only when compelled to do so by necessity.

This money is spent for clothing or other articles, or perhaps lost in
gambling.

Only the lightest kind of clothing is necessary; for the coldest days
are not so cold as our mild autumn days.

The dress of the farmer consists of a cotton jacket, white shirt and
check pantaloons. His head is protected from the hot rays of the sun by
a large broad-brimmed hat. This is made from the grass which grows
around his doorway. No shoes are needed.

The dress of his wife is a simple white cotton gown, and his children
wear no clothes at all.

[Illustration: HOME OF A PEASANT FARMER OF THE BETTER CLASS.]

The houses or homes of the peasant farmers are nearly all alike. They
are built in a few days, from poles and royal palm bark. They are
thatched with leaves of the palm or with grass. These huts are usually
divided into two rooms.

There are no chimneys, often no windows, and but one door. A very poor
house, you think; but then it is only intended for a shelter. It shields
them from the damp and cool winds of night and the daily rains of the
rainy season. At other times they live outside.

There is no stove, and of cooking utensils there are few. The cooking is
done for the most part outside the house, when the weather is dry, on a