The herald., 1894-08-26
COFFEE GROWING IN MEXICO.
The Condition of That Indus
try at Present.
The Plant and the Conditions 1t
Requires.
The Plant, ths Flowers aud the Ber-
ries- The requirements of
Plantation Qualities
of tho Soil.

| BOutuGTu GhTb vi AIADlhs D0o bu0 S0uub
coffes, to which the common coffee tree
belongs. There are from SO to 90 spe-
cies.
The common coffee tree is an ever
green growing to a height OF from Is to
20 feet, with oblong, smooth and shining
! leaves, measuring six inches in length
by two and one-half in width. The
! flowers are produced in dense clusters in
the axis of the leaves. They are pure
white in color, with rich and fragrant
odor. and the plants in blossom have
lovely appearance.
The frnit is feshy berry, having the
size and general appearance of small
cherry; and as 1t ripens ii assumes
dark rsd color. Each fruit, as rule,
contains two seeds embodied in yel.
lowish pulp, and the seeds are enclose
in q thin parchment.
The seeds which onstitute the raw
coffee of commerce are of q soft bluie b
color and hard and tough in texture.
Until recently, in Mexico, the plant
has received but little attention, and
much less has it received scientific
treatment, but in spite of these facts
Mexican coffee holds ts own in competi.
tion with any other end commands an
increasingly good price. But it is not to
be doubted that the industry here will
receive greater attention every year, and
already there are scores OF foreigners
engaged in the business and capitalists
from all parts of the United States are
coming in like fooi and buying up the
coffee land. The main points to be con-
| aldered in connection with the location
! of q coffee plantation ere. first, soil and
! climate then means of transportation,
! healthlulness. labor and cost. 1t is emf
nently desirable that the plantation
| should be located near a nsvigable
river or railway or ports The ideal
location is on q navigable river. as the
coat OF transportation by water is very
much cheaper than by land. Metleto-
yuca is little less than 80 English
miles from the important port OF
/ Tuxpan, and the Panlepec river,
which empties into the Mexican
Gulf, near Luxpaio, is nsvigsble up to
within 10 miles Of our colony lands. AS
the grower will most probably wish to
raise general products, which have d
greater bulk than coffee in proportion to
value the question of transportation
ia thus made all the more serious.
| There are aeveial instances of planta-
tions having been abandoned on the
ground OF being inaccessible. Finally,
when your products are ready for mar
ket or in case you wish to find buyer
for the plantation iteelf, your chances
for doing go TO advantage will be largely
increased, II you are not in an 'out-oi-
theway" place. To show the advan-
tage OF having good means OF tranepor-
tation, take the position of Cordobu
state OF Vera Cruz. There, owing TO
the fact that the Mexican railway runs
through Cordobu, the plantations real
ize 50 per cent more on sale taking
place than even better lands elsew there,
and the prics of lands within ten miles
OF the city OF Cordobu is from $40 to 500
per acre. and yet Cordobu is by no
means the baet coffee growing district in
the republic. Much better land can be
obtained in other places from 81 to SIS
per acre. The only strong point OF the
| Cordohu district is Its accessibility, but
tbs difficulty of transportation is only
| question of a few years; for such fer
tile and beautiful country as this cannot
lie dorment.
The question of the soil, its quality
and quantity, for coffee growing is
vital one. For on the soil depends not
only the yield but also the duration of
the life OF the tree itself. 1t is generally
stated that black, loamy soil, mixed with
vegetable deposits, is the best. The
depth should be from three to five feet,
80 that the tap root can grow without
"let or hindranCe.
Virgin coil is undoubtedly the best
especially that which ia covered with
forest and rank vegetation. Ali soils in
which the orange and such other trees
that have such large tap roots, are suit
able for the coffee tree. The Importance
is the depth OF the arabic soil, since the
roots grow in proportion to the height of
/ the tree. 10 test the quality OF the soil,
holes to the depth of five feet should be
made. There should be no solid rock or
gravel with that distance from the sur
face, for when the root reaches either the
tree sickens, t1rns yellow, and gradually
dies. A forest slope, On which pine or
fir trees grow, il not suitable, neither
should land be chosen on which 'gszer-
eches," small oaks or "zacate" grass
grow. There is an abundance of land in
Mexico possessing all the requisites as
to soil. In fact it is not difficult to find
in many Mexican states soil to the
depth Of from 10 to is feet, and OF fer
tility unsurpassed. IL is an established
fact that coffee will not grow in any land
! w Hull ~ ny iIObb at My tlub Ol
/ the year, hence in the northern states OF
Mexico no coffee trees are found. The
coffee lands OF Mexico consist OF a belt
OF varying width on each coast, but
much wider on the gulf than on the
Pacific. AS far north as Tampico on
the gulf, and Topic on the Pacific. The
regions found to be beat adapted to the
cultivation of coGoe are well-watered
mountain elopes, at an elevation rang
| ing from 1000 to 1000 feet above sea level,
in locations lying between Is deg. north
to 30 degrees eouth. Coffee requires
temperate climate; the more tenn
perate the climate, tho better the coffee.
The rainfall of the district is point
requiring considerable attention. On it
| the quality and quantity of the crop
largely depend. In some districts the
humidity of the atmosphere is 80 great
that no shade is required for the trees.
In othsrs it so icient that irriga-
ton is required. The tree requires con-
siderable moisture and those districts
are the beet which have the most humid
atmosphere. And, generally, the coffee
growing districts of Mexico are an
healthy as one could desire. AS rule,
however, those nearest the sea level are.
for obvious reasons, the least healthful.
1t is rare that any malignant fever ia
Grot-nlcno pnffoa - NJ