ir fine public buildings, gorgeous churche
n. but great majority Of the common hous
10 are insignificant. Indeed. with the exec
in ton of the cathedrals and a few of Il
H. principal public buildings they are near
IN all of but one story in hight. They a
,r thus built low and spacious TO avoid ber
We overturned by an earthquake. The
ed earthquakes are of frequent occurrenc
n, though usually no harm is accomplishe
Y; since everybody and everything is pr
.,ah ,,bnn,,Is E,a, ri