THE SOIL AND ITS RICHES.
The soil of Guatemala is remarkable in the vast extent and great variety
of two classes of products which are unusual within the same degrees of
latitude, that is, it produces both tropical and temperate staples of
agriculture in great profusion. The soil grows coffee, sugar-cane,
cacao, bananas, tobacco, cotton, india rubber, vanilla, sarsaparilla,
and a long list of medicinal plants, while it likewise produces the
cereals, wheat and Indian corn, which are only found in temperate
regions, giving two and in some places three crops of these annually.
There are also endless kinds of valuable hardwood, mahogany, rosewood,
ebony, cedar and the like, which are especially tropical timber, and at
the same time pine and oak exist in the mountain regions of the
interior. Besides all this the grasses grown are especially adapted to
live stock, and cattle raising and dairying are very profitable
industries.
The British Consul General in an official report to the Foreign Office
in London had this to say about the capabilities of the soil:
"The tropical situation of the country, the proximity of every
portion to the sea on both coasts, the diversity of altitude and
consequently of temperature, combine to make the agricultural
capabilities of Guatemala equal to any in the world. Every kind of
crop, from those of the tropical coast regions to those of the cold
highlands (the latter having a climate corresponding with that of
northern Europe in summer) may be raised. There are districts where
even four crops of maize (Indian corn) are obtained in one year. It
is a common theory that the manures are unnecessary, as the heavy
rains wash down the rich soils from the sides of the mountains and
fertilize the plains. The great secret is therefore for the
agriculturist to adapt his cultivation to the nature of the soil
and climate and his interest would be advanced by a judicious
rotation of crops."
A breezy description, though an accurate one, was given of the soil of
Guatemala by a correspondent of the Washington _Star_. Wrote this
correspondent:
"Instead of my own impressions of the country I would rather give
those of a North Carolina business man. He was taking the rest cure
by means of a sea voyage to San Francisco and deflected his
itinerary for a week's land journey. We traveled together to the
capital and also made a trip to the port of Champerico over the
railroad extension which has opened up new and untouched territory.
It was his first view of tropical lands except from the ship's
deck.
"On landing at San Jose the North Carolina man looked with awe and
admiration as every tourist is bound to do on the dominating
volcano peaks Fuego and Agua, Fire and Water. But while he never
ceased to wonder at the richness of the scenery his practical
instincts asserted themselves and he punctuated the information
given him about climate, soil and products with keen observations.
He confessed that on the vessel he thought they were 'stringing'
him when they told him that the posts for the barbed wire fences
just grew, but when he saw countless miles of trees in straight
rows with the wire stretched along the trunks he paid his tribute
also to climate and soil. He knew that naturally trees don't grow
in straight rows and he found the explanation. The posts are poles
cut from the trees' branches and when stuck in the ground they
shoot up so rapidly that they soon are trees.
"The North Carolina observer never got over his wonder at the soil.
The railroad cuts gave him a chance to see that it was not surface
richness and he easily grasped the explanation. The vegetation
grows to a certain height, then dies away, rots and forms fresh
layers of richness. This process going on for centuries has made
the fertility of the land inexhaustible.
"The utility of volcanic eruptions was new to him and was explained
on the trip to Champerico. This is the great coffee region. It
comes within the sphere of influence of the volcano Santa Maria.
When Santa Maria was sprinkling both the sea and land with pumice
stone and ashes, on many of the fincas (plantations) there was just
enough of this lava soil after the rains had come and washed away
the surface of the deposit to renew the productiveness."
In another way an idea of the varied products of agricultural industry
can be had from an account given in the British Consular reports of a
model plantation. This plantation consisted of 3,000 acres. In a given
year it produced 1,200,000 pounds of coffee, 300,000 pounds of sugar,
300,000 bottles of the by-product of sugar known as aguardiente or cane
rum, 22,000 gallons of milk. Two thousand head of cattle were raised. On
this plantation from 900 to 1,300 laborers were employed.
COFFEE OF WORLD-WIDE FAME.
