Of other grains, wheat ranks next in quantity; grown chiefly in Jalisco, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Querétaro, and Coahuila.[1] It is only raised for home consumption, as also barley, which is grown in the immediate neighborhood of towns, highways, and mining places, and is principally used as fodder.[2] Owing to the favorable conditions for the cultivation of rice in the moist and swampy regions of the coast, the production of this cereal has gradually exceeded the home demand, and of late years some rice has been exported.[3]
Second to wheat in value, and maize in quantity, is the production of frijoles, or beans, which, with the tortillas of maize, and the chile pepper, form the national dishes of the Mexicans from ancient times. The consumption of frijoles has greatly decreased, however, during the last twenty years.[4] The pepper just mentioned is of great importance in the Mexican household, and its consumption is almost incredible.[5] This condiment is of inestimable benefit to the poor, supplying in a measure the absence of meat and bread; without it their tortilla would be quite insipid. It is a powerful stimulant, and its pungency so great that it will produce excoriation of the tongue, gums, and palate of a person unaccustomed to its use.
- ↑ Previous to the introduction of railroads and steamer lines, the consumption of flour on the coasts was insignificant. In the early part of this century, wheat sold for from $13 to $16 the carga of 300 lbs., when maize soll for $1. The total value of the yield in 1879 was $17,436, 345, Jalisco alone producing one fourth of the quantity.
- ↑ The daily quantity of barley hay consumed in Guanajuato alone was about 4,000 quintals. Mex., Mem. Foment., 1866, 57. The value of the production in 1879 was $4,403,742. Busto, ut sup.
- ↑ In 1879 the value of the production was $1,248,244. During ten years ending June 30, 1880, rice to the value of $1,316,132 was exported to the U.S. In 1865, the yield was only sufficient for home consumption. Ib.; Brocklehurst, Mex., 96; Mex., Mem. Foment., 1866, 52.
- ↑ In 1861 the crop was estimated at 2,172,268 cargas, valued at $19,550,412, while in 1879 the number of cargas was a little over 1,541,000, with a value of $8,406,211. Soc. Mex. Geog., Ep. 3a, i. 249; Azcárate, Not. Est., table 1; Mex., Mem. Foment., 1866, 66-8; Busto, ut sup.
- ↑ Tlascala produced about 20,000 arrobas in 1861, which were not sufficient for the consumption in that state. Mex., Mem. Foment., 1866, 65. The total quantity produced in 1879 was about 470,000 cargas, valued at $4,196,482. This fiery spice is greatly relished by cattle. I have seen a plant covered with fruit, and of the hottest kind, stripped and destroyed in a few minutes by a cow.
