The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-13
Agricultural Department
CONDUCTED BY FULTON s. WHITE.

comes next. l had the pleasure or visit ing a number of great coffee plantations, and, like sugar growing, this is one of the great crops of the coast country. Here coffee trees are found growing wild in the woods bearing great crops of berries, and one can go out and gather all the coffee wanted from the wild trees.
 While coffee Is great crop and a paying one, yet it does not give as good returns for the labor expended as does the sugar industry. Next. perhaps, in importance as money producing crop is tobacco. Tobacco thrives remarka- bly, well here, and the crop was ready to cut in many sections which I visited. Think of ripe tobacco in March,
 Oranges Plentiful.
 Here too were the orange grown, the banana plantations. the pepper trees, pine apples, lemons. ginger, lines and sarsa- parilla. Many other valuable plants may be found growing wild and ore may go out and gather all the fine sweet oranges he wants in the woods, and so of most all the other things mentioned. Most of our common garden vegetables are grown and may be found in nearly all the mar kets. l visited a number of markets, the greatest perhaps, was the market at Yalapa Ha-lapa, the capital of the state of Vera Cruz. Here l found in great abundance Just such line of vegetables as one would see in our New Orleans market and in addition many tropical fruits which were entirely new to the stronger from the states.
 My reasons for visiting this country was to see what the prospect Is for Mex ieo to grow and ship early vegetables to the states, aiId from what l saw and learned of this industry, l was led to con clude that it is coming industry that promises much in the future The growing and shipping of tomatoes to the states is already a paying business and no doubt many more varieties of vegetables will be grown and shipped to this country in the near. future
 There are many small fertile valleys, which with irrigation may be made to produce large line of fruits and vege- tables, and as the railroad facilities for handling these are being improved and as roads are being built all over the country. there Is no question but what we are to get large shipments of these things from Mexico. Then the time when these things can be grown and shipped Is an important advantage while there in the latter part of March. I saw such things as new potatoes, both Irish and sweet, new corn, ripe tomatoes, ripe peaches and cantaloupes on the mar ket. There seems to have been but few
  and they were selling for 14 cents per pound. I had new potatoes at several meals and found them fine. My conclusions were that all the country needs for mak- ing the growing of all these things profit able Is the proper effort. Now that great amount of capital from the states Is going into this country, and with our methods of doing things we may expect to see in the near future wonderful changes for the better.
 There is another great industry for this country, that of the dairy. In the coast country the grass is fine almost the entire year, and the dairy industry could be made very profitable. So far very little is being done along this line.
 Live Stock.
 The live stock industry, like that of agriculture, has been badly neglected However was surprised to find so many good cattle in the coast sidings Here there are great many cattle growers, and many cattle are being sent from the the east coast to Cuba. There has been far more improvement in catt'e than in any other stock. Higher up m the interior one can see many fiocks of sheep and goats.
 There are but few good horses and mules seen outside of the large cities Hogs have had but little attention. and but few are seen and these mostly of the razor-back type. There seems to be good deal of attention paid to the poul- try business, and there are many tur- keys as well as chickens to be seen. l saw young turkeys large enough to use.
 The little donkey or burrow Is the com- mon animal-the beast of burden. the com petitor of the railroads on freight traffic. Ii is really astonishing to see what great loads of freight these little burrows carry. At falapa, the great coffee market, it was truly an interesting sight to stand and see the great droves of burrows in a long caravan coming in loaded with sacks of coffee. Here I visited one of the great coffee houses of the Arbuclkles, where it was an interesting sight to see the girls sorting and grading the coffee.
 But the live stock industry, like that of agriculture, will be developed and made one of the profitable industries of the country. The day will soon be here when the little burrow will be set free, and when freights will be carried on drays and on freight cars as in the states. l felt sorry for the little burrow with his great load of freight. In the states we would not allow him to be so imposed upon. Mining is one of the leading indus tries. I visited one mine from which 1t was said eight million dollars worth Of silver was taken in one year. There Is gold. silver. copper. lead and iron. and these are said to be found in great abund- ance
 Summing up the whole of my observa- tons l am led to believe that there are mFny opportunities for investment, and that Mexico upon the whole is destined to become a great country. Before closing want to say for the city of Mexico that 1t Is wonderful city, In many respects one of the prettiest cities on the globe-a