The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-13
CROP PROSPECTS.

 great winter wheat growing sections of Missouri, Kansas Oklahoma and Indian Territory The wheat is looking well in all these sections, growing finely, with a good stand and moisture enough to insure q fine crop. Quite good acreage of spring oats were sown and this crop also is promising.
 A good acreage of corn has already been planted in both the Territories. The soil is in fine condition and planting is be- ing pushed. There has been a large acre. age of potatoes planted in both the Territories, and large crops of melons will be planted. The cotton acreage in the Territories will be largely increased over last years acreage.
 Trip Through Old Mexico.
 Mexico is our neighbor with only the Rio Grande river lying between us. Yet so far as our general Knowledge of the country goes, Mexico had as well be a thousand miles away. What l mean by this is that we may read of Mexico and may hear those who have had the pleas ure of visiting this wonderful country tell of it's wonders. of its mountains, mines, plains dense vegetation. flowers and beautiful cities, but to know Mexico as 1t is one must go and see 1t for him. self. However, we may be able to give an outline of some things we saw, which may be of interest to many of our read CTS
 But before attempting to tell of what we saw l want to tell the readr that should you ever decide to make trip irto this fascinating country, decide be- fore you start to leave all care and worry bt hind, also to not be in a hurry; here is where we make the great mistake, and l fell into the same error. l went in hurry and had to hurry all the time, so could only get an outline of conditions i'll general.
 l have regretted making the trip until si ch time as l would have had more leisure. I wanted to study the plants of the country l suppose that our readers will be more interested in the agricultural possibilities and conditions than in any thing else So I will first notice the agri- cultural possibilities of the country.
 Agriculture In It's Infancy.
 Agriculture in Mexico is yet in it's in- fancy. The system of farming among the natives Is very primitive. the same as has been carried on for centuries. They are blowing yet with wooden blows and doing all their work by hand. The Peon cares nothing for time or for anw im- proved methods in agriculture.
 Indian corn Is a common crop in many sections and the same seed has been planted on the same land for years, year after year without any fertilizer being
 
 ncbbins, which the Peon gathers in bas- kets. They strap basket made like out cotton field baskets on their backs, go through the field and gather the nub- bins and when the basket is full carry 1t to some place selected. Here it is dump ed out and women and children are there to shuck and shell the grain which is ground also in primitive way. From the meal corn cake, which forms the principal food of this poor class is made. l noticed many sections where l am sure with a system of rotation of crops and with our methods of .fertilizing and cui- tivation fine crops of corn could be grown. Wheat Is also extensively grown in some sections and like the corn farm ing, all Is done in very crude way, the wheat being harvested by hand with the old time hand sickle. However l saw sections of country where wheat was being grown extensively and where our improved methods and machinery were being used In growing and handling the crop. Wheat thrashing was in prog ress while I was there late in March.
 Yield of Wheat Small.
 The yield of wheat is small as compared with the yield in the states, but no doubt the yield will be greatly increased when the Yankee idea of farming is introduced, as is now being done. There is one thing which l noticed that Is remarkable it is the manner in which these people stack the straw. l have never seen any thing in the states to compare with a Mexican straw stack for beauty, while they could learn much from us, yet we cauld learn from them how to stack straw.
 Barley Is also extensively grown, and, like corn and wheat the yield is small. These grains or grain crops are all grown up in the interior or uplands. and a very different class of crops, and very different system of farming is car ried on in the tropics. Here we find grow ing sugar cane which is the most profit able crop of the country So far the cane like all other crops in the republic is grown and handled in the same old. antiquated way-that is so far as the natives are concerned-foreigners are coming in and planting and handling, or rather preparing to handle crops. under our new methods, is still practiced yet with this crude system the soil is so rich that it produces wonderful paying crops of sugar
 Even with their crude system of grow ing and handling the sugar cane, as much as one hundred bags of sugar have been produced per acre. The plant ing need be done only once in five sea- sons as one planting will give five. and some times six crops. One of the largest sugar refineries in the world is being erected by an American company near Vera Cruz. This plant will soon be in working order. Of the various agricul- tural industries I saw nothing that offers such inducement for investment as does that of sugar growing. Coffee, perhaps,