I I • I l I I I I I I I I I' I I I I I I• I •I i I I I I I
I I I I I
:: HER CAPABILITIES.
l ' I ,' ..... I •
. ISSUED BY
1 . Th~ . ~~utA-w~st~rn Immigrlti~n ~~m~IDY'
I I I
COLLECTION OF MR.ANO MRS.OAN rERGUSON 8 RI 0 WE L L ll B R1 \ RY 5 ~1 U
A PAPER
Resources. and Capabilities
OF
REAB BY
OOL_ ~ILLIAM ~- LANC?-7
BEFORE THE RMER'S CLUB OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUiE, COOPER UNION,
New York, March 8th) 1881.
~RTI SECI1E'"£A.RY. noBRRT o. DODG·E, PnEsrnE ... ~T. B. H 1\L...... ,..
"On n1otjon of Dr. Lamhert, a Yote of thanks \va:-- unani1110n:--1~~ tendered Col. I.Jang ·of Tcxa..,: and h.e " ... a ... tr for his jntcrcsting and Yalunh1c pa1)er on the CapalJiUtie rcquc.~tccl furni h a copy for deposit i.n the Archive" of the Institute t~Hd for 1 uhlication.'
. TO WHICH IS APPENDED A BRIEF SUMMARY
OF THE
A PAPER READ BY COL. LANG, OF TEXAS,
BEFORE THE Farmers' Club, Cooper Union, New York City.
IN response to your courteou~ invitation, · As indicative of the rapidity with which noir. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am her population is increasing I give the fol- here to say a few words with regard to the lowing: · natural Tesources and capabilities of Texas. In 1820 the population was... • . . . . 20,000 It affords me no little pleasure, to stand in " 1830 H " -~ • • • • • • • • • 35 ooo '~ 1840 H H H 60 'ooo Lhis presence-before the oldest and most in- H 1810 H " H • • • • • · - ·- ' fluential of .A.merican agricultural societies. "1860 '~ " H •• ::::·:: Ui'8~~ is a part of that larger and H 1870 " " " • • • ...... 818:579 A society which 4 4 more catholic organization fol' the promotion H 1880 ' ' H ...... 1,592 574 of all learning, art and science-the American Texas contains about f) degrees of longitude Instit ute. .A.n institute which numbers and 8 degrees of latitude, but her peculiar among its P:cesidents the name of that pure- surface configuration gives her a much more minded, large-hearted, sterling journalist and varied power of production. All the produc philanthropist, Horace Greeley tions of the Temperate Zone, and many of the Let n1e warn you in advance that my deal- Torrid, flourish in Texas-cotton, all the ce ing to-day will not be with .either elegant reals and grasses: rice, sugar, tobacco, oranges, description or poetic ilnagery, but with hard bananas, olives, guava. Texas produces, vvit.h facts and dry figures-facts and figures neces- almost equal ease, all the grains and meats sary to the comprehension of that mighty that support life-the cotton and wool which movement of population, which is now flow- clothe it-the fruits that, like those of Eden. ing southwestward. are pleasant to the taste-and the tea and the f silk, which are its luxuries. It is difficult by the mere statement 0 square In 1850 the production of wheat was Jess miles by the hundred thousand and acres by the hundred million to convey any just idea than 50,000 bushels. and he who should ha\·e of the State \vhich forms my theme this after- predicted its successful culture, in anv saYe extreme North, would noon. It is only when we compare her with the counties of the other States and nationalities that the mind have been regarded as a \Vild visionarv. Yet, \V was 4, 000,000 bushfJs, rises to some appreciation of her magnitude, in 1878 the heat crop d f and its production is nO\Y only lhnited by of her immense capabilities an ° the g 1or- market facilities. It ripens a month earlier ious future that awaits the development of than the wheat of more N ortbern States. In her limitless resources. Centennial Year the first sack of Texas flour When I tell you that Texas contains 274,356 reachea Galveston }fay 18th. It was sold at squarp, miles, or 175,587,840 acres, I make a auction for a handsome sum and sent to the Yery prosaic statement, which carries with it Emperor of Brazil ; while the price bought very little appreciation of the actual fact that many sacks for the orphans in ti1e Asylum. thi · State of Texas is as large as six such States Texas wheat ";eighs from 62 to 68 pounds as X e\V )"T" ork. In acres and square miles the the measurerl. bushel, and flour made fr0n1 it Empire State of the South is six times the passes the tropics without danger of fermen magnitude of the Empire State of the North. tation or souring. The balance of o~r trade Place }laine, New Hampshire, l\Iassachu- in fa-vor of Brazil is about thirtr-fiYe millions. setts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Connecticut, Every dollar of which might be saved by in X e1~{ Yerk, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Dela- creasing the production of 'fexas \Yheat and ware, Ohio and Illinois close together, and the exportation of Texas flour to pay for Rio the territory of Texas \vill cover and overlap coffee. A careful estimate shows that Texas them all 6,000 square miles. can produce sixty-four 1nillions of ln1shels, Should " .,.e divide Texas in the middle, the or one-eighth of the entire wheat crop of the one-half will equal Great Britain and Ireland. United States, without interfering \Yith :i1er n:Iassachusetts supports a population of 186 other crops to the square mile; were Texas populated in The total acreage of the njne principal crops the same ratio her census would be 51,030,216, of the United States-corn, \Vheat~oats. barley, \Vhich is equal to that of the whole United rye, buckwheat, hay, potatoes and cotton States. is 143,178,393 acres. 'fexas rould produce 1 As we look n little further\ve shall see that all these and have a surplus of 32.309.44 : if cold, bleak, rocky 1\'Iassachusetts can sus- acres for other purposes. She could not, ouly tain a population of 186 to the square mile, contain all the population of the United rfGxas, with her genial climate, her fertile States, but she could raise all the principal soils and v aried productions can do much crops for ho1ne consumption nncl foreign ex- more. port vv h1ch they prod nee. 6 TE.X.A.S; HER RESOURCES .A.ND CA.PABILITIES. 'fhe 1 clo. Let us see the 1nnstaEg in every form and feature. This i"' \Yhat Texas n1ightLo she does do. n1ustang has a tendency to color-part.i-col 'vhat it is that in eYery d1 ove; Returns from sixty-eight shipping points ored specimens are found aggregate results of "fexas with us they are called calico or paint ponie . give the follO\\Ting set the figures do not reach ..A .. fe\V years since a northern lady produce. '' hile these ponies the entire production, they indicate its mag fashion of driving these fancy·colored to her park phaeton. An enterprising l ... an nitude. gathered up a Cot1 0ll, 951,093 bales .....•.. \ ... alue, 838.043,720 kee went to Western Texas, Cattle, 502.190 head...... " 8,~-!1,903 of select specimens at a cost of about 4- ·YO drove Horse~. 37,860...... • . • • . . . '· 3 $25 each, brought them north. trimmed, \Vo0l. 14,568.9~0 pounds..... " 2,9l·3:7s-t Hides, 28,104,065...... " 2.810~406 trained and ~atched them, when they readily Lnn1ber and st · i~gles...... '' 1.349,691 sold at from $500 to $800 the pair. Nothing ~bnshels.... " •t d d d h b . 