The Hawaiian gazette., 1896-10-06

Cruz, and have had exclusive control
OF Mexican labor. l find them class
exceedingly susceptible to the manage
men by which they are controll-
ed; they are easily rendered useless by
lnJudicious management, and may be
maintained at a high standard with
care, and by rigid enforcement OF
orders and rules, with no familiarity
whatever exercised toward the men, as
that encourages INSTRUMENTATION. The
lower the wages, the better the service;
even though below l cents day, as
then they have no excess to waste and
not so many holidays on which to
waste it."
A writer thus says of the Indians on
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec:
The Indians on the isthmus are the
most industrious, honest and peace
full in Mexico, of a mild and gentle dis
position, and not inclined toward war
or disturbances of any nature. They
are very muscular, and possess won
derful endurance. In color, they are
lighter than our own Indians; their
features are much finer and the ex-
preston of the face more pleasant.
"At present, abundant labor is avail
able at an average cost of so cents per
day for full-grown man, and, if en-
ployed regularly, from $40 to s12 per
month (MeXican silver. Women and
children do great deal of the work
on coffee plantation, and during the
picking season the major part of it, for
which they receive a much smaller
COMMUNICATION than man Afta1. rlon-
tation is five years old, the owner can
figure his labor at an average cost of
25 cents per day.
CAUTION TO UNITED STATES IN
VISITORS.
AS there has been a coffee boom
created in the United States by the
real estate agents, the tourists to Mex
leo, the agents of railroad and steam
ship lines, as well as many of the resi-
dents here engaged in other business,
it may be we'll for me to suggest to the
people of the United States not to be-
lieve all the exaggerated reports sent
out from this country. | take this
special means of doing so. Many of
the reports are highly colored for a
purpose. In the unsettled condition of
the agricultural and laboring popula-
ton of the United States, these boom
ers see their opportunity, believing
there may be disposition to believe
that there is spot of gold at the
end of the rainbow" and that all that
is necessary is for them to come
here and regain their failing fortunes
without much labor This is a serious
error AS in all other countries, man
gains nothing here without early and
late labor. As rule, l would not re-
commend anybody to undertake coffee
raising in Mexico without sufficient
capital to pay for $50 acres of land
cash in hand, and have at least 5000
in Mexican currency to meet the frs
years expenses. In confederation Of
the above statement, | quote from G
report on coffee raising made to The
British Government by Francis
Stronge, secretary of the English le-
cation at this city:
The intending planter will find a
capital of f1,5OO amply sufficient fol
requirements. 1t is far better to begin
planting on comparatively small scale
and to gain thorough experience of the
country and the business before en-
barking on an unnecessarily large
undertaking. Some $50 acres is as much
as beginner should attempt to deal
with, and even of this only 200 acres
should be planted with coffee, the re-
naming so acres being left under tim
Der or applied to other purposes.
Good lands for planting can be OBJ
tanned at from 1Ss TO fl per acre, and
sometimes cheaper. If, then, the mean
between these two prices is taken,
$50 acres would cost f300, and the
planter with FL 500 capital would still
have FL 200 in hand with which to meet
initial expenses and to maintain him
self until his plantation came into full
bearing. At first sight this sum will
seem unnecessarily large, but in a
country where credit is not easily OBJ
tanned, and where the interest on bor-
rowed money is very high, it is well to
hold a reserve of capital as an insur-
ance against unforeseen accidents. The
failure of large number of foreigners
in this country may be attributed to
neglect of this precaution."
Two or more individuals may club
together and aggregate the above men
toned capital, or more, and accomplish
the same end, but by no means let any
small capitalist undertake to cultivate
over 100 acres in coffee and other ne
cessary crops. This 100 acres may be
made self-supporting the first year by
eultivating 25 or so acres of it in coffee
ana other things in connection with
chicken and hog raising, having a veg
etable garden, and by all means a me-
dunn sized nursery of twenty-five thou
sand coffee seedlings to be ready for
the balance of the hundred acres.
ESSENTIAL TO SUCCESS.
Nature has not overlooked the pri-
mary necessities for the beginner in
Mexico. The yucca or Mexican starch
plant, is an excellent auxiliary for i'm
mediate use. Half an acre OF it will
feed a good sized family and fifty pc
ons besides. The prospective investor
must Danish entirely the idea of en-
gaging the services of a stranger to
this country who has read somebody's
book on coffee, gone through planta-
lions on railroad cars, or of a late ar
rival from Ceylon, West Indies or Lii
IBERIA. These men may know very well
about the country from which they
come, but comparatively little of Mex
leo. Many failures in coffee growing
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