INCORPORATED UNDER i HI LAWS OF INDIANA Mexican Coffee and Rubber Company HOME OFFICE: 29 FITZGERALD BUILDING INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA MEXICAN COFFEE AND RUBBER COMPANY Incorporated under the Laws of Indiana HOME OFFICE: 29 FITZGERALD BUILDING INDIANAPOLIS, IND. INDIANAPOLIS WM. B, BURFORD, PRINTER AND BINDER ..fficers... W. D. OWEN, President, O. W. BUTT, Vice-President, Secretary of State of Indiana. Capitalist, Kansas City. Mo. HENRY A. LUCE, Secretary and Treasurer. ...Directors... J. YORBA, W. D. OWEN. City of Mexico. Q A. B. INGALSBEE, TORRFS City of Mexico. F - L ' T ES< MANUEL L. DE GUEVARA, CHARLES F. LUCE, Coatzacoalcos. Logan. Iowa. FRANK L. TORRES, Manager of Plantation. ..Boaro of Control.. HON. THOMAS TAGGART, Chairman. HON. A. C. DAILY. WM. B. BURFORD. HON. U. Z. WILEY. HON. JESSE OVERSTREET. H. E. ROSE, General Agent, 29 FITZGERALD BUILDING, INDIANAPOLIS. IND. Stack Anne* Go JSoavb of Control.. The by-la \vs of the Mexican Coffee and Rubber Company provide for a Board of Control, whose duty shall be to have a committee of its members visit I'bero annually, and at any time on the request of the majority of the investors, and make examination into the management of the planta- tion, comparing its development and general husbandry with that of like plantations on the Isthmus. This exam- ination is to extend into the plantation of each investor, covering the number of trees planted, coffee, rubber, ba- nana and pineapple, and the particular condition of each plantation, and report the same to the full Board. This report will then be printed and a copy mailed to each investor. .Many of our investors will visit their holdings from time to time. Others will probably not visit their plantation until the end of the contract term. From the reports made by the visitin.tr investors and also by the Board of Control, every investor will be constantly in touch with his holding ami will be almost as fully posted in it as if it were con- tinually under his own observation. The interest of the Board of Control is a common one with the investors, and no member of that Board own> a 3 ' dollar of stock in the Company. It is our experience that investors on the development plan, on the Isthmus, often increase their holdings after a visit to the plantation. 36oarE> flPembersbtp... Hon. Thomas Tag.irart is a business man of wide experi- ence and one of the best known citizens of Indiana. A. C. Daily is Auditor of State. Win. B. Burford is the well-known printer and publisher. T. 'A. Wiley is the Chief Justice of the State Appellate Opart Mr. Overstreet is the member of Congress from the In- dianapolis district. 6u/f of Mexico i5 Te/itiwrepec fiac/f/c Ocean Hwakening of a Baticm,,,, Tin* Republic of Mexico lies south of the United States like ;i golden wedge between the Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, dowered by a measureless value of soil and cli- mate and precious stones. When the victorious soldiers of Corte/ swept and pillaged through the halls of ilie Mon- te/umas' they found a magnificence of luxury and a gor- geousness of wealth unknown to Castile and Leon. Two hundred miles north of the City of Mexico, the territory spreads over three thousand square leagues, an arid waste, but its broken mountain sides and rugged gorges for centu- ries yielded precious metals with a hand so lavish that the cities and homes of the Aztecs rivaled Solomon in his glory. South of the City of Mexico begins the sub-tropics. A series of rolling hills and valleys irrigated by streams of water pure as crystal sweeping through a soil fertile as the plains of the Jordan three thousand years ago. and the richest and most productive soil on the globe to-day. Three hundred miles down this tapering waste of the continent is found the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. where the extremes of the thermometer are ."it; and 98, where fever has never been known to enter, where the water is sweet as a mountain spring, where the soil is five to fifteen feet deep, where rain descends like refreshing dews from heaven and each 9 succeeding season brings bloom and bud and crop. But Nature, so prodigal in gifts to this country, had a limit to her generosity and narrowed this Nile of America to one hundred and seventy miles width. As the salt brei-x.es of the (iulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean play back and forth over this wristlet of the hemisphere, they keep the air ] ure by their salt breath, while waving mahogany and cedar and pine and rosewood and the perfume of oranuv and pineapple blossom, and the delicate aroma of budding coffee and ripening vanilla and chocolate, make the air odoriferous as the famous spicelands of the Orient. Nature's richest gifts are always bound in narrow pack- ages; so Mexico's arid plains are two thousand miles broad, but the land which Cortex found, the garden of the world, is only one hundred and seventy miles wide. It is related by the historians of Mexico that when their ancient people wandered, homeless and oppressed by invad- ing tribes, their prophet said: "When an eagle shall rest on a cactus in the midst of the camp, there shall you build your city, and it shall be set for the defense of the Nation." Their priest and leader, rising early one morning, beheld an eagle with out- stretched wings, facing the rising sun, with a snake grasped in its talons and held aloft in death struggle. The priestly leader quickly trumpeted his camp, and. pointing to the imposing emblem, declared the words xpoken by their prophet had found answer. At nightfall, the tirst stakes of the City of Mexico had been planted, and thereon was built a city destined to change the current of human history. An eagle standing on a cactus and grasping a snake with talons and beak remains to this day the emblem of the Nation. 