'Vheat, ~:500,000 2.37:s.ooo506,063 b ut I.Imi e e1nan prevents sue URine""s Cotton Sfeclandoilcake .••. u Texas is inferior Sugal' and mola:3ses...... • • . . '' 43:3,960 from bein~ very profitable. ~64 '-' ~fi~cellaneons p7odncts...... H 67.~. to no country on earth for the splendid rear- s57.s-~9.141 ing and breeding of horses, and there is none later are in which horses are more free from disease 1,hese figures are for 1878; none giYes ·1 bl The high rolling'-' lands and hard surface avai a e. muscles. I think the State can riYal Louisiana in the cup to the hoof and rigidity to the of sugar-South Carolina in rice, With equal breed she can produce speci production blood. and can produce as many oranges as Florida, mens that will rival the finest Arabian tobacco as ~irginia and as much In 1860 Texas contained only 753,365 sheep; as much to 714,351; hemp as Kentucky or :Jiissouri. ten ~rears latter these had decreased in 1878, 951,093 bales of Cot- yet in 1879 s.he had advanced to the rank of We producP.d had at ~38,043, 720. The world con- the second wool-growing State, and ton valued Cali ... ume-- nbout 12,000)000 bales annuallv, \Yhich 5,148,400 sheep valued at $9,730,476. could gro"\v on 19,000 square nliles, fornia which alone leads her has 7,646,800 Texas 14,568,920 or if Texas \vere to turn her attention to ~heep. In 1879 her \vool clip was . it., she could gro"\Y as much cotton as four- pounds, valued at 82,913.784 ...... of like this consume. Notwithstanding the immense number teen "\Yorlds those can produce six 1nillion bales, which Cattle sold on the hoof. the hides of She pounds, ''Torlcl's con~umption without in- slaughtered a1nount to 28,104,065 is half the may \Yith her other crops. "\Vith a money value of $2,810.406. I terfering abounds The cattle interest ranks next after cotton. mention incidentally that all Texas of .A.griculture reports the \Yith tanning materials, and every one of ·The Con1missioner into of cattle in Texas at 4,464,000 \vith a these hides might be profitably made number of tanneries in money value of 39,64:0,320. The number of leather. There arc a number all of which cattle driven north oYer the trail was 257,431, various portions of the State, at $13 each \Yould haYe a make excellent leather. The confederacy es wbich estimated por value of $3,340,603. The number of tablished tanneries in Texas. and a large nloney from then1. cattle shipped by rail \\as 24:4. 76.) head; these tion of their army \Vas supplied $20 each or S±.885.3t 0, 111aking In the last report of the Comn1issioner of are valued at and the totnluun1ber of cattle sold 502,176, with Agriculture you will see an engraYin~ of $8,241,903. description of the Canaigre, a plant of Texas, a money Yalue skins. Illinois is the only State \Vhich leads Texas which has been long used for tanning of Horses. Texas has 063.900 both by "\Vhite men and Indians. The root in the nu1nber acid. valued nt $21,331,107. During 1878, contains twenty-three per cent. of tannic horses very rich in H7,860 \Yere driven north, these are Yft1ued at Our live Oak and mesquite are and besides ~hese fores~ 12. 50, or a total of 8473. ~50. It \vill be seen the tanning principle, ~: sumac. that T'exns horses do not command so high a trees we have an abundance of and va~ blooded stock ~rhich makes fast ''We clain1 that the most extensive price as the no\Y the Park, yet these same mustangs uable pine, cypress, and live-oak forest time in is to be are ·not '·1thout mrtny good qualities. They remaining uncut in Korth America half breeds of the pure mustang found in Eastern Texas and Western Louis are generally per horse, "\Vhicll it::;elf came from gentle iana. Its value consists in its lRrge yield or 'vild of the trees, stock, having been introduced bv the Spani- acre, the magnificent proportions , and turned loose to return the quality of the timber, and its accessibility ards into l\iexico \vide of nature. ·They are of Audalusian to the ever increasing markets on the to a f3tate to the \Yhich \Yas more or.. less ....-\.rabic. N oth- prairies, stretching hundreds of miles blood, for shipment ing can equal their po,ver of endurance. and westward, and to the Gulf ports are small, a good mustang \vill to the markets of the world. The yellow-pine although they a, rider :fifty miles every day for a lands of Southern l\fississippi, Alabam carry his upon and require no better fare than he can Florida and Georgia have been drawn \Yeek, Eastern when staked out at night 'vith a forty heaYily to supply the markets of the g~tther England and "foot lariat. The Broncho stallions) which States and the ship-yards of years past; and the few "t..Yere exhil~itecl in the circus son1e few years Scotland for n1any by their beautiful I tracts of valuable timber now remaining un ~go.attract1ng gr~a~att~ntion. tran - and surpr1s1ng Intelligence. were fine culled arc generally far removed from ... orms a large mustangs. 'Vhere they came from I knov{ portation advantages, and command nut, .but all Texans \vho saw them recognized price. TEXA.S: HER RESOTJROES AND CAP.A.BILITIES. 7
The yellow-pine of the South is increasing "It is impossible to in1agine the beauty of in demand, and becon1ing more valuable each a Texas prairie when in the vernal season· succeeding year, for the further reason that its rich luxuriant herbage adorned \Yith the ""bite-pine forests of the Northern States many thousand flowers, <._.;of ' every size and and Canada are fast becoming exhausted. hue, seems to realize the vision of a terres The extent' of the pine terri tory in the tria~ para~ise. The delicate, gay and gaudy Northern States and Canada has been largely are Intermingled in delightful confusion, and over-estimated, and its thin belts have been these fanciful bouquets of fairy nature forn1 pierced through and through at many points tenfold charms "\\~hen associated \Yith the ver hv our brawny lumbermen in the different dant carpet of grass \Vhich n1odestlv mantles State"'. And the Canadian statesmen, who around. · ., for manv years talked of their unbroken for ''One feels that Omnipotence had conse ests of p'in'e, reaching a-~vay back for hundreds crated in the bosom of nature and under of n1iles towards Hudson's Bay and the Polar Hea-ven's \Vide canopy, a glorious ten1ple in Sen. haYe "-ithin the past year seen almost which to receiYe the praise and a(1oration of the last of their profitable "lumber limits'' the grateful' beholder, and cold indeed must or blocks sold out. The choppers have be the soul from \Ybjch no honln&!:e could here reached the line o.f the scrubby white birch be elicited. ~rethinks the verie~t infidel [llld balsa1n; and, \Vith their axes upon their would have been constrained to bO\Y and :: honlders. they haYe been obliged to turn 1vorship." back to find new fields to conquer. \Vhere Texas prairies have contributed the Verbena, \\,.ill they go no",.? We will tell them: Come to the store of floral beauties which adorn the \rith us to Texas, and