El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-01


be under profitable cultivation; that is,
provided the Nicaraguans ever get
down to a basis of permanent peace.
Two crops Of corn can be grown IN
this country in a single year, and
there is a vast acreage OF tillapie
ground which might be put under
profitable cultivation Beef cattle
thrive in the upland district, and there
is much territory which might be con-
verted into valuable grazing land.
With drouth unknown during the
growing season, except on tne "est
coast. and here seldom interfering with
tropicaI agriculture, Nicaragua, given
peace and assuring a friendly attitude
toward foreign capital could lnoeeo
be made TO flow with the MIX anu
honey Of agriculture.
Wonderful Timber Lands.
In timber resources Nicaragua Is one
of the richest countries IN the west
ern hemisphere. Except for com
paratiyely small coastal plain on the
Pacific side, another like 1t on the
Atlantic side and farming region IN
the north central part, known as the
Mstsralpa district, Nicaragua is prac-
tfcal primeval forest, so dense that
men accustomed to the jungle w1ids
of Africa declare that Nicaragua Tor
ests are as difficult to penetrate as
the densest IN the world
Tn these forests there are untold
millions Of feet of the finest haro-
woods in the world. There are more
than a half dozen hardwoods, some 1ar
excelling the mahogany In hardness
and taking a fine polish CEDAR larse'
cnooth and exceptionally fragrant
abounds In Nicaragua, and the major
norton of the furniture in the homes
Of the weIltodo is made OF II AS
n-ev5ouslv stated, cedar commands
better market price in Nicaragua tpah
uobooany. which is not so expensive
hero = log about 16 inches square ana
IA feet long being worth from 81 70
$40 delivered to the boats winch ply
in the lakes of the interior
There are also about 40 dlIterent
kinds of trees in Nicaragua which pro,
dnca valuable dye woods, oils ana
roadica1 nroducts. These are gathered
indifferentIy. and one Is surprised tnat
neople with such an abundant sup
n,v Of natural wealth around them can
o,1oU these great resources TO gro"
undeyeloped while they fight among
themselves over the possession OF the
scantv mower that goes with polltlcai
ascendancy in the republic OF only
600. 600 souls, and contend over the
comparatively slim finances or the ma
tional treasury.
SocaIIed seMohamet's Paradise.
Co rich in those things which go
- make M the natural resources OF a
country as TO win for it from an an
c5en+ traveller the epithet 'Mohamets
naradise" Nicaragua Is yet one OF the
noorest countries Of the world III &C
+ual available assets. Once It's re-
sources are developed it viii be rlcn
nation. considering extent OF terrlloIs
and populatfon. but today the eountry
is In the condition of the man VINO nag
600 600 acres of land and can scarceiy
,.sise enough money TO satisfy the tax
ooi1ec+or It's devastating revolutions
have so impoverished the people tnat
+bav have no money with which TO
carry forward. even in the slow Latin-
American way, the development OF the
natural wealth they possess. Like
u1Iee the government has direvted near
" al rf ifs revenues to private purses
and 10 the financing of repeated wars
until its treasury is practically BANK
ruut. and it cannot supply the money
required even for the absolutely nee
essary purposes Of government muc.
s s.s- Tor CARRYING forward the internal
improvements essential to nauonal eA-
pansion and growth.
Losses of Coffee Planters.
remarkable picture Of what hap
mems In Nicara qua in seasons or revo-
lution is afforded by the story OF the
coffee crop during the last revolution
arv period. The yield for the season
of l907-s had been approximately IA
0oO. 600 pounds. The yield or the 1oi-
lowing season promised to be record
breaking one. the indications oeing
that 100000 pounds OF coIree Woulo
he gathered. Then came the reYoiu-
fion The laborers on the coffee plan
tations were drafted into military serv-
ice or frightened into the forest to
hide from the recruiting officers. and
Nicars qua. harvested only 4,e00,0eO
mounds Of coffee. as compared with the
/ 6 600 COO pounds indicated. The re-
manning 10000. 900 pounds persisted on
the trees for the want or men 70
gather the crop. Coffee has marker
value of from Z to 10 cents pound IN
Nicaragua It is probable that the to-
tal loss sustained by the coffee plant
ars amounted to $1,000. 600. and that
AT a time when they already were on
the verge Of ruin because Of the ruin
Gus expressions Of the Zelaya govern
ment.
What happened to the coffee plant
ars hefeu almost everybody else who
was engaged in Industrial enterprises.
In 1907 there were 931 wooden ana
235 iron sugar mills in operation In
the republic, and their products, in
Guiding rnolasses, aguardiente and al
cohol, amounted to over sIOOO,OOo In
value When the revolutionary period
came on the sugar mills were all but
forced to shut down. The same situ-
alton prevailed in the mines and for
ests of the country to a greater or less
extent. The result was that the repub- |
lie was financing a war and running
the tax-paying abilities Of its people
at the same time. The expenditures |
were so increased and the revenues so
diminished that bankruptcy was all
but inevitable IT got to the point
where the revenues Of the government
scarcely sufficed to meet the interest
on the public debt, leaving nothing
for the purposes of national admins
4.-ntiora