10 Early in The sixteenth century its rule was overthrown by a Spanish invasion and the people wore held in sub- ject ion for three hundred years. At. last their sleeping prowess was awakened, under the leadership of a priest, who. barefooted, had traveled the nation over and knit her people together by a secret oath which had never been di- vulged, and on the appointed night signal tires (lashed from valley and hill-to]) over the whole land, and the Mexicans fell on the descendants of their Spanish invaders and slew and drove the oppressors from out of the land. The nation has been half a century in coining to peace and finding stability, but with it the twelve millions of her people wake to find themselves at the doorstep of the Tinted States, the most advanced and prosperous country on the globe, while they are wearing sandals, plowing with crooked sticks and living in shacks. Fifteen years ago. with pence and stable government, there came to Mexico the dream of wealth and power. With a. wisdom that out reached many of the older nations, her people asknowledged their inability to cope with the prog- ress of the nineteenth century, and threw open the portals of the nation and invited industries and commercial activ- ity to come freely and build a home with them. English and German capitalists availed themselves of this invita- tion. They constructed a gridiron of railroads throughout the country. They then established a chain of banks, with the parent bank at the City of Mexico. This was followed by the construction of street railways and electric light plants in all the cities having over 1.~>. inhabitants. The government was fashioned after the model of the United Stales, having twenty-seveji States, with a Congress and President, and generally all the institutions of our country. 11 They proceeded to follow still further the American ideals by establishing a free school system, furnishing tuition Mini school-lxmks free to the pupils. While the great nations of the world have been barely holding their own during this pericxl. the Republic of Mexico lias enjoyed unparalleled prosperity. Three years since. President l>iax. whose wisdom and pa- triotic statesmanship will rank him in history with Wash- ington and Cromwell, completed the Tehuantepec Railroad, crossing the Isthmus from the Gulf of Mexico at the port of Coat/.acoalcos to the Pacific Ocean at the port of Salina Cruz. Because of the rich, dense tropical undergrowth, the Isthmus was an almost unexplored land, settlements being confined along the rivers whence natives could con- vey their coffee and rubber and pineapples to the sea- coast by the primitive transportation of a canoe. The opening of this railway, putting the most fertile lands on the continent in electric touch and steam connection with the great march of the world, was like weaving a strand of pearls on a cloth of gold. Before the railroad was completed Mexico begun to at- tract the attention of the I'nited States. A people usually of quick perception, we had been laggards in this vineyard and had allowed the Englishman and German to come from across the sea and possess the earliest developments of the country. But the Americans now began to pour into the Republic, securing concessions for manufactories and selecting the most profitable agricultural fields. Two years before the Isthmus road was completed a company of Americans opened up a large tract of land twenty miles from the road by river transportation. They sold out much Of this land on what is known as the development plan: 12 that is. the purchaser paid ;i certain sum per acre for five years, at which time he received ,-i deed for the one hun- dred-acre trad purchased, and then executed a mortgage for two equal annual payments for the remainder of his indebtedness, reserving the option to pay in cash or permit the company to accept the crops for the TWO years for the indebtedness, the company having contracted to plant and cultivate a certain number of thousands of coffee and rub- ber trees and turn the plantation over to the purchaser at the end of live years in good bearing condition. This proposition solved the difficulty of many Americans having limited means, who sought to have a profitable in- vestment in that country, and yet preferred not. to go there and remain the tive years necessary to develop a coffee ami rubber plantation. These development contracts are now Hearing completion. Every investor, without exception, is satisfied with his investment, many of them writing that till' promises made of enormous returns will be more than fulfilled. We have therefore decided to offer a specially advantageous investment by opening up our T'bero planta- tion on the development plan. This plantation is situated on the Isthmus Railroad and at its very center, where every advantage that civilization offers in railroad connections, telegraph, postoffice and all the accompaniments of the in- dustrial life of our own country may be had. We present this pamphlet for your consideration, for every statement herein made can be verified. The practi- cal man in the planting and development of the plantation above referred to is in charge at I'bero plantation, and the estimates on the products of the soil will be fully realixed by our investors. The opening up of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec offers the 13 last opportunity for great agricultural investment on our continent. This strip of territory, which is only some t \vcnty miles wide in the section that Nature has adapted for coffee and rubber culture, and which does not alto- gether contain as much land as four average counties in Indiana, will soon l>e taken up. Out of its remarkable soil, with its matchless climate, great fortunes are now being reaped and still greater ones lie in its bosom awaiting only the touch of the planter to come forth. The native coll'ec. and rubber, and pineapple, and orange, that have bloomed and ripened and fallen ungathered. are passing into the control of far-sighted Americans. The Isthmus of