we \Vill show you, in gardens of the \YOrld. Here is its natural the eastern portion of our State, a little tract home. of prime,-al forest not yet culled out, about Our statistics of Sugar are not so satisfac the size of tbe State of N e'v 1..,. ork. tory as \ve could desire, because no figures The trees are sound and thrifty, and rise have been collated since 187t;, which \Vas a often to the altitude of 150 ahcl175 feet; and very unfortunate year, the late rains having often without a single crook or limb on the almost ruined the crops. For this, however, first 100 feet. The sap does not average more we have accurate figures-5,664 hogsheads of than 1% inches, ''Thich IS a great advantage sugar, 12,244 barrels of molasses of money OYer the pine of other districts. value $433,960. Our sugar lands are equal In Southeastern Texas there are 14 counties, in extent and producti\-eness to those of nggregating an area of 11,493 square miles. Louisiana. This area is divided as follows: Coast prair At the last published reports there were six ies, 2520 square miles; miscellaneous timber, Cotton Seed Oil mills in the State. It is be en1braring white, overcup, spanish red and lieved that several others have been since black oak, beech, maple, elm, ash of three constructed. The products of those six were varietiea, magnolia, black walnut, red cedar, valued at $506,063. It is but a few years black, yellow and \Yhite cypress, gum and since cotton seed had anv market value. It various species of bay, an area of 3974 square was thro"Tn away as waste. There is ample 1ni1es; short leaf and hammock pine an area and profitable employment for twenty mills. of 983 square miles; long leaf yellow pine, Another source of large pTofit which is 4!66 square miles. awaiting development is the pecan. The This tree is the true turpentine producing gathering of this delicious nut being usually pine, and in the course of time a large pro done by boys, it may be denominated a minor portion of the no val stO'res of the world 'vill industry, yet it is an amazingly profitable be drawn fron1 Eastern Texas. The annual one. The nut always cotnmands a ready production of lumber is estimated at 160 mill sale, the demand being greater than the sup ion feet with a money value of $1,349,691. ply. There is many an acre of land to be I have said nothing of the other forest trees bought for a dollar which if planted "\\rith of Texas. We have oak, walnut, hickory, pecans would in ten years bring a hundred pecan, mulberry, bois de arc, 'vhich is un dollars. Pecans are purchased by the store equalled for wagon and carriage building, keepers at fron1 $1.50 to $2.00 per bushel. the magnolia, and many others. No man, There are no figures showing the amount of \\~ ho has not seen the oleander and magnolias this industry, but that it is considerable is of Texas in full bloom can appreciate the evidenced by the fact that San .A.. ntonio ships bight of grandeur to which floriculture can a half a mill..ion pounds of this favorite nut, rise. The magnolia grOr\Ving Heavenward and hundreds of thousands of bushels rot Oh near to a hundred feet produces thousands of the ground or are eaten by the hogs. fio,Yers, each of which rivals in beauty the One of the popular delusions regarding "' olitary blossom of the Victoria Regina. Texas is that no apples gro\Y there-that it 'Yhile there i~ nothing so gorgeous as the is not a fruit-gro"-ing country. This is a oleander, not the sickly shrub of your North great error. Nearly all the fr~lits of both the ern conservatories, but the tall growing tree, Torrid and Temperate Zone.;: tlourish abun all covered \\'"ith hlossorns of sunset hue. dantly. Apples. pears, peaches, grapes, ~he lirs. niary Holly, an accon1p1ished l{en berries, the banana, the orange and the ohve !uckJ lady, \Vho visited and wrote of Texas all do ,vell. Of apples, Texns cxhi )it8 speci In 1837, " -hen it \vas almost a wilderness, 1nens :fine as any. Of ~ununer npples. \Ye thus describes a 'fexas prairie: hnve in perfection the 1-te June, .Juhan. -.nmmer Queen, Early HarYest, found, and supplies in part the fuel for those and Duche s of Oldenburg. Our Autuu1n roads. .A.t a great nutny points in nearly apples are the Carolina ureening, Taunton, eYery section of the State, and upon the hank~ Topp's FaYorite, Buncomb ard Carter's Blue. of nearly eveTy large stream, coal crops out, For Winter n3e, the Ron1anite, Yates, Stev-en- and is used by country blacksmiths in their son's Winter, Pryor's Red, l\Iaverick (one of forges. and at some points for fuel. On the our O\Vll children), Ben Davis, Canon Pear- Trinity, Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe and main and Racket's Swee~. Rio Grande and their tributaries, cropping Peaches are remarkably healthy in Texas of anthracite and tertiary coal of the cannel and are productive. Of these, the leading variety are found. From the lower Rio profitable kinds for market, in theorder Grande, where large beds are believed to of ripening, fron1 l\'Iay 25, forward to exist, it is found at intervals all the .,vay to :K ovember, are-Alexander, Wilder, Hale's the northeastern corner of the State, and it Early, 1:... ello"? St. John, Harrison's Early, is supposed forn1s a continuous deposit the nlountain Rose, .t\.melia, large ·Early 1:.,.. ork, whole distance. It is highly probable that in Earlv Cra\\Tford, Reeve's Favorite, Thurber, the vicinity of the iron fields of Rusk, "There Oldmixon, Free and Cling, Crawford's Late, the State proposes to develope the iron ores, Stump the World, Columbia, Steadley, Pic- found in such great abundance ~ the coal al quet's Late, Nelson Cling, Salway and Lady ready found will ultimately be proven valu Parham. able in the furnace for making iron. But as Texas is truly the paradise of the grape. a thoroughly reliable scientific research has \Vith the exception of a few varieties predis- not been made by the State, the value of our posed to rot, all kinds have gone beyond our coal beds may be merely suppositions. expectations. E\en the foreign varieties, The Texas Trunk Railway passes through Golden Chasselas, and several others of that a coal field 200 1niles long. The A1nerican class, have borne fine fruit for two or three Almanac estimates the Texas coal fields at years in open air But the Champion, Dela- 20,000 square miles. Only three States pos ~Tare, }lartha, Elvira, Goethe, Brighton, sessing a ]arger area. Black Eagle, vVilder. Salea1 and T1iumph There is an abundant supply of copper in have all clone finely. lves and Concord pro- .A.. rcher, Wichata, WilbarQer, Baylor, Haskell, duce enormous crops and sell cheaply-from Stonewall and other counties. It is nearly a tllree to ten cents a pound, while the better pure sulphate, yielding 72.45 pure metal. grapes bring often as high as twenty-five to It is found on the hillsides near the sur forty cents. The Champion, on account of face. Four persons took out 6,000 pouitds, its great earliness. in Northern Texas, t\venty- yielding 76 per cent. of copper in ten