As is well known, Guatemala's most valuable agricultural product is
coffee. The fame of Guatemala coffee is worldwide and it commands the
highest prices. The production in average years is about 70,500,000
pounds, though in a recent year it exceeded 80,000,000 pounds. The most
productive regions are in the departments of Guatemala, Amatitlan,
Sacatepequez, Solola, Retalhuleu, Quezaltenango, San Marcos, Alta
Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Santa Rosa and Escuintla.
[Illustration: VISTA OF AGUNA PLANTATION.]
The altitudes at which the coffee plant is most successfully cultivated
are between 1,500 feet and 5,000 feet above sea level, according to the
locality and quality of the soil. The temperature at which the greatest
productiveness is obtained varies from a minimum of 60 deg. Fahrenheit to a
maximum of 90 deg. In the lowlands the trees have to be shaded in order to
prevent the leaves from being scorched by the heat. There is an
abundance of native trees which answers this purpose. Occasionally, too,
bananas are raised in conjunction with coffee since their broad leaves
furnish an excellent protection.
In districts where the mean altitude is 4,500 feet a different sort of
protection is necessary in order to shelter the coffee leaves from the
northern winds which blow during the months of December, January, and
February. In these high altitudes the ranges of hills form the best
natural protection. To bring the coffee plant to full production from
five to seven years are required, though after two years the bush will
produce about two pounds of the berry annually. The coffee plants are
raised in nurseries and afterwards transplanted to the cafetales or
coffee plantations. The critical season for the crop is the blooming
period. A heavy rainfall while the trees are in flower will seriously
damage the plants by washing away the pollen and thus preventing
fructification. This period lasts three or four days when the blossoms
fall and the cherry or berry begins to appear. The cherry reaches
maturity in October and is ready for gathering and pulping, that is, for
the removal of the outer shell and pulp. After this process it is washed
and carried to dry, spread out in brick paved yards exposed to the sun.
The grain is known as _pergamino_, or shell coffee, after the removal of
the red pulp, while it retains the inner white or yellow parchment
covering. After this parchment is removed it is known as _oro_, clean
coffee, and this is the common commercial term.
So many elements enter into the cost of planting and bringing to
maturity a coffee plantation that it is difficult to estimate the
expenditure necessary to ensure a given profit. Experienced coffee
growers are guided largely by their knowledge of the local conditions
and requirements. However, a reasonable amount of capital in the
beginning is necessary and many investors possessing the capital prefer
to buy fincas or plantations that are already producing.
The government of Guatemala lays an export tax of one dollar in gold.
Germany takes the bulk of the Guatemala product, though Great Britain is
a large buyer and the United States is receiving larger quantities from
year to year. With the increased facilities for transportation there
would appear to be an excellent opportunity for dealers to make a
specialty of Guatemala coffee in the United States, for the article once
introduced would be sure to have an increased consumption.
SUGAR AND OTHER PROFITABLE PRODUCTS.
In 1890 Guatemala was producing barely enough sugar for its own
consumption. In 1904 it exported 6,000,000 pounds to the United States.
New Orleans is the nearest market, though shipments also may be made to
Brooklyn. The product consists of white loaf sugar, panela or coarse
brown cakes, from which the cane rum is made, miel or molasses, and
mascabado, or inferior grades. The sugar cane is of excellent quality
and the production is abundant, especially along the hot coast
districts. The departments of Escuintla, Amatitlan, and Baja Verapaz are
the districts in which the largest areas are under cultivation. As a
rule the small sugar mills are crude and modern machinery has not been
introduced to a great extent, although the largest plantations are
already supplied with the latest improvements. With the introduction on
a larger scale of modern machinery and the latest processes the sugar
industry would be certain to afford satisfactory profits.
Cacao of a very high quality is produced in Guatemala and the native
article commands much higher prices than that produced in other
countries and brought to Guatemala for sale. The productive regions are
the _tierras calientes_ or hot coast lands. The principal cacao
producing districts are Escuintla, Suchitepequez, Solola, and
Retalhuleu. The bean is most productive at an altitude of 800 to 2,000
feet. In some cases the shrub produces a pound of beans every four
months and after reaching maturity it is said to produce without
interruption for one hundred years.