Panama, seven hundred miles farther south, with its tin- fortunate Be Lessep's canal and its deadly miasmas, will, in time, be forsaken, and the Isthmus of Tehnantepec. so much in touch with American life and peopled by Ameri- cans, will become the highway between the Atlantic and the Pact lie. 14 Tfstbmus of Zlebuantepec... The part of Mexico thnt offers the most :illr;iction to the intending investor by reason of its soil, climate, loca- tiou and ireneral desirability, is the Isthmus of Tehuan- tepee. It is a strip of land only about 17<> miles in width, which separates the (Jnlf of Mexico from the Pacific Ocean, and comprises the southern portions of the States of Oaxaca and Yera Crux, and the northern portion of the State of Chiapas. The delightful climatic conditions that are found on the Isthmus of Telmantepec are due mainly to its peculiar lo- cation and topography. It lies a narrow strip of land be- tween two irreat iicrans. mid the mountain chain that extends the lensrth of the American continents is here de- pressed to its lowest altitude, thus itermittin.tr a free cir- culation of the ocean breezes of the Atlantic and Pacific, which ln-intf a pure healthful atmosphere and an abundance of moisture which is condensed and falls in well distributed rains ami copious dews. As the Rocky Mountain rantre that forms the backbone of the Isthmus lies very near to the Pacific Ocean, that water-shed is narrow and steep and its rivers are short and rapid. The (Julf water-shed beirins about half way between the center of the Isthmus and the Pacific Ocean, at the stim- 15 mit of the mountain range where innumerable little streams find their source, and flow down through rock-walled canons, out around the foothills of the central section where they unite and form the river Coatzacoalcos. that rolls, a great majestic waterway, through the plains of the Gulf section and pours its waters into the Gulf of Mexico at the port of Coatzacoalcos. Of this special section, Prescott, in his "Conquest of Mexico," says: "During the first day, Cortez's road lay through the 'Tierra Caliente,' the land that had been so long waiting the hand of the tiller; the land of the vanilla, cochineal, cacao, then afterwards of the orange, the sugar cane, and coffee products which, indigenous to .Mexico, have now become the luxuries of Europe; the land where the fruits and the flowers chase one another in unbroken circle through the year; where the gales are loaded with perfume till the senses ache at their sweetness, and the groves are tilled with many colored birds and insects, whose en- ameled wings glisten like diamonds in the bright sun of the tropics. Such are the magical splendors of this para- dise of the senses." Eighty-five miles from the Gulf port of Coat/acoalcos. and the same distance from the Pacific Ocean port of Sa- lina Cruz, is located the "La Puerta Estate," of which our property is a part. "La Puerta" idoorway). being situated at the base of the Oaxaca branch of the Sierra. Madre range, comprises the foothills, which by their undulations form a series of small slopes separated here and there by numerous streams. among them the Quince Millas. Doce Millas and I'bero. t In- most fertile region at the head of the Nile of Mexico. 16 From the river .Tumuapa. the country ascends on a grad ual rise to the northwest, thereby affording excellent drain a .ire and rendering every inch of the tract suitable for cul- t i vat ion. IRailroafc... in is.'iii n scientific c(iininission under the direction of Maj. .1. <;. llarnard. U. S. Engineer, surveyed the Isthmus to inquire into the feasibility of a ship railway to connect tlu- \\ni .-md Torres having spent considerable time in the Republic look- ing for a suitable tract, one that would combine all the necessary requirements of Soil, Climate. Uainfall. Trans- portation and Labor simply. All these were found at Ubero, the northern section of the La Puerta estate, which we purchased. This tract is easily accessible from any part of the world by means of the port of Coatzacoalcos on the Culf. and Salina Cruz on the Pacific side, and thence by the Tehuan- tepcc Railway to the Station of Ubero; also by boat from Coat/acoalcos up the river of the same name, ;md the .Tumuapa. 18 Climate... Of The climate, what shall we say? Or. rather, what may we not say? Not in our own fair California; not in tropi- cal Florida; not in sunny Italy, so noted for ils bright skies and mellow atmosphere; not in the wide world has it a rival to fear by any just method of comparison. So slight and so gradual are its changes, so conducive to good health and a ripe old age are its controlling characteristics, so tempting and gratifying are its smiles, that to enter its presence is to become a slave to its charms, ti> wish that its domains might embrace the broad universe. From the mountains, which are always clothed in the freshest ;ind greenest verdure, and which are never beyond the easy range of human vision, there descend into the warmer plains and valleys reclining at their feet as if pa- tiently awaiting anticipated favors, the softest, most grate- ful breezes and most refreshing rains. Soil The soil along the bottoms is composed of alluvial de- posits and on other sections of the tract, of a yellow loam, which has been enriched by decayed vegetable matter until it has become dark, intermixed with a little linie and small stone, friable, containing much organic matter in combina- tion with other fertilizing substances. The general depth is from five to fifteen feet: the hillsides having a gentle slope and covered with rich undergrowth, obviate all possi- bility of wash or land slips, a most important consideration in profitable tropical cultivation. 19 temperature .. Owing to the peculiar configuration of tin- country and the depression of the Sierra .M:nlre range at this point. forming a gap, the temperature is nnicli lower here than is generally supposed. This is caused by the cold air cur- rents, principally from the Gulf, and at times from the Pacific Ocean, which blow the greater part of the day and night. The temperature averages from 74 to 7S de- grees, the maximum is rarely 98 degrees, and the minimum .""'