hours. five cents a pound. , Lead and Silve1~ are very abundant in t-he One grape-the Triumph-deserves more western portion of the State. In some locali than a passing notice. It has now grown ties the yield has been 20 ounces of pure sil luxuriantly six years, bearing heavy crops of ver t.o the ton. the largest of bunches-some weighing a ' Salt is manufactured on the Texas & Pacific pound and a half-the berries, maturing per- Railroad, near ~Iineola; near the crossing of fect]y, attaining the excellence of the Golden the Trinity River by the International Rail ()hasselas, -nThieh it much resembles, except road. in Llano County, and Yarious other be1ng much larger in bunch. It astonishes points, from saline springs and wells. Also all who see it, and sells at fancy prices, even in southwestern Texas large sn.lt lakes are 1Yhen the market is glutted with common found, as well as in El Paso County, from kinds. Here we have the excellence of the 'vhich very large quantities of salt are taken, foreign with the vigor of the native. the manufacture being by evaporation pro- On GalYeston Island, )fr. Stringfellon has duced by ~unheat. The most important of gro"~n grapes that remind one of the n1iracul- these, and supposed to be inexhaustible_. are ous pictures seen in old family Bibles, where the El Paso salt lakes. ..t\_ large section of Caleb and J obhua return from ''spying out country in Texas, and of the n:Iexican State the land," swinging between them on a pole of Chihuahua, derive salt for all purposes a bunch of grapes as large as a cask of wine. from these lakes. It will be remembered that etra\vberries are perfectly successful. Wil- a few years since the possession of these son. Charle~ Downing, Sharpless, Miner·s salines caused a disturbance between the Prolific, Crescent, Cumberland and Captain ~Iexicans and Americans, which was for a Jack, have proven successful. while dignified by the title of an Internation- COA.L al dispute. · The production of salt in these lakes by the The presence of coal in the various locali- deposit fro1n evaporation is constant .. and ties, and of n1ore or less valuable quality, has rapid in this dry region, and in quantities beeu long known, but in the absence of rail- which must be very remunerative, "'hen the roads in the districts \Yhere the better quali- railways being extended through that coun ties have heen found, these deposits, their try are completed. extent and definite value, are yet unknown Iron abounds in the mountainous district-., from want of transportation that would ren- of the upper Colorado and tributaries 111 Bur c~er mining profitable. Quite recently, on the net, San Saba, Llano, Lan1passas and 1\lason lmes of the Texas & Pacific and Central Rail- counties, and is ]e~-, abundant in various lo roads, coal of excellent quahty has been calities in other "-estern counties. It is also • TEX1\.S . IIER RESOURCES AND C... -\_PABILITIES. 9 ' ~ abundant in eastern Texas, in Bowie, Cass, machinist and careful thinker, demonstrated l\Iarion, llarrison. l{usk, Cherokee and other that Texas cotton could be spun and sent to .counties In niarion and Cas~ counties iron X ew England much cheaper than it could be \Yorks have been successfully established, sent in the bale.. It may be observed that and limited experiments made in other east- Southern mills ba ve no competitors in the ern counties at a tilne, ho,v-ever, when trans quality of their products. That vlhich we portation "~as so costly that the ventures were do manufacture is as good as the best. The not successful. The Kellyville iron \\Yorks, 4-4 domestic produced by Southern mills are in operation some fifteen years, haYe been fully equal to Indian Head and ''r auchesetts. vrofitable, and latterly are being enlarged ~-\.. 1nill at "\Vaco, Texas, produces the best and -vvill probably at no distant time prove seamless bags, for the price, in the United the source of imn1ense "\Yealth and the rapid States. development of that section of country. At It may not be amiss to give briefly the rea Ru -·k, in Cherokee County, immense deposits son why Southern cotton goods, which are of iron (hematite and limonite) are found, and n1anufactured direct from the lint as it comes the State, with the intention of developing from the gin, are superior to those made from and utilizing this great source of -vvealth, bas the same cotton after it has been coinpre:--~d. established the east Texas penitentinry at that The most impo1iant factor in determining the point. quality of cotton is the length of the staple# The cost of producing a ton of iron at the When cotton is compressed, it is subjected to Kelly works is estimated at $7. 06. Gypsum such immense pressure that all the fibres are is found in every portion of the State. .A. interlaced and formed into a solid body. quarter million barrels could be shipped north The method of preparing cotton from the eyery year if there was sufficient capital to bale for the carding machine, is to first pass develope the industry. it through the opener-by which the fibres At the base of the mountains, which cross are to a certain exte•nt separated, and thereby Texas from the southwest to northeast, there many of them broken. It is then passed is a series of springs, beginnin·g in Bell county, twice through the beater and the lap machine. {)f magnificent character, extending, at inter- Each machine having two or more beaters$ vals, to San Antonio, giving rise to the Lam- which are straight bars of steel, revolving at pasas, Salado San ~Iarcos, San Antonio, San 2, 000 revolutions per minute around an axle Pedro, Co mal, Guadaloupe and other rivers, to which they are attached, and striking the which afford an abundance of water power. cotton which is pushed up to them over the At the head of some of them, as the San }lar- edge of a steel plate, and bO timed that the San Antonio river may be given machine by "\vhich the cotton is delivered di as an example. Within a straight line dis- rect on the lap machine roller without being tance of four miles the fall is 107.6 feet. The touched; it is therefore at its best estate and river itself within the same distance is more uninjured. This is the chief reason for the than three times that length. The volume of superior quality of Southern cotton fabrics. water is 16,149 cubic feet per minute-equival- I read you an extract fron1 the Baltimore ·ent to 30~~ horse power for each foot of fall. Bun of last week: We are frequently asked why it is that with "The first manufactory of translucent por all this power going to waste, and an a bun- celain in the United States has recently been dance of raw material on the ground, we do established in New Orleans, by l\~r. Eugene not establish manufactories. Our journalis- Burgi, 'vho has engaged the services of M.r. tic friends read us many a lecture, in \Vhich d'Estampes, formerly director of a porcelam they tell us tliat factories will prove· our sal- factory at Vierzan, Fr~nce. . Th~ latter had vation, and enforce the duty of establishing already started the bus~ees In. New. Orlea~ them with much eloquence. Readers of in a small way, but was rmportlng h1s ka()lm Da\id Copperfield will remember lVIicawber's fro~ ~ranee, ~eing ignorant that ~aoli~ oft~ excellent reason for not engaging in the coal requisite quality could be . ob~a1ned 1n this trade. It requires capital to e~tablish fac- country. The firn1 of capitalist who took tories, and all the capital we have is required over the business of. ~fr .. d'Estan1pes: for the to till our fields and move our crops, purpose of conducting It on a large scale, One great advantage that would result from c~used a sear.ch to be ~ade for the p~o~r the establishment of cotton factories in the k1ncl of kaohn, and ultimately found It m south would be the superior quality of the Robertson County. Texas, o~ the line of the production. It is well known that the staple Houston (.