The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-03-28

"A new flGuStIe L.
in which all corners may participate
and which promises to exceed ths
h]eneuuen industry. lit is the sro"lhs
of ixtjle. The lechuguilla plant is q
fibre producer closely related TO ehe
heneouen and the maguey. or cen
turv plant. It.grOWs in the ARID ana
seui-arid regions of northern Mexico,
and ground that would not sproue
q black-eyed pea is exactly 10 is
liking. The more attentive the Sro"ei
lis in cutting its heart stalk out, the
bigger he plant grows and the bet
ter fibre it yields. 1t has a sort OF
reservoir for holding water. The outer
coating of the leaf is imperVlous to
everything but moisture. When ram
falls this coating softens and the
rain soaks in. Then it becomes hard
again and the moisture is shut up
within the leaf.
A machine has been invented which
will separate the fibre from the stalk.
The fibre costs the producer about
four cents a pound. gold, and 1900
tons Of it were sold last year at prices
ranging between five and six cents
a pound. At present it abounds in
such abundant quantities in a wild
Estate hat it is not necessary to cultI-
vate it.
1t is believed by many that rubber
can be cultivated profitably in Mex
leo, and thousands Of Gcres OF
TOuHU AdSc DStn Z oul HI AopDCA
plantations. Up to this time, how
ever, there is hardly sufficient evil
dence of profitable cultivation to
Justify any American risking his all
in such a venture. The milk from
which the rubber is made comes from
the bark Of the rubber tree, n is
entirely distinct from the sap of the
tree. In some localities large profits
are being made out Of the gathering of
rubber, and in many places thousands
of trees are to be found growing
Wild.
The Mexican government is en-
couraging the development of many
irrigation projects by granting large
subsidies to those who construct them,
and it is predicted that within the
next few Years millions of acres Of
land will be rescued from the desert.
At Saltillo. twenty hours north OF
Mexico. one sees what irrigation will
do. For hours the train courses
through a barren region with only
the prickly cactus to relieve the land
scape. All of a sudden it comes into
an irrigated district blooming with
eternal spring. A finer trucking sec
ton ones could not wish to See 1t
is a promise Of what Mexico is to be
when the pioneer from the North in
PRODUCES his methods in the Mexican
school Of agriculture.
XI.-FRAUDULENT LAND cos
TERRA Blanca, Mexico.-While Mex
leo, with its wonderful diversity Of CHI
mate and its splendid richness of soil,
offers a pleasing prospect for the man
with means and an ability to buy in
diligently, to the man with little
means and a disposition to accept as
truth everything a land agent tells
him: it is a place to be stunned. For
one must have money to begin with,
and ha INST know aYantlG what ho iS
doing, else he will start in the direc-
ton Of failure.
The fraudulent American land COM
panies operating here are doing more
to injure the reputation of Mexico as
a n of opportunity for the pioneer
ing farmer than any other instrument
tality. Not only are they doing much
to injure the reputation of Mexican
farming lands, but they are bringing
down thousands Of Americans and I'M
loading all but worthless AND at prices
that are comparatively high, and leav-
ing the W~ould-be investors financially
stranded. One hears of the misfortunes
Of credulous American farmers at al
most every turn. Many had comfort.
able homes in the States, but, filed
with the desire to leave a richer patri-
non to their children, sold all and
came to Mexico, where they hoped
to get greater acreage, and by self de.
ntal accumulate a larger fortune.
Of course there are homes land COM.
panies from the United States opera.
ting in Mexico, and thousands of farm
erS nav come here under their guild
ance and are prospecting in this LAM
Of perennial sunshine, but even the
Mexican railroad officials condemn the
policies of many Of the companies and
declare that they will be glad if the
public of the United States is warned
to proceed cautiously when making in
vestments.
induced to buy from these fraudulent
companies are many and varied. To
begin wi h. the lands which they have
to sell are usually almost worthless.
On the Isthmus of ~Tehuantepec thous-
ands of acres have been bought by
these companies at the rate of about
SO cents an acre. This land usually