.. Frost has never been known on the Isthmus, nor have the surrounding mountain peaks ever had any snow upon them; even the nights are cool and bracing, and while it is hot in the sun, it is always cool in the shade. The tem- perature here is as agreeable as in other localities at eleva- tions of two to three thousand feet above sea level. IKealtb... It may be presumed that from the geographical i>osition of the country, the climate must be unhealthful; but princi- pally on account of its peculiar topography, its climatic conditions are salubrious. Yellow fever, black vomit and other endemic diseases are entirely unknown. The robust and healthy condition of both foreigners and natives, even on the coast, attest the salubrity of this wonderful region. TRatnfall,.,. The position of the Isthmus, catching as it docs the moisture-laden breezes from both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and the mountainous character of the middle and 20 southern section of it, insure an abundant and steady supply of rain. From May until the beginning of July there are light rains; from July until the latter part of October, very heavy rains: beginning of November to Feb- ruary, light showers; March. April and part of May being warm, dry weather. The rainy season on this section of the Isthmus can always be relied upon with great regu- larity, which, with the rivers and their tributaries and the heavy dews in the dry season, furnish an abundance of moisture, rendering irrigation entirely unnecessary. The average rainfall is 100 inches and the prevailing wind is from the north. Taxes are exceedingly light, very much lower than they are in the United States, and are only upon improved property. In the Arena, volume 1(5. page 49 (the monthly issue of June, 189 bring the greatest returns to tin- planter. This is just as necessary as the selection of fertile soil, healthful climate. perfect title and quick transportation facilities. In this the company is exceptionally well titled, as all out- work will be under the personal supervision of our Mr. F. L. Torres, who for the past five vent's lias been in charge of some of the largest rubber and coffee plantations on the Isthmus, working several hundred lalvorers. He is ihor- oughly conversant with tropical agriculture, having de- voted the past nine years to its study in Mexico: is a thorough Spanish scholar, as well as speaking in the old Aztec tongues still retained by the Indian laborers. 22 F. L.TORRES INSPECTING RUBBER TREE ONE YEAR FROM NURSERY. tlropic's Best (3ifts.... tRubber ..... The rubber tree (Castillo;! elasiica of Cervantes, olqua- (|uitl of the Aztecs, liule of the Spaniards) is indigenous to Mexico, and is found growing wild principally by the river meadows. The tree is a hardy one and noihin.tr affects it. not even parasites or animals. Scarcely has any article of commerce so rapidly increased in demand in the past few years as has this staple. So universal has become the list' of rubber-tired bicycles, electrical appliances, motor cars. etc.. thai factories have sprung up in large numbers in Kngland and in the United Stales, and the fields of the Ama/on and the forests of Africa have been drained to their utmost in vain in search for an adequate supply of rubber to meet tli'e ever-growing demand of the new uses to which it has been put. Mo;in;in:i was brought into America by a Domin- ican, in l">Ki, from the Canaries to Haiti, from whence it was transplanted to the Continent, but the plantain is in- digenous to tropical America, and was cultivated by the aboriginal inhabitants long before the coming of Columbus. Before the Spanish conquest, the latter, besides corn. Chili pepper and potatoes, formed the Mexican staple article of diet. Some fifteen varieties grow in this region and yield enor- mous crops. During the past few years large quantities of this fruit have been brought by manufacturers and ground into flour, which for pastry is far superior to that made from wheat. Planters of Honduras and Nicaragua have in past years made immense fortunes in bananas. With a quality of fruit in every way equal, if not superior, we are more than able to compete with them, due to our exceptional trans- portation facilities. ranges.... It is generally supposed that the Spaniards introduced several varieties of fruit trees into this country, among them, perhaps, the sweet orange. Yet, if one has trav- eled much in Mexico, after seeing the numerous forests of wild oranges, he inclines to the theory that the "an- cients" knew of this fruit and that perhaps it was culti- vated before the time of Cortez. However, works treating on the history of old or ancient Mexico do not describe oranges. 32 Owing 1o the injury to the orange trees in the I'niied States from frost, the supply has been greatly diminished, and has proven .Mexico's golden opportunity. The orange season of .Mexico is from the latter part of September to the first of December, thus lining in between Florida and California, and making .Mexico absolute in its season, and with practically no competition in its market. The .Mexican orange is juicy and very sweet, especially those grown on the gulf side. A tree, well cared for. will produce 1,000 oranges to the tree. The orange shipment to the I'nited States from the Republic last year was C_T. carloads, and experts report that this year it will increase at least one-third. Xemons.... Lemons are a sure crop. The Isthmus is their natural home. The lemon was known to the Aztecs long before Columbus discovered America. They are found growing "wild" on our land. tlobacco.... Tobacco is indigenous to Mexico, the product rivaling that of Cuba. Regions have long been celebrated for their to- bacco, and have yielded large revenues to the viceroys and rulers of Mexico for centuries past. Mexican tobacco has a flavor and body that is appreciated by experienced smokers, and is noted for its extremely fine quality, and is much sought after by foreigners. Tobacco can be har- vested six months after planting. 