~ Texas Central Railroad." of cotton suffers gTeatly in the compress. But tin1.e will not permit me to ev~n sugg~t The late Hiram Close, of Galveston, an old the 1nult1tude of resources and Industries ... 10 TEXA.S: I-IER RESOURCES .A ... TD C .A.P~-\.BILITIES. which are rt\Yaiting· deYclopnl 'lit in that En1- culture, cheap labor an .. .. , r • l • I I • • • I, ·. j j I INTRODUCTION . ...... This pamphlet is one of several, published by the South-western Immigration Com pany for gratuitous distribution among those who are considering the "Tisdom of leaving their old homes and establishing themselves in some locality, ·w·here their opportunities for comfort and competency will be enhanced. It is manifestly proper that the reader should be informed of the Company \\Thich addresses hin1 nnd the "-ork it seeks to accom plish. Briefly, then, the South-western Immigration Con1pany is an assochttion composed of individuals and railway companies interested in peopling the south "-estern portion of the "Gnited States, or, to speak 1nore precisely, the States of Texas and .A.rkansas-thc southern portion of :\Iissouri, and the \Vestern portion of Louisiana. Its general office is located at .A.ustin, Texas, with subordinate offices at :X ew York, and other centres of popu lation. Hon. Wm. W. Lang. late }laster of the Texas State Grange, is President, and B. G. Duval, Esq., of Austin, Secretary. It has for its sole purpose the di .:;e1nination of information relative to the section of the country indicated. It neither sells land nor re commends purchases. Its object is to settle the country ·w·ith an industrious, thrifty and enterprising population, which will develop its resources, make it wealthy and populous.. Its publications '\vill be truthful statements of t·he natural and other resources of the several localities mentioned. No means will be spared to gather accurate information and truthfully recite it. At the New York Office, 243 Broadway, \\hich is in charge of J. N. Victor, Esq., there will be maintained an extensive and interesting display of soils, crops, timber, fruits, minerals and other productions of the section represented. All who feel an interest in the matter of immigration are invited to address any of the officers or agents of the Company for books, maps, qr such special information as they may desire, which will be furnished '\Vithout charge. And if any are in doubt as to the standing, integrity or competency of the Company, they are invited to address inquiry to the Governors of either of the States named, or other persons, whose official position will entitle their statements to belief. . SOUTH-WESTERN IMMIGRATION CO. THE PLAN ..-\ND PURPOSE OF ITS ORGANIZATION. The South-\"\~estern In1migrat1on Con1pany stores of wealth that now lie locked in the ..1s an organization for the purpose of advanc- bosom of the earth, n1ay be 1nade subservient ing imrnigration into the south-\vest portion of to the uses of n1an; to increase con1merce; to .the United States, comprising tlJ.e States of double transportation; to establi::;h indu~tries .A.rkan~ns and Texas, together \Yith so n1uch that \Yill n1anufacture ra\v products into use of l\lissouri as lies south of the ~Iissouri River, ful fabrics, and, in short, to put this section Kncl of Louisiana as is \vest of the !Iississippi. on the advance ground of civilization. To fhis section of country is ho1nogen2ous in its this end we labor. The railroads have gcner -::.·hhracter, and held together by a ~o1nmon in- ously placed a large sn1n of money at the con1- terest. It fonns, so to speak, a distinct sec- parry's disposal. to Le expended in the ac:coln ion of the country, and the prosperity of one plisl11nent of this object. Their conduct in portion of it is the prosperity of all. this deserves the good feeling of a grateful 1'be organization \\'"as the outgrowth of a public, and solicits its support in a work so conviction ~unong certain railroad corporations praise\\Torthy. 'rhe inauguration of this con1- t1Htt the cause of in1n1igration (so necessary to pany, being a voluntary offering for the pub nlake these great enterprises rapidl}~ remuner- lie good, I feel at liberty to call upon the peo .ative) could only he effectually subservecl by pie of the country for gratuitous assistance, united action. Previous to this time the rail- and, therefore, urge them, in their several \vars had expended large sun1s of n1oney 1n counties. to fonn inlllligration or agricultural seperate efforts to encourage immigration in- societies to aid in the collection of such statis to the sections in which they Y\~ ere specially tical information regarding crops, stock-rais interested. Enterprises of this sort, where ing, commerce, transportation, etc., togeth€r ~flf-interest is manifestly the n1otive po,ver, with such descriptive matter as will set forth are lo~ked upon 1vith suspicion by strangers. the advantages of their respective counties as Hence they were not found to be effective. fit hon1es for ilnmigrants. In this we want The people of Texas had incorporated into nothing but truthful statements, without ex rheir constitution a provision that no money aggeration or fanciful painting. Overdrawn should be expended for the purpose of bring- descriptions, reaching far beyond reality, can iug in11nigrants into the State. This 'vas not do no good; but, on the contrary, will disap.. from any indifference to in1migration, but be point the new settler who has been led hither cause Texas is an econon1ical debt-paying by the1n, and in the end cause dissatisfnction, S~ate, and it had been observed that in sorne discontent, and hinder immigration to that States n1uch taxation had been caused bv im- section. migration and other bureaus, all of which '' When such societies are formed and prop 'vere forbidden, fron1 that prudence which erly organized, they are requested to furnish guards every avenue to the public treasury. this office \Yith name and postoffice adclreEs. Tl~e State of .Texas offers inlluceinent to 1greater adv-ance of prices than the cost of ad inlnllgrauts \Yhlth ennuot he ~urpns::--ed in (litional freio·llt are found at the rail~vav 1 1 ~ ' ~ nhtny re:pect:--, ant .. are rare y equalled by any ~tations, and here also the far1ner finds a ot~1er country on th,is ~ontinent.. These con1- ready 1narket for his produce. pr1~c excelleu ·e ?f chnul.tc, soil a~d water, The fanner is invited to a country of unsur agncultun1L gn1z1ng and con1n1ercH1l adYrul- passed fertility and health, where upon the t~lg: -s, nnll educn.tit)Dal facilities; and in at1cli-l s<:une land he can produce the great staples, a.nd t1nn to .all the~e, ~che~1p 1nncl'-. The settler \vho 1 cotton, \Vheat, oats, rye, corn, tobacco con1es Into tln~ ~tate nO\Y, has not necessarily sugar; the grazier, to the broad prairies or to nnclcrgo the hnrd~hip~ of pioneer life. as rolling :1plands. \\~here cattle, sheep and horses, '~Ta-.