ins of the north are in
the hands of the large landowners, but on the coast foot-hills, where
pasturage abounds, small parcels of land can be purchased. On the great
plateau the droughts at times cause severe loss, and I have on one
occasion observed cattle dying about the plain of thirst, and others
whose lives were only saved by feeding them with pieces of succulent
palm-stem. On these arid plains water is generally encountered in the
subsoil in wells of not extreme depths, and these _norias_, as the well
and windlass are termed, are seen in many places. Laws for the
encouragement of stock-raising have been promulgated. The value of
Mexican live-stock, including cattle, horses, mules, sheep, goats, and
hogs, is given as 12,000,000 pounds sterling.

_Land_.--As has been stated, the great estates or _haciendas_ are held
by landowners who rarely part with any portion thereof, and as capital
is not always plentiful among them, they are sometimes "land poor" with
a resulting lack of development. The Mexican landed aristocracy
consider it a point of honour almost, not to part with their land. The
problems which have to be considered in connection with Mexican
agriculture are: the establishing of irrigation works, the system of
land tenure, the question of labour; whilst as regards the tropical
products there exists the added element of fluctuation in foreign
markets. Thus the export trade of sugar in 1905 reached a value of
600,000 pounds sterling, whilst a year later it fell to 67,000 pounds
sterling, due to fluctuations in European markets: and this matter also
affects coffee. Special laws concerning irrigation works have been
promulgated, and Government subsidies are granted for such, and there
are good openings here for enterprise and capital. An international dam
is to be built on the Rio Grande, for the equitable distribution of the
waters of this river for irrigation.

Lands within the area or division known as vacant or national lands can
be acquired by Mexican or foreign inhabitants of the Republic by
"denouncement" or claim, which entails certain legal formalities and
the annual payment of a tax. This latter varies according to different
states, as the land is naturally worth more in some situations than in
others, and ranges from 2 _pesos_--a _peso_ equals about 2s.--per
_hectare_ (or about 2-1/2 acres), in Lower California, to 27 _pesos_ in
Morelos, being 4, 5, 10, 17, 20 _pesos_ in many states, and 100 in the