San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-11-22
SCENES IN WONDERLAND.
A Visit to The
The Banana-Contract Let-The
Appointments Give General
Satisfaction An Saints
Day-PersOnaI, Etc.
VICTORIA, Nov. Is, 1892.

Speclal Correspondence 10 the LIGHT.
Since we came TO Victoria, we paid
visit to the La Cruz Hacienda which
is owned by Senior Francisco Mar
tinez, of this city. This hacienda is
situated on the west eide of Rio La
Cruz (the cross), on the line of the
Monterey and Mexican Gulf railway,
distant from Victoria 26 miles, and
contains ten square leagues. or A, 4S0
acres. This hacienda Is we'll stocked
and improved. He has about 1000
head of cattle, 200 head of horses. 800
head of mules, $50 head OF work
mules, saddle horses, work oxen and
1900 head of sheep and goats. He
has 1000 acres in corn, 40 acres in
beans, 200 acres in rice and many
acres in other cereals. He carries on
his pay role l7S men and there are
about 400 women and children who
live on his place.
He has on his hacienda q large
sugar mill which is run by steam and
water. He made last year $50, 000
pounds of sugar. 5000 pounds of pc.
lonciIlos and 1000 gallons of brandy,
all Of which he got 8 home market
for. He keeps force of carpenters,
saddle makers, harness makers,
blacksmiths and saddle tree makers.
Every thing that Is needed for the
place he has manufactured. He keeps
general supply store and q drug
store on the ranch. AS he raises
good deal OF corn he feeds many hogs.
We saw some of them and they were
in splendid condition.
AS he has thirty days water, that
ls water every day in the year, he
never fails to make a crop. This
ranch he estimates at $3.50, 900.
He owns another hacienda, the La
Crueta, on which he raises sugar
ais, and cattle, horses, mules,
burros, sheep, goats. hogs and poul.
try. This one he values at S45, 900.
The hacienda and depot is connected
by telephone.
AS this was the first sugar planta-
ton of any size that we visited in the
tropics. We saw many things in IL
that were new to us. The manage
ment could be improved on, and if it
was worked like the sugar and corn
plantations on the BrszOs, in Texas,
this hacienda would be worth at least
$500, 900.
Mr.. Martinez don't care about sell.
ing it, but he informed us that he
would take $3.50 600 for it.
THE BANANAS.
According TO experiments lately
made by Mr.. Francis j. Giles, OF New
York, the day is not tar distant be-
fore the bananas will be the most
valuable crop grown in the tropics of
Mexico.
According to q late article in the
Farmer and Fruit Grower, of New
York Mr.. Giles of that city has dis
cover ed a process of converting the
banana into flour. The Farmer and
Fruit Grower says:
The meal is made from the unripe
banana, and by the process now dis
covered will keep, it is maintained, as
long as -four. The producing power
of the banana is so greaS-forty-fou
times as great as the potatO-that
this new discovery Is q most impor.
tsnt one with regard to the price of
that food, in which the poor are most
intere sted, for 1t is confidently ex-
pected that the meal will soon lower
the present price of the loaf
The German interest in manufac-
turing bananas into a sausage is also
declared to be perfectly feasible. In
this case the less ripe banana is used,
charged with condensed milk and
then put in tins.
"A Already some of the largest can.
ming factories have begun to make
this commodity one of the features of
their business. The banana sausage
is even more nutritious than the meat
and is so easily transportable that on
a campaign 1t will be almost
invaluable. 1t has also been
learned without dDubt that
the banana meal can be used most
successfully and economically in the
manufacture of beer. So much for
the fruit CT the banana. at has late
ly been discovered that the skin OF
the fruit is also valuable First of all
IL gives beautiful fber from which
a durable and fine cloth can be manu-.
featured. The juice of the skin also
gives an indeliable ink and can be
fermented into good vinegar"
If the above IL true then it is the
greatest discovery of the age. There
are millions in it,. Ten thousand
acres planted in bananas in this Sec
ton would be worth more than all the
silver, lead, gold, copper, sulphur,
coal. petroleum and asphaltum mines
that we referred to in our last letter
from Linsres.
The banana once planted in this
section requires no cultivation. They
are self producing. They grow con-
tinuslly, and all the labor that is nee.
essary after they are once planted is
to cut the fruit and ship them to mar
Eet.
CONTRACT LET
A bout two weeks ago the governor
let a contract to Messrs. J. b. smith
and AZ II Mol .anrin of A nafin ley.