- fon~H~r1y the ca-..;e. .He can, if his inchna: fee~ the year round on the native grasses; the tion."' 1101nt that "-:n~, still find large area-.; of artisan and 1nechanic to thriVJ'no- o-rowinO' r:-. " • '-.J ' b' 0 0 unenltrvnted p~1sture lands In the extre1ne to\\... ns, "-here his skilled labor is In demand at \\(''t nnd north-"... c~t, \Yhere his flocks and remunerative prices; the capitalist, to the in het'(l :-. 1nay ro~nn at \Yill, but at least one-third anguratiou of the 1nany industrial and manu nf the territory of the State ls about as \Yell facturing enterprise~ demanded by a vigorous 1,opuh1-re • 14 TE:X.A.S: IIER I~ESO"GRCES .A.ND C.A.PABILITIE.~. I ton1ed surroundings, not to feel a natural The territory of Texas is, in truth. of 1nag.. "homesickness," and when to this is added a nificent extent, and the tenn >! En1pire St~~te cold and surly reception, it is not strange that of the Southwest," son1etin1es u:::.cd in rcter son1etin1es disgust superYenes; and he 'Yho ence to it, is not inaptly applied. might have been a good citizen and a good GENER... ;\_L FE.'\.TCRES OF THE ST... :\..TE .. neighbor beco1nes a bitter enemy. \Ve \Vho are "native and to the n1anner born" know Texas is a vast inclined plane, \Vith a gradual that there is as n1uch hospitality and kindly descent from the northern and north '"esu:-rn feeling a1nong the people of Texas a· can pos- boundary to the Gulf of ~Iexico. Tllc C(Ja"t sibly exist any,vhere, and these suggestions counties are nearly level for sixty to eigllty are not nulde \Yith the idea that in1migrants 1niles inland; the su~·face then becon1es untlu conling into the State are likeJy to rPceive 1 lating, \vith alternate gradual elevation~ and '' a cold shoulder,'' but our people should see depressions, and this feature increases as \\~e to it that such persons have extended to then1 proceed toward the northwest, until it becon1e~ not only the co1nmon courtesy due to strangers, hilly and finally mountainous in some of the but thnt hearty welcome and active sympathy far \Yestern counties. The highest range", and assistance that no n1an appreciates so ho\'""eYer, do not attain a greater altitude than much as he \vho finds hin1self :'a stranger in 5,000 feet. In the coast cc>untie::, the soil and a strange land." clin1ate are especially adapted to the culture of sea-island cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar anll many semi-tropical fruits and vegetable -- . LOCA.. TION AND ~\.REA OF TEXAS. Nearly all this level coast country, fron1 the Texas is situated bet,v-een Latitude 25° 50' Sabine River on the east to the Rio Grande on anc} 36° 30' North, and Longitude 93° 30' and the ~~est, is prairie, only broken here and there 0 10() 40' \Vest; greatest length fro1n the n1outh by ''motts" (isolated island~) of tin1ber, or the of tha Rio Grande River to the north\\ "est cor- bottoms of the streams. 0ver these vast ner, about 825 miles; greatest breadth, along prairie~ countless thou~ancls of cattle roan1 and the 32cl parallel, about 840 n1iles. Area 274,- keep fat the year round on the natural pas- 356 S(tj_Uare miles. It is bouhded north by New turage. }Iexico (\vest of the 103d meridian), the In- 1 The eastern portion of the State, or that east dian Ter1itory and Arkansas, the Reel River of the 96° of longitude and north of the 30tll being the dividing line east of the 100th n1eri- parallel of latitude, con1prising about forty dian; east by the Indian Territory (north of counties, is heavily tin1bered, and fron1 this lat. 34° 30'), Arkansas and Louisiana, fron1 the section are clra\vn nearly all the immense sup last of \Yhich it is mostly separated by the Sa- plies of pine lun1.ber required in the prairie bine River an r • -- Stft1 '_, and. it is helicvecl their develop1nent · the Couunissioner of tlle General Land Office ,vi111)c rarncl and ... u~ce ....'"' ful a the coun.try be- located at the capitol of the State, jssues a l~d cmne? n1ore acc?ss1 hle. '"'?en the railroads \Yarrnnt \vhich says upon its face (in substanoo) 110 "· 1n process of construction shall have been ''that is by virtue of this \varrant entitled coinpletccl. to 640 acres of land, to be taken fro1n any of the unappropriated land of the State of Texas, BRIEF HISTORIC.A.L SKETCH.- the sa~11e to be surveyed according to la"y' '' Texas GoYernment under,vent many rapid ~1nd th1s land "Tarrant, or land certificate, as it chtlnges before its territory became a member 1~ usually called, is the foundation of all the of tb1s stable country. "Up to the year 1821, titles in the State. Texas w ns a part of ~Iexico under the domin Each county has a local land office with a ion of Spanish \ 1iceroys. In that year ~lex surveyor, \vho is a bonded officer of tl~e State. ica renounced ber allegiance to Spain and He keeps .an .accurate n1ap of every survey established a Regency. -"--\.fter one year's trial ever made 1n Ins county, and a lJo.ok in which the Regency was changed to an Imperial Gov every set of field notes (metes and bounds) are ernment. Then the Emporer \Yas deposed, duly recorded. A party holdino·0 a land war and in 1823 a Republican form of government rant and \Yishing to locate the sa1ne, would wa~ instituted. This only lasted one year, apply to .ol?-e of ~hese county surveyors, and when it was changed for a Federal system by exanun1ng h1s n1ap. can soon tell how modeled after that of the "G nited States. This 1nuch, if any, vacant land still re1nains in that la .. ted ten years, and in 1833 Santa Anna es county; if there \Yas none. or if it did not suit, tablLhed a military despotism. After three he .w~)llld pass fro1n county to county, until a ""ears of turbulence and bloodshed in which satisfactory tract could be had, and \Yhen had, the Texans fought under the Federal Flag he " ... ould turn over his "·arrant to the sur of :3Icxico, she declared her independence, veyor, \Yho \Yould file it in his book. and sur and in 1836 Texas became an independent vey off the quantity it caned for. After the Hepublic-and in 1845 \Yas voluntarily annex survey is made, and the field notes recorded, the\r are sent tog·etber \Yith the " ... arrant to the eel to the "Cnited States. Her population at " .