Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1886-04-16
In THE VALLEY OF MEXICO,
Climate, People and Products Q
the State of Nuevo Leon.
(For the Kirksville Graphic J

IllIIldle, TeUple anu FIOQuClS Ul
the State of Nuevo Leon.
(For the Kirksville Graphic.)
MONTEREY MEXICO Apr. 5, 1856.
Since our last we have passed
from the border to the interior.
This city (Monterey) the site of
one of Taylor's battles is located in
beautiful, evergreen valley
among some of the highest peaks
of the Sierra Madra mountains.
1t is in latitude about 26 n, and
about 2400 ft. above the sea level.
There is great variety of tropi-
cal flowers and fruits here through
out the year. The climate is de-
ightful, and there is an abundance
of clear cold water from the
mountains which supplies the city,
gardens and fields of the val
ley for irrigation; without which
this land would be desert, for it
seldom rains here. The produc-
tions include most of the products
we raise in the North; while some
of the same are much infe-
rior, yet there are others greatly
superior. This is the native home
of the potato; they grow in the
mountains and sell at six cents per
pound in the market, while the
cultivated ones are now selling in
Saltillo at 125 cents per pound.
Onions too are native of this
country, and of course are raised
very extensively. Corn is planted
anytime from February to August
and will yield from forty to sixty
bushels per acre. Sugar cane will
live about fifteen years without
replanting, mailing about 3 hogs
heads of sugar per acre. 1t is cut
each year and sprouts up again
from the old stump. Cotton is
perennial plant and yields about
one and half bales to the acre.
In fact all plants and flowers that
grow and bloom until frost in the
north, become perennial here and
grow until they die of old age.
Apples are small and inferior in
flavor, and those from the north
sell at about six cents each, while
oranges and lemons often sell at
five cents per dozen.
Grasses for hay receive but lit
attention, as there is green grass
all the year: Yet alfalfa will grow
seven feet high and produce
several crops of hay each year
making tons of hay to the acre in
each crop.
Though good crops can be pro-
duced here the people are SO very
worthless that they will live in
great want rather than produce
enough for their own use. Wages, |
for all classes, are low, and it is no
place for a man who can not live |
on quarter rations when the case
demands it. The native "Greaser"
gets from 25 to so cents per day |
and boards himself on one peck of |
corn meal a week. The servant
girl gets from 81. to 81. per month,
and board. Clerks and book
keepers receive about SIS and
board. Teachers for doing mis-
sionary work will get S25 per
month for one hours work each |
day, and board himself. There is |
a demand for northern teachers to |
teach English and it matters but
little whether they know Spanish |
or not; they will learn it by close
application soon after coming here: |
Just here we would say, if any of |
the Normal boys or girls wish
life of adventure and can stand the |
severe pressure stranger is sub
jected to in strange land among a |
more strange people, they may |
come to Mexico with an assurance |
of wearing their lives away in the
schools, and at last leave much to
do for those who shall follow
them. We have here an obstinate
ungrateful, incorrigible set of
semi-ciyilized creatures whose
advanced ideas are fully up with
those of the Egyptians 22O0 years
b. G. Here every day we can see
the unlGuzzled OK treadinp ont the
corn, the forked limb of tree for
a plow,' having but one handle;
the tireless, wooden wheel, the
sandled Waterman with pole and
leather buckets; the palm leaf
covered hut; cave dwellers and
worshipers of images in place of