The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-03-03
VIVID DEsCR|PT|O !
o. |. PLANTATION |. ] ! ! I
IN MEXICO
Hatcher Brothers Of This City
Are Exploiting Old
Mexico.

y . z (. z
The following letter has been receiv-
ed by the Hatcher Brothers corpora
tfon from D. NJ. Hatcher which is Wis
ifing the La Oaxquena Plantation in.
old Mexico at st. Lucretia, Vera Cruz,
Mexico, in which they are Interested.
1t reads in part as follows:
Gentlemen: f,
Our party arrived Friday noon and
we have since been very busily en-
gagged riding and looking over the
plantation. and we have two or three
days more before we have completed
our task. M
1t is certainly a. mammoth PROPOSE
ton and it is hard to properly de-
scribe 1t, without taking a volume of
paper. 1t seems almost located by ma
ture for large plantation and It
seems impossible to suggest any altera-
ton by nature which would benefit the
project.
In the first place, there are about
5000 acres absolutely fiat bottom land,
we'll drained, superior land for cane.
and there Is no other tract of sugar
land known Of 30 large a volume.
There are about 10000 acres more of
good cane land. a little higher than
the bottom lands, possibly 20 feet high
er, which is practically level and will
sometime be used for cane. For the
present. 1t is being cleared and used
for cattle pastures. We saw cattle
sold for $50. These figures are Mex,
lean, which are twice gold. Three
kinds of grasses are planted here for
pasture depending altogether on the
nature of land, and para grass, the
most prolific, is used on low lands!
These grasses have no seed, but are
planted and grow from the joint, the
same as cane. They are planted one
Joint about every square foot, and
grow and fall down, taking root again
at every joint that touches the earth.
AS the joints are about four inches
apart, 1t takes but a year or SO to cover
the earth with mating that chokes
everything else out. even to, sprouts
and vines of all kinds. An average II
three head of cattle can be pastured for
every two acres, something which will
seem incredible to western ranchmen.
The rubber orchards look fine and
i've hundred acres of trees planted
from seed in July, 1904, are from six
to nine feet in height. and we meas
ured one that was 131s inches in cir
conference about a foot above the
ground!
The townsite, consisting Of about 200
acres. lies very close to the river, Civ
Ing on ideal location from sanitary
standpoint. The health of laborers is
one Of the most vital considerations
here as places known to be unhealthy.
have trouble in keeping their men and
getting others. They are putting in
complete system of sewers and wa
terworks. with pumping system Of
SIX million gallons. daily, over five
million of which will be used in mill.
refinery and distillery. A reservoir I
two millions gallons capacity is be-
Ing constructed on peak, about 100
feet higher than the townsite, this
peak being the highest point in the
whole property. Tho tawnsite is on
the highest general elevation OF the
whole property, DeiAs about forty feet
above the bottom lands.
The river hereSis about one-tourth
mile wide, with good depth. Steamers
are running, regularly in this the dry
est time Of the whole, year.
The corporation expects to plant
1000 acres Of sugar cane next year. &.
The railroad Is complete for several
miles, including route from wharfs to
all parts Of townsite. The rails are Sc
lib. stuff. Surveys have been made for
all of the railway on plantation, in
GLIDING line to connect with the out
side railroads to all parts of the Re
public.
Large numbers Of Japanese are be
ing imported from japan, and saw
several which had come directly from
the armies in ,Manchuria. Some CT
them are still wearing their Kharki
uniforms, They are brought in by
contract with large Japanese con-