of commerce, which forms such an extensive article of export from Yucatan that a capital of $6,000,000 is invested there in its production, is not confined to that country alone, but grows even more luxuriantly in Central America. It is found as a wild plant throughout Nicaragua, as are also other members of the agave family well known as fiber-producing plants.

Ramie and jute could also be grown in perfection in Nicaragua and would prove valuable additions to her valuable additions to her export commodities. The consumption of fibers in the United States is very large and constantly increasing. During the year 1891, there were imported 733,296 bales of jute from the East Indies and an immense quantity of other fibers. With such a market in close proximity and with vast facilities for production, this industry must become an important interest in Nicaragua and Central America generally. There is so little realization of the hidden wealth in this direction that nobody moves or takes the opportunities now open. The plants abound; all that is wanting is energy and far-seeing capitalists.

Chapter V.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES.

Peter Heylyn, in his Cosmography, published in London in 1652, says, in reference to Nicaragua: "It is stored with plenty of cotton wool and abundance of sugar canes, and is so pleasing to the eye that the Spaniards call it by the name of Mahomet's Paradise." Its productions, however, far from being limited to the staples mentioned by the old geographer, are of the most varied character, but its resources have been very imperfectly developed. The facilities for transportation have been so poor that little more has been raised than is sufficient for the wants of its population, and the portion of land brought under cultivation has been relatively small. With the development that is now in progress, and the opening up and improvement of roads and other means of transport, the condition of affairs is gradually changing, and the boundless wealth of its resources is beginning to be recognized.

COFFEE.

The principal agricultural wealth of Nicaragua lies in its coffee plantations. Although this industry is still in its infancy, every year witnesses its augmentation, and the time is near at hand when the coffee of Nicaragua will take the prominent position to which it is certainly entitled. There are millions of acres of land in the Republic that are especially adapted to the cultivation of coffee. Señor Don José D. Gamez in his Noticias Geográficas de la República de Nicaragua, already cited, says:

Coffee grows well almost everywhere in Nicaragua, but preferably in the mountainous districts. The production at a height of from 200 to 2,000 feet above the level of the sea is generally at the rate of one-half pound, and in some cases pound per tree. At an elevation of 2,000 or 3,000 feet, the production

tion fluctuates between 1, 2, 3, 4, and even 5 pounds per tree, according to the quality of the ground. At a higher altitude the production diminishes gradually until it ceases entirely on account of the cold temperature. There are in Nicaragua certain coffee regions offering the best possible advantages for the cultivation of this plant. They are to be found in the departments of Managua, Carazo, Matagalpa, Chontales, Jinotega, and in the skirts of the hills and volcanoes of the other departments.

The Government charges $1.50 for each manzana of public land. (A manzana is equivalent to 14 acres.)

The number of coffee trees which have been planted in Nicaragua up to the month of August, 1892, is as follows:

The number of trees planted in the present year (1892) will raise the above total to 27,000,000.

The expenses vary in proportion to the quality of the ground, the height at which it is situated, the distance from the coast, and the facilities of transportation. The results thus far obtained allow the following statement to be made

In starting a coffee plantation, it is usual to form a nursery, where the seeds are planted at the beginning of the rainy season— say April or May. Thus the young plants are growing while the land is being cleared. The following year, about the same time, the plants will be ready to set out, which is usually done when they have attained a height of 18 to 20 inches. The plants require plenty of air, light, and water, but should be sheltered from the full glare of the sun. The best time for watering is in the evening. Nursery beds should always be in operation, either for extending the plantation or replacing defective or worn-out trees. In transplanting, the new ground should be carefully prepared, and holes dug to receive the plants from 10 to 15 feet apart.

The coffee tree is essentially a tender shrub, and needs protection from the sun from the time of planting and even for years after it has begun to bear. For this purpose, bananas, plantains, or quickgrowing, wide-branching trees are planted between the rows. At no time, from its first sprouting until its death from old age, should a single weed be permitted to remain in the vicinity of a coffee plant. Even after the tree has reached maturity and is in full bearing the plantation must be thoroughly weeded five or six times in the course of the year. This work must be carefully done by hand. As the tree grows, it is improved in health and condition by pruning, but this must be judiciously done and at a time when it is not bearing. In two years, the trees will begin to bear a small number of berries, and at the end of three years, a fair crop will be produced, which will continue to increase until the plantation is seven years old, by which time it will have reached its maximum. For persons who have the necessary capital to start and cultivate a plantation and wait until its maturity for returns, there is no more profitable industry in existence at the present day. The fruit should never be picked until fully ripe, as any admixture of green berries has a detrimental effect on the remainder. After the berries have been picked, the preparation of the