__ ' that tin1e could not haYe exceeded 150,000. General Land Office, and a patent. is issued, BY the treatY of annexation Texas retained all signed hy the Commissioner, and by the Go,~ her public domain. She sold that \Yhich no"... ernor of the State, and this patent forn1s the ~onstitutes a part of X e" "flon1e.steads 1nay be acquired in ~tny por-lllent nucl honest. :'i<.:knc.:--:S, ~H.'I'id('nt, tt~ per: tion of the State ,,·here va :ant lanc1 c,tn h · 1 son or property. or otb ~r <..:11' ·t 111:--tunct~~ "hu ll ~ found. Eacll ht:ad of n fatnilv is eutitll·d tn : lK·yotH.l the control of tLc: inlli\·i lnal 1uay u:·in; 160 acres, and each single person eighteen this. <~L.out. "Cucltr 1t 1 ~nell circu1n.:styuces i~ years of age to eighty acres. by s ... ttling upon, gnH1(~~1ng to. kuo':... that the cr ·lhtor cantH;t occupying and ilnproYing the sa1ne for thrc · take. fro~n h~s uulortunatl:' dl:'~ ;t r the hon1 .l , con:secutiveycars. The applicant 1nust. \Yithiu I~or It"· furn.Iture aud co1n-e1nenc ~!", uor tl1 c thirtv days after settling upon tlle land. file f~ocl, s!ock, nnpletnent::-. toul--, ·tc. , l~y n1cun ~ ,,~ith.. the county surveyor a \Yritten designation ot. \\'luch .the del.Jtor 111a~- reC" O\' 'Jr fron1 tl~e of the ]and he desires to secure, and n1u~t haYe etiect of b1s lo...,~es. But tar greater than this it survevecl "~itbin t~velYe 1nontlls fro1n date of is the consolation of kno\\·ing tbat even should such al-)plication. and the field notes and ap- death overtake one, "·bile lahori.ng under suc:·h plication for~vurcled to the General Lanl1 enll>cllT<~ sm~nt, the lJereaY.ed \YiclO\Y aut~ cl11 ! ~ Office. \~Vhen the three year have expired dre? \Ylll ~t1ll ~Je secu~·e 111 the po ."ession ur from date of original settle1nent, proof that the th~Ir ho.Ine .and It~ co1nforts and the 1ueans to applicant and his assignee, if he has sold, hnYe gau1 a hvehhood. resided upon and in1proYecl the ._;arne as rc- PROVISIO:XS IK THE CONSTITL"1,l(J... ~ quired uy law. n1ust l>e tiled in the General OF THE ST.A.TE OF TEXAS. Land Office. This must 1Je S\Yorn to by the 1. The legal rate of iutere~t i;-, fixed at eig·llt settler and t\\"'"O disinterested " .. itnesses before per cent., but may be n1ade t\\-elve per cent. some officer authorized to ndn1inister oaths. l>y special contract. Patent "·ill then issue to the original settler or 2. All property of the \Yife, o\\-ned or clainl his assignee if proper transfers are filed." ed lJy her before nunTiarre, as "\Yell a~ that ac- ~ ~ LAWS. qnired after\Yarcl by gift. deYh.. e, or desc ~nt~ The laws of the State are similar to those of ::;hall lJe her ~eparate }JroptrT..\·. the most advanced States of the "Union. They 3. The \Yife'::; property i .... exelnpt fron1 tile ~ive an1ple and full protection to life and pro- husband's debt · and all their earning' during .....perty, and are rigidly enforC"ed. The Jargest marrjaQ'e\_,/ are partner~hii"> effects. liberty of speech and freedom of tllougllt i~ 4. Provision is nu1cle that the qualified YO· encouraged and guaranteed; 110 proscriptiOn::, ters of any COUnty, justice's precinct, tO\Yll Or in religion or politics are tolerated. EYery city, 1Jy a majority vote, may determine right and privilege is closeJv guarded in the \Yhet?er: t~e sal~ o~ intoxi~~ti~l.¥ :iqu.or. bha:l la"\YS. All for1ns of religious "-orship are prae- be _P1 ohibi~ed '' It!nn th~ p1 escr1~etl hn11ts. .. ticed, and every shade of politics is entertnine.d 1 o. C~rta:n ?ort.Ions of ~~rs~n.n1· prop~r~y ot among the people. The Den1ocratic party IS all person~ a:e ptote_:ted ... I~m f.... o1ce~ Selle. the dominant political senthnent of the State. TAXES ....~:\ D FI~ A.:\ CE~. rrhe next lare:est political divi~ion is the Re- The taxable values of the State are "•318.• publican party. In 111any localities of the 970,736, against \Yhich there is levied an an State it is in the majority_. and the offices arc nual assessment of fortv cents on the one hun filled by RepubHcans. The L~gislatu;·e is clred dollars for 8tate; and t~Yenty cents fer co1nposed of Democrats, Republicans, G-reen- countv revenue. The bonded debt of the backers (or Nationals) and Independents. The State ..,is 85,029,920, abeut three million of privilege of th~. ballot is as free to the one as which 1 is held by the State for account of to the other Citizen, and nll are protected by special funds. There is aLo a surplus bal. 1a'v i~ its f1:ee and unt.ra1~1neled exerci"e., I ance i~ the tr~a~ury ?f near ~600,000. 'fhe Article XII. and Hect1on 15 of the State financial concht1on of the State and counties Constitution .reads as follo\\·s: is upon a good basi..., and taxation is con1para '· The Leg!slature shall haYe po\Yer, and it tiYely light. :X ot n1ore than one-fourth of th ~ ~hall be tlH:'lr dut~\ to p;otect by lawJ fr~n general re-venue is ~et apart by the Constitu forced sale, a certai!l.portlon of the property tion for the purpose of sustaining a systern of of all heads of fan11hes. The ho1nestead of a public education. But fe".. of the countie~ family, not to exceed t~... o hundred acres of have a bonded debt and lJut fe~- have sub~i land (not included in a city, to"\vn or village), dized railroads. }l~st of the counties are free or any city, to\\·n or village lo~, or lots, not to of debt, and reducing the burden of taxation e.xceed :five _thous.and ~ollars In value, at the from year to year, ab the taxable values in tn:ne of t.he1r designation as a hoinest.ead, and crease. The people are industriou and pro \Yithout reference to the value o~ any 1m prove- gressive. Every in duo.; trious, frugal and pru n1ents thereon, shall not be subJect to forced dent n1an \\~ho has settled ,,·ithin the State. sale for debts, except they be for the purchase and who has follo"·ed c:losely his occupation. there~f, for the taxes thereon, or for labor and and refrained from. peculation, ha in1proYed n1at.er1als exp.ended thereon; r:-or shall th~ ou)·n- his condition, and thousands bnve gro~.. n rich er, if a 1narrzed 11Ut-n, be at hberty to ~l~enate or have becon1e independent livers. o a bun the sa;me, unless by the oonsent of the 1.oije, and dant are the elements of \Yea1th that all pru ~n such manner as rnay be p1·escribed by la1.c. ~' de1at and industrious people succeed. It frequently happens that necessity co1n- ~ ~ ~ pels one to incur debt, and no matter ho"\\T EDUC.A.. TIO~. ~vell such result may be guarded against in- Great as are the manifold attractions offe:- · ability to pay \vhen the debt matures '"ill ed by the climate, the soil! and other pbysicnl sometimes be the condition of the most pru- advantages of Texas, none of. the1n equal the TEXAS: HER RESOURCES AND C.A.PABILITIE8. 17 princely proYision \Vbich the fathers of the ~'epcrtl' Jt e.·ists ~n every country and· under every 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 0 .. 9 fonn of government. lf there \Yere no crime For murder ...•••.... 398 549 3·14 ...,;) there ..wo uld be uo necessity of government. For theft ... • • - ..... 2,260 2,371 2,081 1,7: 8 For arson ...... ••..•. 