33 Experts differ widely as to the net profits of tobacco cul- ture, their estimates ranging from $400 to $1.000 per acre. The best grade of Mexican tobacco is rapidly taking the place of the best Cuban, and large quantities are sold annu- ally in the United Stales and Europe as Havana tobacco. On the Isthmus it is harvested six months after planting. and yields 1,500 to 2,000 pounds per acre. In the "Cultiva- tion of Tobacco in Mexico," by Lewis Le June. :i work pub- lished by the Department of Fomento. the author says: "The chemical analysis made by Mr. Eugene Schivt/.. engineer of the French Government, has proved that in the States of Vera Cruz and Oaxaca. especially in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. there exists alluvial lands similar to those of Sumidero, San Louis, San Juan and Martinez: that is to say. the best tobacco lands in the world." Danilla.... At the time of the conquest of Mexico the Aztecs used vanilla to flavor their chocolate, and from them the Span- iards learned its use and introduced it into Europe. The plant is a native of Southern Mexico, where the finest and most perfect pods are produced. It belongs to the orchid family, has a pulpy stem which grows several yards in length, attaches itself to trees, and appears to be but little dependent on the soil for nourishment. Finest Quality. The fruit pod is from six to twelve inches long and about half an inch in diameter at its thick- est part, dark green in its earliest stages and yellow when finally ripe. When prepared for market it becomes re- duced to a quarter of Its original thickness, is black in 34 color, and emits a very agreeable perfume. It begins to bear about the end of the third year, and will yield on an average seven thousand pods to the acre. Cacao The tree that produces the "food of the gods" (chocolate), "cacao"' of the Spaniards, is a native of Mexico. Long before the Conquest the Aztecs and other ancient Mexican tribes used the fruit as one of their alimentary beverages. They prepared a drink called chocolatl by mix- ing the seeds after having crushed them on the metatl, to- gether with fine corn meal, vanilla ("tlilxochitl") and a species of spices called "mecaxochitl," and those that drank it were a picture of health, preserving handsome and vivid features even to old age. All nations subjugated under the Aztec eagle had to bring, among other valuables, a certain number of bags of cacao to the palace in the great Ten- ochtitlan as an annual tribute to the Emperor. It was so highly prized among the ancient natives that in trade it was utilized as currency among the lower classes. Chocolate was first introduced into Europe (Spain) by the Spaniards from Mexico. Portugal followed in the use of it: France and England did not appreciate its full qualities until the latter part of the seventeenth century. After the year 1778 it came into vogue in all the cities of Europe. Its alimentary virtues became more generally known, and Doret, a Frenchman, invented a hydraulic machine to manufacture it on a large scale. Since then all civilized nations have consumed this rich American product of Mex- ican origin, which up to date is not produced in sufficient quantities to meet the world's consumption. 35 This tree is found growing wild on our lands. In culti- vating. 400 trees can be planted TO the a. -re. which produce two pounds per tree, and is worth about :.'<> cents per pound at the plantation. Suoar The cultivation of sugar cane is an important industry in the Republic of Mexico, and no part of that country is probably better adapted to its growth and development than the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The crop is extremely profitable on account of the large yield and the comparative cheapness of its production. The cane is planted only once in ten to twelve years and requires no irrigation. Some of the Company's land is especially suited to its cul- tivation. The cane is very rich in saccharine, and does well from sea level to an elevation of 4,000 feet. The yield of sugar is enormous, reaching as high as 7" tons to the acre, and the extraction therefrom furnishing as high as 220 jwunds of sugar to the ton of cane, ai a <-<>st for the best grade of about 2'._. cents per pound the entire <-.>i of production and manufacture. jfruit Mexico is probably, all things considered, better adapted to the growth of a greater variety of fruits than any other country on the globe. On the high table lands are found most fruits grown in a temperate /one. while in tin- coast country nearly all the fruits known to the tropics grow wild in the forest. Of these, oranges, lemons, limes. 36 b;ui;in;is. pineapples, gttavas. mangoes, cocoauuts, graundas, /apote. dates and ligs. can be grown on The Company's lands. The cultivation of these fruits yields a return which will compare favorably \vitli That of the best fruit districts of California and Florida, with the advantage of cheaper la- bor, cheaper lands and immunity from frosts and drouths. Corn Corn is a staple diet of the classes in the republic. The supply has never equaled the demand, and every year sees increasing imports to make up the deficiency. On the gulf slope a crop of corn can be raised every four months, and brings from 50 to 80 cents per bushel. But the dry table lands and mountainous regions of the interior produce but little corn, and there the crop is very uncertain, owing to the hot winds and lack of moisture. It commonly attains a height of ten to fifteen feet, and grows with such luxuriance that among the natives it sel- dom receives the attention of cultivation. A stick stuck in the ground, a grain or two dropped in and the earth pushed over it with the foot constitutes the common method of planting: and yet such primitive efforts yield from forty to fifty bushels to the acre. Uepetables... All varieties thrive here, and tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, etc.. can be secured from the garden every day in the year. 37 Game At the present time a large number of wild animals are found on this land deer. tapir, wild hogs, wild turkey, the royal pheasant, parrots, as well as monkeys, and a great many kinds of rare birds of brilliant plumage, while the river and streams abound in fish. Just now. this is the hunter's paradise; but the game will soon disappear before the encroachments of civilization. timber Chicle (chewing gum), mahogany, cedar, rosewood, iron- wood, lignum-vitae, Brazil wood, logwood and many other valuable woods are found on our lauds. 