Notwithstanding the superior quality of the Guatemala cacao the
industry has not been carried on systematically, possibly because five
or six years are required to secure the first crop. In the last year the
total output was only 34,000 pounds, but the steady demand for cacao and
the certainty of good prices justifies the investment of capital which
can await five or six years for the first returns. The gathering of the
cacao beans requires very little machinery and few laborers. Chiefly
care must be taken not to hurt the bean or almond when breaking the
fruit wherein they are contained. One day of fermentation must then be
given to them, after which they remain exposed to the sun for six or
eight days, when they are ready to be sent to the market.
One of the most profitable of future industries in Guatemala undoubtedly
is that of banana culture. There are vast productive regions on the
Atlantic slope and these are certain to be cultivated since the building
of the Northern Railway insures opening up the lands by giving access to
the New Orleans market within the time that is necessary for gathering
and shipping the fruit. The annual production is now about 800,000
bunches, of which one-half are consumed at home and the balance shipped
to the United States. It is estimated that within a year after the
Northern Railway is completed the shipments to the United States will
exceed 750,000 bunches per annum and will soon amount to 1,000,000
bunches.
Tobacco is produced in a number of districts and there is much suitable
soil for it, but up to this time it has been raised only for local
consumption. Rice is also produced in the hot coast lands. Cotton is
grown and experiments have shown that the Sea Island cotton thrives in
Guatemala.
RUBBER CULTIVATION AN INVITING FIELD.
For investments of capital that is willing to wait returns there is no
more inviting field than the cultivation of india rubber, which grows
wild in Guatemala. Each year the demand for rubber increases and the
price rises. The coast regions where the wild tree flourishes are
especially adapted to the cultivation of the product. The subject has
been given very careful attention by the Guatemalan government, which
caused investigation to be made by scientists who were familiar with the
native agriculture. The result of these investigations has been
published from time to time.
The wild gum tree is tall with smooth greenish white bark. The milk
which is the mercantile product is contained principally in the fibres
which are attached to the woody portion of the tree between it and the
bark. The milk contains about 60% of water and other substances, while
the remaining 40% represents the salable product. The climate most
appropriate for the growth of the rubber tree is that of the hot coast
lands at an altitude not exceeding 1,500 feet. The yield of the
cultivated rubber trees has been estimated as high as three pounds
yearly from the sixth year, but the best authorities do not think that
the trees should be tapped before the ninth year and then the grower
should be satisfied with an annual yield of two and a half to three
pounds of milk, which will insure one pound of rubber.
An estimate of the cost and probable yield of a rubber plantation as
made by Senor Horta, a leading authority, was that a plantation of
100,000 trees would require ten caballerias (about 1,100 to 1,200
acres), and would have cost after ten years about one dollar per tree.
This expense could in part be met by secondary cultivation. According to
the calculations one crop after ten years should produce double the
amount expended in that time.
The government encourages the cultivation of rubber, a decree having
been issued in 1899 which provided that for every 20,000 rubber plants
of four years of age and planted after the date of the decree the owner
should receive one caballeria (112 acres) of uncultivated national land.
The government, however, does not endorse nor recommend the promotion of
rubber plantations by stock companies which seek chiefly to sell the
stock among small investors in the United States. All such schemes
should be carefully investigated before the shares are bought and the
leading facts in regard to rubber production, including the necessity of
a period of at least ten years for the successful development of a
plantation, should be kept in mind.
BOUNTY FOR HENNEQUEN.
