The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-08-15
MEXICAN METHODS.
ANCIENT AGRICULTURE AS PRaC-
TlCsO IN OUR SISTER REPUBLIC.


A Famous Hasienda-Produsti of
the Soii-finest Soil in the Republic
Agricultural Implements - Ancient
Methods-The Water Question.
Much has been said about Mexican
haciendas, but probably few people re
alize the vast extent and unlimited posi-
bilities Of some of them In this wonder
full country there are estates into each Of
which many an Old World principality
might lie crowded, and which a king
might be proud to own as his domain. An
example Of this il the famous solado
hacienda, which covers more than 500
square miles, IL lies partly in the states
Of Coahuila, Nueyo Leon, Zacatecas and
San Luis POtosi. on the great highway to
the capital and the line of the New Next
can Central railway, having an average
elevation OF over 1900 feet. Chains OF
mountains traverse it-how rich In min
eral wealth nobody knows; while flourish
ing farms mining settlements. manufac-
turing centres. and even incorporated vii
lagos are found within its limits. Just
think of it, Over $4,000 acres Of this
fruitful soil. which bears everything
grown in both temperate and tropic
zones-producing, at least, two crops Of
corn ayear, and u perpetual and almost
spontaneous crop Of many other things
is neat little property, "by no means TO
be dispiged," us the immortal Sairy would
say.
THE REAL rEoDUCTIyENEss
As to the real productiveness of this soil,
1t IL difficult to get Information in reliable
figures Inquire of a Mexican how much
his field or orchard yields, and the ihvari-
able nswer-accompanjed by an inimita.
bic shrug Of the shoulders is .Quien
sabe," who knowsSy or "Asi bios
Quirere! Gas God willsD | have ascer-
tanned that with Mexican cultivation
which means merely tickling the surface
Of the soil and turning ON water now and
then from thirty to forty five bushels Of
corn to the acre il considered u satsfact-
DRY return The few who have tried i'm
proved methods Of cultivation affirm that
seventy five bushels Of corn twice year,
per acre, may easily be produced planting
the first crop in February and the second
in july or August. In this country the
standard price Of corn il . cents per
pound.
Probably the finest soil In the republic is
found On those fertile plains lying be
tween Leon and San Juan del Rio, where
one fanega (about three bushels) vi seed
will yield, on a moderate average, not less
than $50 fanegas Of corn. In several of tho
Mexican states notably Guerrero, Jalisco,
Oajaca and TobascO three crops Of corn
are regularly produced in single year,
called respectively reiego, temporal and
toralmile. Wheat grows to good advan
tage In all but five Of the Mexican states,
and two crops in twelve months is the
rule.
Within the last five years many plOws and
other agricultural implements have been
brought to Mexico, but upon the vast ma
jority of farms nothing To this day has
ever been employed for turning up the soil
but great forked sticks, or clumsy. three
cornered wooden concerns precisely like
those used in Egypt 1000 years ago, il
pictures of the latter arc correct, The
process Of threshing also, IL almost uni.
versally conducted in the primitive fash
ion Of King David's day, or by the still
more simple methodo Of throwing the grain
into an enclosure and driving 1Ock Of
sheep to and fro upon it,
THE WATER QUESTION.
That perplexing water question-which,
in Utah. for example, the Mormons have
regulated to the nicely of clockwOrk is
here among the mysteries that mo fellow
can find out II you ask II farmer about his
irrigatng privileges, he will tell you that
he has mine days water" thirteen days
water or twenty days water" as the
case may be-mcaniny that he has n right
to turn water ON his land once in every
nine, thirteen or twenty days-a privilege
which you may be sure has cost him "a
good round sum. In thickly populated
sections the greatest difficulty now seems
to be that all the available water has al
ready been transferred from the rivers to
the irrigatlng bitches
1t is but reasonable logic to conclude
that if Mexican land is valuable only
when irrigated and If most Of the avail
able water Is now in use In the al
ready cultivated area, the country must
look to some improved method for
lessening its enormous stretches Of waste
lands and barren deserts; and, NJ the ma
tives have not advanced agriculturally a
single step in the course of three Centur
les it clearly rests with their morv enter
prising cousins, the Yankees, to come
down here and devise the methods. 1t
has been proved again and again. that all
these desert sands and arid reaches of cac.
tus and chaparral may he made to "blos-
som as the rose by merely turning water
upon them ut regular intervals, aud gov
eminent lands are everywhere for sale.
at the rate of from 10 cents to cents for
an American acre
Artcsian wells have not been tried to
any extent for purposes of irrigation; but
that water Is everywhere abundant
though sometimes far below the surface
is shown Ivy the numerous very deep wells,
Of ptirest and clearest water, which are
found all over Mexico Fannie h Ward
in Boston Transcript.
4 Famous Tree at Nicksburg.
Twenty three years ago, one and a half