38 WHY? After reading our statements Ihus far you will probably ask: Why? It' this is such a wonderful country and so much money can be made there \\'liii, then, does not all the world rush into the production of coffee on the Isthmus of Tehuaiitepec? WhyV l-'nr tin 1 rcri/ *UIH<' ITHXHII Unit 11011 yoitrxi'lf fin IT nut ilmic w. Either it has not been called to your attention, or you would prefer to make less money and live in the I'nited States, or you have not the necessary capital to wait five years for a return ami support your- self meanwhile. But if you could secure some of the immense profits that coffee culture on the Isthmus is bound to yield, and could continue to live in the United States while the plantation was being cared for and brought into a perfect bearing condition, when you could migrate to the land of the A/tecs and there enjoy the easy life and munificent income of a coffee planter: if you could do this without, being com- pelled immediately to invest the large amount of ready cash required to accomplish these results, but instead could pay for it gradually out of your income and at the same time avoid the great risk taken by the iii<'.r/>rters in New York. Liverpool and Hamburg, are brought together at our very di. fifty .")Hi or one hundred iluni .-H-IVS for $105 per acre, on the following terms: Seven dollars per acre pay- able at the time of purchasing. Seven dollars per acre pay- able cadi succeeding year for a term of four years, when the plantation is to be turned over to the purchaser, subject to a mortgage () f jfTo per acre. This mortgage will be paya- ble in two annual payments, without interest, and due at the end of the sixth and seventh years after date of making the contract. The Company agrees to accept the products of the land for these two years in payment of the mortgage, if the owner so desires. When the land is turned over to the purchaser at the end of the fifth year, every hundred acres shall have upon it nil iber trees. ."> years old. coffee trees, ."i years old, 10,<) given every advantage in the way of proper soil and high cultivation, such as weed in;:, shading. pruning, topping and other important and essential fea- tures. It must be borne in mind that you are not getting an ordinary .Mexican coffee plantation, but one laid out and cared for from the start in the best i>ossible manner by men who have had years of experience in the business. The lowest cash valuation at this time for such a planta- tion would be $30,000, and it could readily be sold at that price, and yet costing the purchaser on our plan a cash out- put of only s:!.."iiKi. running through a period of five years. During which time the purchaser is free from the annoy- ance and worry of an inexperienced planter in attempting to properly start his plantation, and he is also the gainer of the cost of living, which would otherwise be a loss while he is waiting for his plantation to bear. If the purchaser so desires, lie can largely increase his income by making arrangements with the Company, so that an additional number of acres of rubber, coffee trees. pineapples, bananas, vanilla, cacao or oranges can be planted and brought to bearing, whichever seems to him to be of the most profit. After the fifth year, if the owner does not care to give his personal supervision to his plan- tation, the Company will care for it and harvest and mar- ket his crops for 1<> per cent, of the net profit. The experience of coffee growers on the Isthmus has been that good, clean coffee has never sold for less than Hi cents 42 per pound, and that the total cost of caring for. leathering, cleaning, sa.okin.n-. freighting and other charges is within 5 cents, so \ve liave a handsome margin for any contingency which could arise. Only two pounds of coffee have 1 11 counted upon to the tree, but with our trees started in a nursery and at- tended to from small plants up. with watchful care and proper weeding, shade and cultivation, planted at least nine feet apart in virgin soil of great richness, we have every reason to anticipate six pounds instead of two pounds to the tree. Rubber usually brings (iO and 7."> cents, instead of 50 cents, and from two and a half to four and a half pounds, instead of two pounds. The estimated profit of the growers of bananas on the Isthmus is 2O cents per bunch net. We have conservatively placed our estimate at 10 cents a bunch. The bananas grown on the Isthmus are tine, equal in every way to those of Honduras. Nicaragua and the Ber- mudas, where the profit averages i>.~> cents, gold, a bunch. With their use becoming more common in the United States, and we being so much nearer market, and with so much quicker transportation, it will not be amiss to count on as much profit per bunch from ours as is made in those countries farther away. We have estimated ."> cents for our pineapples. Almost this price is obtained in Florida by the growers for their product. There is a difference of nearly 2."> cents in the New York markets in the price of their pineapples and ours. The Esmeralda and Verde Madura pineapples are grown to perfection in this locality, ana nowhere are they excelled for size and flavor. 