The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-06
FOR MAN WITH LITTLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INVESTMENT

The methods of wheat growing arc
exceedingly orude. On tho smaller
farms the grain Is cut by hand, and In
some places threshed out by driving
oxen over 1t. In the State OF Sonora
every locality has its threshing pits.
These are about thirty or forty feet
In diameter and one or two feet deep.
Tho bottoms OF such pits arc pounded
smooth and treated 90 that they are
| AZ hard as II covered with concrete
The wheat is thrown into the pit and
the grain trodden out by tho feet OF
horses or donkeys. Tho wheat Ia
is then cleaned by throwing 1t against
the wind. which blows away the char.
inc wheat falling on sheet or blan-
ket. On the larger haciendas modern
machinery Is used. and there are some
which have steam threshers and steam
plows.
The tropics OF Mexico seem to BIO es-
peciaily attractive to Americans. There
are extensive tracts on the eastern and
western sides OF the country, rising
from tho seacoast to the mountains.
which have every climate known to
man. The iowlands will grow all sorts
OF tropical fruits. and higher up arc
coffee and cacao. Experiments have
shown that tea can be produced. and
also ginger. nutmegs and spices There
are some profitable cacao plantations.
this fruit having been raised since the
times Of the Aztecs. AS to coffee, the
pSSo tHiiFc diHlOSt anywhere at an
elevation of from $500 to 1000 feet.
and from 500 to 1000 trees can be-
grown on one acre. The production of
coffee last year was about 100000
pounds The coffee costs about cents
pound to raise. pick. clean and sack.
whereas the selling price at the planta-
lions for it Is about IA cents a pound.
An acre should produce from ESQ to 500
pounds.
You have heard great deal in tho
United States about Mexican rubber.
The best lands for this crop arc In tho
| southern part of the country. Rubber
Is very capricious, and IT Is most pro-
ductive where there is plenty OF water
In the soil. and whore, nevertheless, the
dry season is long. Rubber trees grow
we'll in Chiapas and Tabasco. two
states which will be opened up by the
Pan american Railroad.
most interesting form OF the rubber
now being exported from Mexico Is that
known as guayule. This comes from a
plant which grows wild on the high
lands. and which is bringing In mill
lions OF dollars year. Guayule has
long been known to contain rubber.
but the rubber In II was thought to be
OF little value. 1t is now known TO be
excellent. The supply. however, Is
limited. Only n little comes from each
plant. and $4,000 tons is estimated to
be the total possible output
The best regions are now yielding
about quarter OF n ton per acre, and
although the territory where the plant
grows is large. the area where 1t can
be probably exploited Is not as great
as that of South Carolina
1t ig found as far north as Texas and
as far south aB Pachuca, In Mexico
having native habitat as large as
California. But 1t Ii found only here
and there. growing at varying alti-
tudes and usually on stony ground.
The rubber In the merchantable plants
ranges from to 10 per cent Of the
weight. and so far the most of the
product has been from the wild plants
Mr. Salvador Madero of Monterey. who
Is largely interested In the industry,
tells me that attempts to force the
growth OF the crop by irrigation have
been failures. The plants thrive, but
they yield no rubber to speak Of
understand that SG0.o00.ooo la now In
vested In the industry.
How Mexico Works Uncle SANS ynvs.
There Is another product here In
which Americans have been making a
great deal of money. This Ia chicle.
which forms tho base OF our chewing
gums. and OF which consume mil
lions OF pounds every year Chicle
comes from the sap of the sapote tree.
which Is tapped for the purpose. Tho
sap is collected in about the same way
as that OF the sugar maple. save that
the trees. instead of having holes bored
and the sap flows out into a trough at
the centre and drops into a pail at the
foot Of the trunk
The chicle trees grow only In tho
tropics. They are from forty to nifty
feet high. and they have a pear-lIke
fruit. 1t costs little 70 take care of
them They are planted at about ten
feet apart. or about 400 to the acre and
they, should yield at eight or ten years.
Each tree will produce Ave or six
pounds OF gum. and II carefully tapped
should continue to produce for twenty
years. The chicle industry is now con-
Quoted by n trust operated under a
concession from the Mexican govern
ment, which gets a certain percentage
OF the product. In 1910 the exports OF
the gum were In the neIghborhood of
$1,000 o0 and IT Is estimated that in
bulk they were sufficient to have made
a washington Monument OF solid chew
Ing gum blocks.
Copyright, 1913. by Frank G. Car
penter.)