The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-09

hcme, the moon shines with a greater
brilliancy, and the diamond Ike stars re
mind me of the luminous heavens when
hang low at night over the Amazon OF
the Gulf of Siam.
This high plateau grows all the crops
Of the temperate zone. 1t has irrigated
regions which produce large quantities
of cotton. fiber which was used by
the Aztecs when Cortez first came. lr
yields Indian corn, which IS the staple
food of the people, and ii is claimed that
Mexico is the original hope of this plant.
have seen soil which produces two
crops OF wheat in one year. and where
the grain is pulled root and all from the
ground. There Is no manure; and the
sun, the air and the ground furnish al
the plant food. AS to fruits, we nave
all those of the tropics and temperte
zones. and that every month. L nave had
Strawberries in Mexico at Christmas, ana
even now they are brought 10 the trains
by peddlers and sold at a few cents q
basket. Sugar cane is grown farther
south, and tobacco is favorite crop
with the natives. Altogether the SOL
and meat products which Mexico IS now
producing annually amount to something
like s20o,0O0, 600. This is more than comes
from the miaes. am told that the live
stock industry is growing, and that
Mexico Is about our only hope for cheap
meats in these days of high prices.
The Mines of Mexico
Every one knows of the Mexican mines
They have been producing millions ever
since Cortez robbed the treasures of the
Montezumas, and they are row turning
out nearly $50, o,000 worth of minerals
every le months. In this I include only
gold, silver, copper and lead. But Mexico
also has mountains of iron; 1t has coal
hal
and is has the greatest Old fields now
being operated in any part of the world.
OF all these things I will write in the
future.
Land of Railroads and Electric Plants
The Mexico of 1918, although now III
the turmoil of revolution, is inclosed
in a network of modern civilization. IL
is one of the chief railroad countries OF
the earth, and its trunk lines II
stretched end to end would reach more
than half way around the globe. It
has about 10000 miles in operation and
there are over 1000 miles more un-
der construction. 1t has been said
that the disorder which has refgned
during the last two years mas stopped
the building of railroads. This is true
only of certain sections. Tho National
railways have considerable track uh-
der construction and I saw men exca-
on my way to Monterey.
As to electric plants, the water
powers of the country are being grad
ually harnessed, and with others the
falls of Juanacatlan, the Niagara OF
Mexico, are generating electricity. Rid
ing south over the plateau | saw the
steel posts of high power transporta-
tion lines running for miles through
the desert, and 1 am told that this
branch of industry is on the edge OF its
beginning.
In this connection come the new fac
tories which are springing up over the
republic The steel plant here is now
paving dividends and there are other
steel works of smaller size. Cotton
mills have been constructed In many
parts of the republic. and there are now
l42 such factories in operation. There
are many large smclters in the chief
mining districts and oil refineries viii
be erected in the new petroleum helds
along the gulf coast.
am told that almost all the cities
are growing and find that the country
is a far different Mexico from that
which 1 first visited, now more than 20
years ago.
Just now foreign investment is at
a standstill on account of the revoiu-
ttonary troubles but before they broke
ont consul General Hanna tells me-,
the trains passing through Monterey
were full OF Americans on their way
south to the various sections. Many of
them expected to raise coffee, cacao,
fruit and other things along the gulf
coast, and others were to engage in the
oil development that is going on be-
tween Tampico and Vera Cruz.
The people here are sanguine that
the conditions Will improve within a
very short time, and they predict that
a large Immigration from our country
will follow.