El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-24
ERA CRUZ, Mexico. March "a.
" Few countries in the world

A
" Few countries in the world
possess such rich agricultural
opportunities as Mexico. With all its
territory lying south of the region of
rigorous winter, and the major portion
within the tropics, the elevation Of
its tablelands gives a climate where
the products of the north may be
raised. while on the coastal plains one
finds climate that permits the grow
ing of tropical fruit. Therefore, when
the agricultural resources of Mexico
are developed by the Introduction of
American methods, Mexico will be able
to feed itself and assist in feeding less
favored nations.
There are innumerable examples to
prove that the American farmer who
comes TO Mexico and buys intelligently
and handles his labor we'll can make
a success out of his work But the
man who falls into the hands of a
fraudulent land company is foredoom-
ed to failure. 1t is estimated by the
department of~agriculture in Washing
ton that if all the land suitable to
growing cotton were utilized, this
country could easily become the rival
of the United States in the production
of that staple. During the days of the
Montezumas the annual cotton pro-
duction attained an average Of about
V1,VVV LUIS. quay the pIOQQCIlOA 10
not more than half that amount, al
though the consumption OF the Mex
lean factories exceeds the production
by some so, 900 bales The government
places an import duty Of three and
half cents a pound on raw cotton, so
that the cotton growers in Mexico
have the advantage of those in the
United States.
To Be Great Cattle Country.
Long-sighted men believe that Mexi-
CO is destined to become the breeding
ground of the American. beef supply.
With the breaking up of all the prin-
cipal cattle ranches Of the United
States and their utilization for farm
ing purposes. the stockman must look
to the cheap lands of Mexico for the
cattle ranches of the future. Here
large ranches may be bought for
prices ranging from fifty cents TO So,
gold, per acre In the northern tier
of Mexican states there are millions
of acres Of land adapted to cattle
breeding. On account Of the long dry
fatten them for market, but they can
be brought up to the feeder" point
with remarkable success.
The losses from the rigors of win
ter in Mexico are slight, amounting to
only one percent, even in Chihuahua
which is the only state having a real
touch Of winter. The distance from
the Mexican cattle lands to the corn
belt of the United States is not so
great as to prohibit the raising Of the
American sbeef supply in Mexico and
its preparation for market in the Unit
ed States. The United States will not
allow cattle to come from the eastern
part Of Mexico. through the Laredo
and Eagle Pass gateways. because of
a quarantine against Texas fever.
hold Of the cattle business in Mexico
fever tick probably will follow.
\PIenty of Land; Good Prices.
In Mexico the staple food products
are corn, wheat and beans. There are
millions of acres of land in the re-
public suitable for the cultivation Of
these crops. The selling price per
bushel is just about double that in the
United States, while the cost of the
land and labor is less than half as
much as in the United States. AS the
Of everyday diet, corn is demanded in
annual crop is greater than that OF
any single product of Mexican soil.
Coffee a Great Crop.
Coffee is one of the important crops
of southern Mexico, the state Of Vera |
Cruz alone having an annual produc- |
ton of about 100000 pounds. The |
coffee fincas, or plantations. Of CO.
lima in west Mexico, supply the coffee |
that is used on the table of the En- |
peror of Germany. The total coffee |