43 One thing must not be forgotten. The investor will not be situated in some mountainous wilderness, where In- is :iw:iy from all connection with the world. depending upon the expensive and unsatisfactory method of carrying his produce to market on the backs of burros: neither is lie at some isolated point, at the head of some river, where lie must wait until the river is high until he can get his prod- ucts to market, but lie is right upon a railroad and a river. with two means of reaching the boats at Coat/.acoalcos. which are bound for New York. New Orleans and London. and with exceedingly quick means and low rates of trans- portation to these points. We have telegraph lines at our doors connecting us with all parts of the world, thus enabling us to obtain quick re ports of the market prices in New York, Ixmdon and New Orleans before shipping our goods. The Company's experience, together with the production* of other plantations in their vicinity, has warranted them in agreeing to accept the crop from off the land in payment of the mortgage, and this fact, together with the bond they execute for the faithful performance and carrying out of their contract, is evidence of their good faith and of the absolute confidence they have in the ability of this land to more than realize the income counted upon. 44 iRubber In IX! )2 the I'.ritish minister to .Mexico. 8ir Henry Neville I>ering. in a report to Parliament on the subjects of general and coinniercial interest in Mexico, which report was is- sued during the recess ainl in-esenied to both Houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty, said of rubber: "The rubber tree (Castilloa elastica of Cervantes, olqua- (luital of the Aztecs, hule of the Spanish) is indigenous to Mexico, and is found growing wild along both coasts, be- low L"_' degrees north latitude, from sea level to altitudes running from 12,000 to 15,000 feet, and principally by the river meadows. * * * "The lin'.e tree belongs to Urticaceae. grows wild from 45 in r.d feet high, and has branches only at its upper section. Has smooth yellow bark: its leaves are six to ten inches long, oval, oblong, entire, thick, smooth, bright green and glossy above. * * * "The best soil for rubber cultivation is a deep, rich loam, such as ,is found along the alluvial banks. * * * "Trees planted with soil, climate and elevation adapted for the culture would produce from five to six pounds of juice the first year they are tapped, which amount is equiv- alent to two and four-tenths pounds of rubber. This prod- uct will gradually increase for the next four or five years, and sells for 50 cents per pound on the plantation. * * * -Thus 240,000 pounds, the yield of 100,000 trees at the first year's harvest, will bring the planter $120.000. besides the profit obtained for corn, vanilla beans, cacao and ba- nanas raised from side planting. * * * 4.-, "The in-t profit on the investment, after deducting the entire cost of the land and all expenses up to tin- first year's harvest, will be $!'5,0ortunites for the develop- ment of this admittedly profitable trade. * * * "It will be evident, from what has been stattMl above, thai the comparatively small output of India rubber which Mex- ico lias so far been able to achieve may easily be very largely increased by improved facilities, if they were pro- vided, and by the introduction of British capital and en- terprise into a field which has hitherto been quite imper- fectly developed. The India rubber trade of Mexico, in fact, resembles other industries of that republic, in that it is really in a condition of infancy at present, and no or- ganized efforts have been made to work it for what it is undoubtedly worth. It is hardly neces>ary to point out that in all matters of this kind, where the development of the native resources has to be vigorously carried on. the Mexican government may be relied upon to give every assistance and facility. Mexico, by her enlightened policy and the honorable manner in which, through a time of great financial stress, she punctually fulfilled all her obli- gations, has placed herself at the head of the group of republics which are popularly, if not with strict geographi- cal accuracy, referred to as South America: and it is the gratifying position of enterprises which have to depend upon Mexican productions for their prolits that they are not hampered or persecuted by the government, as is the case in the Argentine Republic and Brazil. It may be taken for granted that the Mexican government is fully alive to 46 the advantage, especially at the present juncture, to be ob- tained from the development of the rubber plantations of the country. The excellent promise of these plantations ought, as affording an unusual opportunity for the erection of an additional barrier against the failure of the world's supply, to be a matter of congratulation to the thousands who in this country are in various ways and in different decrees interested in the unrestrained development of the cycling and kindred industries." ^Extract from tbe ^financial TRcvvs, of %cm&on.... * * * .Manufacturers have been forced to seriously consider the position in which they might be placed were the supply of rubber to be exhausted. The great cycling industry of the country, and all the trades more or less intimately associated with it. in which rubber is used, are just now really at the mercy of any strong combination of capitalists who might choose to purchase the existing stock of India rubber and speculate largely in the future. * * * "The supply of raw rubber is. at best, a fixed quantity. It is really diminishing, but for the sake of convenience it may be considered as stationary. The most strenuous en- deavors on the part of native rubber collectors and Eu- ropean and other traders failed to increase it last year, and expansion in the future is the reverse of hopeful. It is true that a contrary belief, based on the imports to the United Kingdom, prevails in certain quarters: but those who maintain that, the output of 'wild' rubber increased last year have not carefully studied the statistics. \\V 47 certainly imported 89,021 cwt. more in ISJM; than in iv.c>: but the United States the second largest purchaser in teu mouths of the same year took JS4.M21 <-\vt. less than in lMt."i. The United Kingdom and the United States together import about s."i per cent, of the world's supply, and al- though other European countries, notably Belgium, in- creased imiK>rts. the whole, bearing in mind that the United Kingdom bought the bulk of the Belgian rubber supplied the United States with over r.jMMt.