, 1885-03-24
A SUGAR ESTATE.
HOW THE sUeAR-MAklNe BUSINESS
IS CONDUCTED IN MEXICO.
Animated Scene at the crushine-Mms-
Iaborers mt Favorite Drink
-Prohts OF the business
Mig Plantation.


We found ourselves surrounded by an ami
mated scene. Tho great yard was swarming
with laborers Soma were turning and
gathering the crushed cane which covered
the ground, where it reflected the sun with
a whitislf glare. Others were handling the
fresh cane. which was coming In in cart
loads, stripping off the green s~ucculont leaves
as food for the cattle, weighing the stalks,
and carrying them 10 the crushing mills.
We assembled broad stone steps to a largo
varlted hall forming the main entrance.
This was open 10 the air on one side. Mas
sive piers supported the heavy. castle-like
masonry Of the building. The place was
gratefully cool, and commanded a charm
ing Wow over tho valley. Accountants were
at work at desks in tho corner.
Leaning over a parapet at one end OF ths
hall. W. overlooked the great interior, where
tho concentrating was going on. The mills,
as throughout the valley, were moved by
the water-power. When we entered the gate
we had seen the water gushing out from a
low arch In the wall in a powerful cascade.
The mill building was a lofty. massive stone
structure with walls composed OF Roman
like arches in two tiers. II was new, but
parts OF the main building were over a
century OLD The laborors came and went
below, like two streams of busy ants. Their
brown forms, in the dim light OF tho high,
shadowy interior, looked like dusky
demons, as they staggered beneath
their loads OF great bundles Of
cane. They wore the minimum Of clothing,
and many, for some mysterious reason, had
but one leg to their pantaloons Of white
cotton, while others wore no pantalo0ns at
all The machinery made a low, rumbling
noise, and the mills seemed like Unsuitable
monsters, devouring the cane incessantly,
and disgorging the crushed masses In we'll
chowed Fragments. Beer glasses full Of fresh
sao were brought to us. Il was black and
foamy, looking like English stout, and had
a sweet and not disagreeable taste. The
natives are FOND of a drink made from this
sap by letting 1t ferment in a gourd for two
or three days.
In the upper stories we saw the huge vats
OF molasses which was slowly crystallizing
into sugar, the surface covered with a crust
resembling wine -roughened ice turned u
dark brown. In one vat stood a naked In
dian breaking up the crude sugar with a
pick, and shoveling it out to two other la
borers, who were carrying it away. The
sugar was refine on the premises into two
grades, the superior Of which was equal 10
the best American loaf. The machinery In
use on the estate vas OF the best modern
kind, and cost something like $500. 900.
fAbcI Tue syrup uuQ Deem WOfkBu over INTO
sugar three times the residue was distilled
into aguardients. or this, 5000 barrels
were produced annually on the place.
After inspecting the works we returned to
the shady Office. where we met the proprie-
tor, "a courtly Spanish gentleman. He in
vited us TO stay to,breakfast, and as noon
tide approached we were shown through
vaulted passages. across an irregular court
like that OF an ancient castle, up an easy
stone stairway, into a pleasant corridor
leading into u large dining-room. Here a
long table wa spread beneath the broad
stone arch which sprang from one side Of
the room 10 the other. Our host was ut the
head OF the table, and below the guests sat
the various officials of the estate, ranged ac-
cording to their rank.
"lsn't this quite baronialr1 whispered my
youthful neighbor. "Soe the retainers eat
Ing with us at the same table, sitting below
the saltl' And he quoted some lines from
Walter Scott, adding that the knights, in
stend Of returning from crusade or tourna-
ment, had come in from the sugar-helds,
hanging their broad sombreros ON the wall in
place OF shields. There is, in fact, something
very feudal-seeming in the character of
Mexican country life.
1t was an excellent meal, OF the true Mexi-
can country-house type. Everything was
perfectly cooked. Never had ! tasted more
tender and delicate mutton than that in the
puchera, or Mexican stow, served on a great
platter, with the various vegetables,
including carrots, white and sweet po-
tatoes, tuinips, beans, green peas,
and bananas-not all mixed together,
but each kind occupying its own place on
the dish. Tn fine flavor of the mutton was
due to its being raised on the place upon
- orffrt,1a rIxr obrfca fa.I mho-. -.uo - nno
sheep kept for the exclusive use of the
estate. At each course the dish was first
placed before the host. who served, in order,
the ladies, the consul general, the artist, and
himself. The dish was then brought to US
minor guests, for US to help ourselves, after
which the retainers were helped by a serv-
ant. At the plate Of each guest stood a bot
tie Of Spanish wine; red, but quite different
from claret. 1t had an individual flavor;
much body and a slight resemblance to
sherry, with a s~accharine acidity. The
character of the Spanish grape could DO de-
tected, as in the wine of the Rio Grande
valley in New Mexico and that of California
made from the Mission grape. The ervant
poured glasses of wine for the chief officials
Of the retainers, but none was served to the
others.
From the entrance to the building were
seen the great cane-felds of Coahuistla
spreading their CHEEKY emerald mantle, gold
tinged in the sunshine, far into the distance.
There were 1900 tareas, or nearly 100
acres, under cultivation. These produced
annually about 3, 800, % pounds. The sugar
was sold from the hacienda at 81 or So an
arroba, of twenty-five pounds. Aguardiente
brought 81 a barrel. Therefore the gross
receipts of tho estate can not be far from
$500, 900 a year. l should say that the net
profits must amount to a good proportion,
since on most haciendas in Mexico the labor
is nearly, II not quite, paid for by the
profits Of the store from which the laborers
are supplied. The stock is fed on the cane
leaves and other stuff raised on the place,
fuel for sugar-boiling is furnished entirely
by the crushed cane, and the machinery Il
moved by water power.