The soil of Guatemala in the opinion of experts is especially adapted to
the cultivation of fibre plants of which the most valuable is hennequen
or hemp. Maguey or wild hennequen grows in various localities,
particularly in the eastern districts, where there is a large area which
it is believed can be brought under profitable cultivation for
commercial purposes. President Estrada Cabrera, in order to encourage
the cultivation of hennequen, has provided that a bounty shall be paid
to the cultivators of the plant, the scale of payment being graduated
according to the size of the plantation. Since it takes from four to
five years for the plant to mature the cultivators are allowed to
receive one-half the bounty two years after the hennequen is planted and
the balance at the end of the four years. A bounty is also to be paid
for the exportation of each 100 pounds of hennequen and the machinery
necessary on the plantation is to be imported free of duty. As a further
inducement to engage in the cultivation of the fibre the natives who
produce hennequen are to be exempted from military service in a
proportion fixed relatively to the number of acres under cultivation.
This experiment with hennequen is especially important in view of the
fact that soil which is not suitable for coffee, sugar cane or cacao is
thought to be especially well adapted to this plant.
The number of medicinal plants produced in Guatemala is infinite. One
scientist gives a list of 339, which includes many balsams and the
aromatic plants, such as sarsaparilla and vanilla. The conditions of
vanilla cultivation are similar to those in Mexico. The vine after five
years is in full bearing and will produce from 15 to 40 beans. It is
estimated that a five-acre vanilla plantation will yield sufficient
income to render its owner independent, but this is only by the most
careful attention in cultivation.
MANY VARIETIES OF VALUABLE WOOD.
There are said to be 150 kinds of Guatemala wood which are commercially
valuable, and the number of species exceeds 400. The timber area
includes the littoral forests in a narrow belt along the Pacific and
Atlantic coasts; the humid forests mixed with the prairie fields which
cover the plains from the foot of the Andean Cordilleras to the Pacific;
the moist forests of the hot zone and the temperate zone found along the
foothills of the volcanic chain and in the northern and eastern parts of
the country; the humid forests of the cold zone; the pine and oak
forests in the upland plains; the savannas and chaparral consisting of
small trees and bushes; the savannas with pines along the Atlantic coast
and the savannas of the cold zone on the highest tablelands of the
mountain.
In the report of the Intercontinental Railway Survey Lieutenant Hill
gives a list of trees found in southeastern Guatemala which is another
illustration of the varied timber resources of the country. The list is
as follows:
Aconacaste, conacaste, guanacaste--a light brown wood rather soft and
resembling inferior walnut.
Amarillo--yellowish, hard, plentiful, strong; lasts well in water or
ground; used for pillars and girders in native houses.
Cedro--reddish, easily worked; used much for boards, not very strong,
warps easily.
Caoba--mahogany.
Chichipate--hard, fine-grained; used in wagon-making.
Chiche--straight grained; lasts well above ground.
Chico--straight grained; takes high polish.
Granadillo--dark brown, strong, plentiful; good for construction.
Guachipilin--good for construction.
Guapinol--hard, resembles oak in texture.
Jicaro--bears gourdlike fruit; plentiful on llanos, used in making
saddle-trees.
Laurel--resembles chestnut; used for furniture.
Madre cacao--hard, takes fine polish; good for posts.
Mario or Palo Colorado--a fine wood somewhat like mahogany.
Matilishuate--grows large and straight; used for wagon boxes.
Mora--dyewood.
Jocote de Fraile--handsome wood, takes high polish.
Ronron--fine, hardwood, takes high polish.
Tempisque--reddish, resembles mahogany in weight and texture.
Volador--fine tree, tall, straight trunk; good for bridges and roofs.
With such a vast wealth of timber the importance of the railway projects
which open up the forest regions and make the markets of the United
States and Europe accessible will be appreciated.
ENCOURAGEMENT TO LIVESTOCK INDUSTRIES.
Cattle raising and dairy farming are among the most profitable
agricultural industries of Guatemala, while horse-breeding also can be
made to pay unusually well. The native horse is small but very strong
and is tireless. The race horses and others obtained through the
crossing with foreign breeds imported from the United States and from
Spain, England and South America have given most satisfactory results.
Dairy farming especially in the vicinity of the cities yields large
dividends. The cattle are largely three-quarters or half-bred natives
and Holsteins and Durhams. The pure native cows give much richer milk
than the imported stock, but they yield a very small quantity. The milk
of the thoroughbred imported cows is thin, owing probably to the
unsuitable nature of the fodder, and thus the half-bred cows are the
most profitable.