(MM) pounds, would scarcely balance the United States deficit. The monopo- lists, indeed, might count on a diminishing output, for the destructive methods of the rubber collectors have made an expansion most improbable, if not impossible. All through the tropical regions they kill the plants and trees. and the slaughter has at length reached almost incredible proportions. Reduced to pounds, our imports last year amounted to 48,290,388. As we received nearly one half the world's supply, the total output may be roughly stated at 100.000,000 pounds. Estimating one pound of rubber as the average product of every tree and plant tapped, it would be no great exaggeration to say that lou.(MMt.(MK> trees and plants were killed for their rubber last year. It does not need expert botanical knowledge to perceive that such a state of things cannot continue indefinitely, and that a rubber famine in the near future is much more probable than an increased output. "In .March the stock in London and Liverpool amounted to 2.184 tons, which, at last year's average price. 11 IN. per cwt., might have been purchased for ."<;s.588. The stock of Para on December 31, 18i)<>. was i.mi tons: <>f other sorts, 2,016 tons; total stock. 3.0t>5 tons, worth, at the above price per cwt., 711,080. As the increased demand 48 :in degrees F. at any time of the year, the cultivation of coffee 56 should not lie attempted, especially with the .lava and myrtle kinds; the Mocha c.-iu stand more cool weather, but not lower than ">< decrees. * * *" From Consular Keport to I'liited States (Jovernment. by James .]. Peterson. Tegucigalpa. November llth, 1893: "The cost of raising coffee, after the plantation is well established, will not reach the sum of cents (gold) per pound, including all expenses of management, labor, in- terest, wear and tear of machinery, etc. "\Vith proper care and attention, coffee trees will produce from ''> to lo pounds cadi year." Translation from French Consular Iteport of 1892: "Mexiean coffee took the tirst iiremium at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. * * * Mexican coffees were given the grand prize at the Paris Exposition. * * * They will take the highest award at the World's Fair in Chicago." Note. His prediction has been verified. London "Times," January 4th. 1894: "There are many healthy signs of commercial and indus- trial movement in Mexico. * * * That, a part of its ter- ritory is suitable for coffee culture is certain. There can be no doubt the future of this business is a promising one." 57 The following is taken from the London Financial Times: "It is impossible to read the financial papers of London, I'aris and Berlin, without being struck with the steady growth of feeling, that .Mexico is upon the eve of a period of great prosperity. The development of her wonderful agricultural resources has M!SO iK-gun. and her exportation of coffee and other products of the soil and forests is ;is- suniing very great proportions." Senor M. Romero. .Mexican Minister at AVashington. says: "AA'here the location of a coffee plantation is judiciously made, and the work carried on intelligently and economic- ally, the profits realized may be safely put at IIMI per cent. per annum upon the investment." The Mexican Herald, of February 7th, 1897, says: "Still with the great development going on. the industry in Mexico at least is but in its infancy. The profits are still great and not likely soon to fall. If there was a satis- factory margin of profit when coffee sold at 13 cents per pound, what must it now be when the average pi-ice is IT, cents per pound? AVith improved methods. l>oth in cultiva- tion and handling the crop, the profits of coffee must in- crease rather than diminish, despite the anxiety expressed by some that the business is likely to be soon overdon,- be- cause of the increased number of investors going into it. That has been the cry for thirty years, and still the busi- ness flourishes, and to-day is more profitable in .Mexico than it ever was." 58 From "Railway Revolution in Mexico," published in San Francisco, 1895: "At present the cultivation of coffee is attracting special attention, and on the eastern slope much progress has al- ready been made. Among the reasons is Hie extraordinary profit which the production of coffee offers. The cost of its production in Mexico, in general, is between 8 and 10 cents per pound. Mexican money, and it sells at frorn 25 to 32 cents." From "Coffee in Mexico, Its Cultivation and Profit," by Joseph Walsh, Philadelphia, 1894: ".Mexican coi't'ee is worth at present 20 to 22 cents pel- pound in the American market, while the average cost of production is 7 cents. A plantation will pay from 100 to 300 per cent, on the capital invested." From "Coffee Growing in Mexico," by J. P. Taylor, Mex- ico City, 1894: "Twenty-five years may be taken as the average of coffee trees to remain in remunerative bearing." "Estimates as to the profits vary, but the lowest of them are enormous, something like 100 per cent, profit on the capital employed." The Mexican Financier says: "Ten years from now the people who are going into the coffee business in this country will be rich beyond their ex- pectations." 59