Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-30

the upward trend, and are far better
off as regards their health, manners
and morals than the unchecked natives
in the same region. And the work for
the future Is going on in the small
nearby towns In the surest way; that
of instilling knowledge into the COM
ing generation. There happy children,
with lunch boxes and cloth bags, go
to and from school.
MANY LIVE IN THAToHED HUTs
Los Horcohes, still in the early
stages of development, affords a much
better opportunity. than the Tabasco
plantation to study the lower class
Mexican on his native heath. On this
estate of some $4,000 acres there are
100 or more laborers, who formerly
were tenants. Mr.. Cass says that their
ideas of what we term ethics and NOR
ais are more primitive than the
thatched huts which are their habita-
tions. The sides of these huts are OF
bamboo, tied together with leathern
thongs, and the thatch is of palm
leaves. The children run about half
or wholly naked, and, like the old
song, "they keep the pig in the par
lor"
Water is carried from the river in
ollas upon the women's heads. They
crush the corn for tortillas by hand
between stones, and cannot be weaned
from the native stove-a table covered
with sand, upon the top of which the
fire is built Mr.. Davis got very good
snapshot of a two-wheeled bull cart,
the natives means of locomotion.
These conditions are bound to
change. Next to schools. railroads are
the greatest civilizers, and two have
pushed themselves within three miles
of Los Horcones. The terminus of the
Julie and San Juan railway is at San
Juan Evangelista, the alcoholic little
town before referred to, and nearby
San Marcus is a station on the Vera
Cruz Pacific railway.
The isthmus country presents that
tropical luxuriance to be expected in
so warm a climate, where the rain
fall is from 100 to 120 inches. On Los
Horcones plantation air plants and
vines wind themselves about the tan
gled trees of the jungle. Several fam
lilies of monkeys have habitations lit
tie more primitive than those of the
natives of the demesne, and green
parrots and other birds of high-col-
ored plumage abound.
GROVE OF WILD RUBBER
There is a wild rubber grove. and
wild para grass grows to great height
along the four miles of river front
waited for many years by the native
tenants. The cane grows from 13 to Is
feet in height has from 32 to 36 joints
and sometimes measures from seven to
eight inches at the bottom. Para grass
is planted in joints, and once growing
will afford pasture for 25 or 80 years
It is succulent, nutritious and fatten-
ing to any class of livestock.
The travellers report the land adapt
ed to corn, tobacco, cotton, rice
fruits, vegetables, coffee and rubber
A wealth of raw material awaits the
genius of the American developer-or,
rather, he is already on the ground.
Ambition is sadly lacking among the
natives. Easily as things are made to
grow, they are too lszy to raise fruits
for their own use. In time, says Mr.
Davis, many delicious fruits, some ut
will be raised in quantities and sent in
refrigerator cars to the United States
The variety sounds unlimited: Pa
paya, mango, zapota, aguacate, melon
calabaza, guayabo, guava, mayema,
chrimoya grenada, orange. lemon
pomegranate, tamominda, grapefruit
bread fruit, banana, pineapple. and so
on Most of these grow wild in the
woods of Los Horcones.
Mr.. Davis grew eloquent over the
luscious qualities of a yellow musk
melon fruit with black seeds. which
grew in heavy punches on a tufted
palm-like tree. He declares that were
he ten years younger he would grow
up with the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 1t
was suggested that he send his son.
He shook his head. "It is not a good
place for a young man-too exotic"
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