The highlands of the interior afford very fair grazing for cattle
throughout the year. The climate is mild and equable and the stock can
remain in the pastures from January till December, while no losses are
suffered from severe weather in winter. Most of the country is well
watered. The native mules are superior to the horses for long journeys
or heavy loads and as a rule they command higher prices. Pigs are raised
with little difficulty and fetch a high price, since pork is one of the
favorite foods on many of the plantations and in the villages inhabited
by Indians. The hogs are allowed to run loose and feed on nourishing
roots, acorns and maize. The sheep industry is capable of development at
the hands of experienced sheep-raisers. There are many flocks and the
quality of both the mutton and the wool is capable of improvement.
MINES AND MINING.
The mineral riches of Guatemala, while not unknown, may be said to be
unexploited. Owing to the varied geological formations the belief both
of geologists and of practical miners is that they offer a promising
field for development. The minerals include quartz and gold, silver and
galenas, copper, coal and lignite, manganese, asbestos, graphite,
kaolin, opals, slate, alum, marble, silver, mica, iron, sulphur, lead.
The mining archives of colonial days show that between the years 1627
and 1820 more than 1,300 mines of gold, silver, lead, copper, tin, iron,
and one of quicksilver, were discovered and worked, and were a source of
great revenue both to the Church and the State. History records that
during the earliest Spanish occupancy of that country enormous
quantities of gold and silver were taken from those mines. At one time
more than one hundred and fifty very rich mines were worked there. From
one group the mint of Guatemala coined silver to the amount of
$43,000,000, besides what was shipped directly to Europe.
[Illustration: BRIDGE OVER MOTAGUA RIVER.]
In an official report made by the Director of the chemical laboratory to
the Minister of Finance these statements are made, based on samples that
had been submitted for analysis and which were obtained for the most
part in the eastern region of the country.
"Zinc, copper, lead, and silver predominate in these regions,
being generally found in argentiferous blends and galenas, and
sometimes both metals in conjunction with carbonates of copper. The
proportion of the lead varies from 20 to 25% in the galenas and the
blends contain from 15 to 40% of zinc.
"The proportion of silver varies from 200 grammes to 7 kilos (17
pounds), allowing one to calculate on an average of from 2 to 3
kilos. The beds extend to the tablelands on which the capital is
situated, stretching as far as the Department of Jalapa, where the
lead disappears sometimes completely, the silver being found alone.
The veins stretch to the valley of the Motagua, disappearing for
some time on the left bank of that river and reappearing again to
the north of Solama, following a straight line to Huehuetenango,
although the quantity of silver in this region is less than in the
beds in the southeast of the Republic.
"Copper, one of the metals which is most abundant in the country,
is generally found in oxicarbonate in beds of sediment. It appears
in the neighborhood of the capital and various other points. These
beds continue up to the Mexican frontier along the banks of the
river Salega and round the town of Cuilco, but the nature of the
metal changes little by little, passing from the carbonates to
oxisulphates mixed with iron and soon the copper disappears
altogether. In the eastern region abundant deposits of carbonates
of copper are found principally in the Department of Chiquimula,
mixed in many cases with other metals such as zinc, lead, and
silver.
"Lignite of excellent quality is found in beds near the Atlantic
coast, a very great consideration in the development of mineral
industries."
Captain Rae of the United States, who spent several years in Guatemala
and who wrote authoritatively concerning the mineral resources of the
country, said that he had found near the northwestern frontier large
quantities of low grade gold sulphuret ores and also rich lead ores
carrying a small percentage of silver as well as some good copper
carbonates. He said that the lead ores were of the best clean
carbonates, easily smelted by fuel alone, and had been rudely exploited
principally for the lead they contained. These silver lead mines of low
grades of silver were in the vicinity of Chiantla, and the belt
extended, he said, northwest, breaking out again in heavy deposits
bearing silver from $12 to $40 a ton and lead 80%.
