The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-05-20
rhe EartILe EIeIds Of cordopa

The Fertile Fields of Cordoba.
Cordoba coffee is well known IN the
United States as one Of the best Of Mex
;can ootfees in fact, ar one Of the hnes' |
catfees proiuced in the world The beau
,ifnl plan,at IN at II scienda Ia Luz con
,ains twelve caballeries, or about i'SsV
arr 8 n the choicest cnfT-e lands titles
ina valley among the foothills Of the 81
-rr,s and Mount Orizsbs, 1900 feet
hir. aith i,s snoW-cslped Peak, seems
", .d.rfailv near. The segelation en-
ror;e from Ia Luz to the City OF Mexico
10 certainly grand and wonderful. The
tourist passes through orange groves, ba-
mana and pineapple plantations and COT
fee fields. Native huis, made OF bamboo
and ihatched with straw, are scattered
here and there along the road, present
ing very picturesque scene
The manner Of preparing heids iof COZ
fee planting is 10 plow well the grouno
and then pulverize it by narrowing, and
then plant yearling coffee trees SIX ieet
.part in each direction, and in the cen
tre Of every square thus formed plant q
banana smoker root. The bananas grow
rapidlv and soon afford all the shade
necessary for the coffee, without exclud-
ING air and light, which IS necessary Tor
a full crop of berries. Banana leaves are
spread over the ground, which prevent
weeds from growing and choking the
coffee plant. A young coffee orchard IS
a thing Of beauty. The rich green foh-
AGE somewhat like orange or laurel
leaves elistens in the sunlight. The
graceful banana, with its punches OF lus-
cious fruit gracefully dropping, Is Ike
frame for the picture. Some trees bear
the second year, but the third year IS
the beginning Of real crop. Twenty
wears Is about the average life OF the
tree.
Contemplating begins about the last oi
December and lasts until about the 10th
If March. though the main crop is gath
cred the last Of January and early part
Of February. They blossom in March
and April. The berries grow all along
she branches Of the trees, and are picked
NV native women and children, who are
aaid three reals '3G cents for each oas-
Let Of berries. and as some can pick four
baskets per diem. they can earn y reals
$50 per day. The berries are npread
upon large paved plazas in front and
rear of the hacienda, where they are
subjected TO the action of the sun for
f,om eight to twelve days, when the
outside meat dries and turns black, and
the berries look like tarred pebbles lsuch
as we use for roofing purposes 1t Is
then run through threshing and mill
ing machine, which breaks the hulis and
cleans the coffee bean ofall pigment and
other impurities. An ingenious machine
separates the caracollilo OF peaberry from
the planchuela, or fiat bean. 1t is theT
ready for market. A cofee-plant pro
duces. on the average, four ounces al col
fee. some producing more, and soa
less.
The banana crur is sold in Fortin, tn
nNule Of the railway station, at four pm
kas of four hands all over that beinl
thrown in gratis Thirty pinkas constl
tutes one half Of cargo, and sixty pm
kas one cargo, or fifteen lunches, and 10
this the sum Of sl.50 is realized, or tel
cents. Mexican money, for bunch Q
yellow bananas anywhere from four !
seven bands in size This is very re'
sonable.sbut as the cost is only in III
cutting, it pays well, after all. Orange
are excellent, and at Cordoba sell for
per gross to shippers. Pineappies al
luscious. and you can buy baskettul fC
one real twelve cents. The forest IRE
at Cordoba are all covered with orchid
and parasites. The cactus family is we
represented. The mango, noted for j
fruit, is beautiful tree.
Orizaba, which is the next town of in
portance east of Cordoba on the Mexica
Railway, is four thousand feet high, an
here coffee grows, also, but not to sue
an extent as further down at Cardob
orizaba has large cotton and woolen mil
in prospect, and in the vicinity are fir
marble quarries. From Orizaba TO Esp
rama, in a distance of only thirty mile
the grade is $500 feet, and the scener
along the .oute surpasses any we have !
the States even the horseshoe bend o.
the Pennsylvania railroad is eclipse
here. Esperanza is famous for its valus
BILE ONYX mines. At Apizaco, furthe
east, a branch railroad runs to Puebli
From Apizaco 10 Mexico the tourist ride
through nothing but maguey fields ant
as each plant is estimated to yield a prot
IL Of $50, a pulque or msguay plantation
Is a veritable gold mine TO its owner
takes eight years for this plant to ma
ture. Then it shoots up a flower stall
as thick as a msn's.Ethigh. This is Gu
out, and into the hollow centre thu
formed the sap flows at the rate Of gal
Ion every twenty-four hours. II is calle'
muel honey de 'agava. Natives gathe
il in pig skins, which are carried on bar
rows to the stations emptied into vat'
fermented, and then shipped to Mexic
City on regular pulque trains. Whel
freshly made j. is not bad to take. II j
healthy and nutritious, and while
makes one rather drowsy, it will not in
toxicate The Indians take it in yer,
large quantities on an empty stomach
in fact, they live on il. tlooks like but
termilk, but tastes more oily.
STATE or ONO, CRY OF TOLEDO,
LUCAs COUNTY.
Frank ]. Cheney makes oath that hC
is the senior partner of the firm of F. J
4. 4 I. =. Il.