Captain Rae gave the following further details:
"Still further east in the Lacodor country are found immense
deposits of the same character of ore, which seemed to lie as if
thrown up in volcanic upheavals. In some places the lead is found
in small nuggets entirely pure. Large deposits of black lead or
plumbago exist both north and south of Huehuetenango of a good
class and ready for commerce.
"Auriferous gravel beds are found at different points on the Rio
Grande in the Department of Baja Verapaz which prospect well for
heavy course gold. The working of these beds is confined to the
immediate river banks, done by the natives in a very rude manner,
merely scooping out the choicest streaks of goldbearing gravel and
washing it in wooden bowls. These beds seem to be well defined and
extend back through the flats to the hills.
"Also some gold formation is found along the Rio Platanos and Vacas
two affluents of the Rio Grande that flow into it from the south
side and nearly opposite to one of these goldbearing gravel beds.
Further down the river on the north mountain range there exists
asbestos in several places and from a surface prospect the texture
is of a good variety and free from all foreign substances varying
in color from deep gray to snowy white, the fibres measuring as
much as 6 inches in length.
"In the Department of Izabal lying on the Atlantic or gulf coast,
on the lower waters of the Motagua and Polichis rivers, there
exists rich and extensive beds of gold placers which have been
worked for several years in a primitive way and have yielded a
large amount of gold dust.
"In the foothills of Livingston stone coal has been found of the
lignite variety and said to make good combustible. On the opposite
side of the Gulf of Dulce from the coal deposits are large deposits
of magnetic iron ores, ranging from 60 to 70 per cent. of iron.
These deposits lie only a few leagues from water communication on
the Gulf and also close to the Northern Railway."
The following description of the various mineral districts is from _The
Bristol Board of Trade journal_:
"The principal known mining districts of Guatemala are situated on
the eastern boundary, both to the north and also the south, in the
Departments of Chiquimula and Izabal, adjoining the Republic of
Honduras and that of Salvador. These districts are mountainous,
and, owing to their complete isolation and lack of communication
with the other parts of the Republic and the difficulty of
procuring supplies, there being at the moment very few roads, this
part is not generally known to the outer world.
"On the western boundary, in the Department of Huehuetenango and
near to Chiantla, there are said to be very rich copper mines,
similar to those of Chiapas, in Mexico. These are now being
explored, but so far no copper has been found, though the district
is rich in lead and a small percentage of silver. The assays that
have come to hand show 56 per cent. of lead and 40 ounces per ton
of silver. In many other parts of the Republic mines have been
discovered and mining rights secured, such as at San Cristobal and
Aguil, in the Department of Alta Verapaz; near Rabinal and Pichec,
in Baja Verapaz; at San Pedro, in the Department of Guatemala; also
at Mataquescuintla, in the mines of Algeria and Rosario, in the
Department of Santa Rosa; at Zalcuapa and Joyabaj, on the Rio
Grande, in the Department of El Quiche; but the only mines that
have recently been worked, and which have given and are giving fair
results, are those of Quebradas de Oro, on the River Bobos, in the
Department of Izabal, where gold has been washed in paying
quantities.
"The district where mines have been denounced (pre-empted) and in
some instances worked, lies between the Rio de Concepcion to the
north and the Rio de las Minas to the south; the mining district
alluded to is nearly due east of Los Sillones, on the finca of San
Jose. This estate is in the Department of Chiquimula, and a society
was formed under the name of Societe Horta y Cia., which obtained
mining rights from the Government for a term of fifteen years with
the right to import free of duty all material, machinery, and
necessary appliances. But until the present time very little has
been done, owing to the isolated position of these mines and the
difficulty of establishing communication, though the construction
of a small line, which might connect with the Guatemala or Northern
Railway at Chiquimula, has been under consideration, but the funds
for the carrying out of this project have, it is understood, been
lacking. This, if built, would do away with the transportation
difficulty."
There is no difficulty in the work of mining in Guatemala since the
climate in the mining regions is temperate and healthful.