26 24 19 2~oJ It docs exist in 'l'exas, and to a much oTeater F' or perJury...... •••.. 82 90 ~·g 74 €Xtent than \VC like to see, but that it~ more For rape ...... •.. 53 53 !H 44 than else'\\· here, or that it is For robbery ...... 51 49 47 99 prevalent here For forgery .....••... 85 256 155 131 tolerated here to a greater degree, '''C most · For burglary...... 175 H)L! 183 :..04 emphatically deny, and point \Yith pride to ------the speedy march of our people in all that Total...... 3,130 3,548 2,942 2,592 .constitutes greatness and good society as &.n During the same four years the reports unerring and irrefragable proof of the un show the convictions for these offenses to ·founded and often repeated charge tho.t Texas have been as follows:- is a land of lawlessness and crime. A.. thrifty 1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. industrious and developing people are most For murder .••...... 71 122 115 88 483 ... apt to frown severely at all disturbances of ~ For theft ...... 471 558 651... For arson ...... !\ 7 t) 5 peace and the order of society. The safety F or . perJury ...... 3 1 10 5 of the earnings of their toil depends upon a For rape ...... 11 9 16 9 proper recognition of humcln rights and the For robbery ... . •••... 13 24 9 18 .For forgery ...... 9 Jl 19 36 hnvs of the government. A people making For burglary ...... 58 Cl B~ 9-! uch progress as Texas shows, must be patient, -- -- laboriouR and law-abiding-politicians and. rrctal...... 641 7go 907 738 interested in1migration agents to the contrary This array of statistical facts is an un notwithstanding. ans\vcrable refutation of these groundless charges. 1:'hose seeking new homes to better The following is an extract from the report theit condition '~'"ill fiud here a hearty wel .oi the attorney-general of the State, made come, ""There tbe1r property and persons will December 31, 1880: bn as sacredly guarded as in any government of the world, and their energy and industry '' The exhibit hereto attached an1on~0 other things "\Vill sho\V that bet\veen the 30th day of as liberally rewarded. No country offers a no people ~J ovember, 1879, and the first day of DecLeln broader field for human labor, and ber, 1880, there were 3, 525 indictn1ents, churo· appreciate more highly the benefits of good ing felonies, presented in the district courts society than the people of Texas. Honesty be and crime of the State, and that of the cases tried durino and industry will encouraged, of an indignant t.hat time, there were 006 convictions in felony \Yill receive the condemnation cases. These indictments and convictions people. The following comments on this subject \vere as follows· • clipped from one of the great New York a ail No. Inrlictm'ts Xo. Convict·n~· ies of February 2, 1881, sho\VS how our State, Pre~ented. hn.d. so much abused in this respect, is coming- to For embezzlement...... 78 8 be regarded by fair-minded men: '-J For mnrder...... ~59 88 "Stalwart journals keep on repeating in For r peaceable a cointnunity of settlers <_ls can b~ con1pnres favorul>ly \Yitb the great grain found in anv of the older Mtates. or 1n nny of grG\Ving States, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois t~ud the ne\ver 8,tntes in "rllich, ns in 'l'exns, iln Kan~as, \Vbile in <.!Otton production she st2nds Inigrants cstn.bli h thetn~el ve-, upon the ever pre-e1ninent, a~ co1npared \Vith the princip< 1 SJH':"eading net,vork of the raihvays. cotton produciug States of the South. A. fact that \Ve desire to impress upon the AGRICULTuRE. thinking mind is rendered emphatic by this 1"'akino· the \vord agriculture in it~ ''-?ide~t ttlble, viz., that \\rhHe the industrious farn1er signification as includin 0' the rearing of live can produce the cereals here to the san1e extent stoek, as well as the products of the earth, and ''{ith as little labor as any\vhere else, yet Texas is pre-eminently an agricultural coun in Texas these have al 'vays been considered a try. With ~er 1:ich nn.cl i?~xhaustible soils, secotula,ry crop, for the reason that the extra and her (ren1ul clunate, Inviting the farmer to ordinary yield and . quality of the cotton pro labor th~ year round in n1odera.tion, and not duct, render it pre-eminently valuable to the compelling him to ht'b.ernate, as it \vere, ~or farn1er. If the same time, at:ention and care many month , \Vhere IS there a field \Yh1ch ful husbandry "~ere devoted to the cere~ls offers so 1nanv attractions to the man \Vho here, that distinguish the agriculture of the expects to earn his bread by the sweat of his \Y estern States mentioned above, there is brow? every reason to believe that Texas \vould far PJJ.ANTI~G SEASOX. outstrip them. The mild \vinters generally n.dm~t of corn The folowing is taken from the Farnz a1ul planting in :b""'ebruary, and cotton 1n !Iarc~. Orchard, an agricultural paper pul>lished in Wheat is so,vn in the fall, and harvested 1n Palestine, Texas. ~Inv so that flour fro1n ne\\.. \vheat cnn be de- A small but contPnted farmer furnishes the livei:ed in any of the Northern or Ea~tern Textts fi(trn"b and Orchard \Vith the following cities fully six \Yeeks in advance of flour from state1nent of his crops and the a1nount of land the older \vheat-oTo,ving- States. Field \Vork cultivated bv his o"'"n labor and that of his 0 - d .; can be clone at all seasons of the year, an a \Vife: loss of thirty days fro1n out-door occupations, '·Ten acres of cotton, \Yhich "rill give five on aecount of heat, cold, or rain, in any one balet:;, $250; 10 acres in corn, 180 bu hels, year, \vould be an over-estilnate. During the ~90: 1 acre o£ s".. eet potatoes, 300 bushels, cold, uleak winter months. \Yhen nearly all $150; Ji acre of goober8 ~ 50 bu~hels. $100 ; g4 the farrners of the N orthcrn and Easte"!.·n acre of grass nuts, 12 bushels, $36 ; lJ acre of State3 are busy in the effort to keep the cold onions. 30 bushels~ $GO; 1 acre of ..'ugarcane, out nnd their .. stock fron1 suffering, by con- 100 gallon~. $5G. I-Ii wife raised 130 cbick stant. nttentiou, and feeding out corn, hay and ~~ns, $80; 50 lbs. butter, $12.50; saYed 20 llJs. other fodder, gathered during the sum1r~r.1r. ff'athers. \Yorth $10. He sheared 140 lbs. the Texas farmer, in \Yinter, enjoys ~nulcl, 1 \Yuol~ B2S; sold four beeves. $4°; \Yater plensant \veather, and his tlocks and n?1:ds n1cluns, $.-. und \Yill make 300U los. pork. are in good condition, feeding on the prn1r1es \Vorth 81;)0. lie also 1nade 40 bushels of or in tile titnbered botton1 lands, \Yell bhelter- "~ lle~lt for his O\Yn use, besides Yegetnbles, etc. ed frnm the northern bla~ts t_h,tt constitute , Though the yi. ::.ld of e;.lch cro!) per acre is the Texas \vinter, rarely l~lstn1g more than 1not by any 1neans •xtraordinary, it denlon- fiye days. . . trates the p;rcat adnptalJility of Texas son. Crops of Texas con1pared \Ylth the leading and elitnntes to \Taried agriculture, null hO\Y \\·e~t: au indn.striuus null frun·al farn1er 1nay casil\r aO'ricultural0 States south and v ~ ~ -- ·-- - - -~- . incrclt~e hi , ~tore and provide ngn.in~t the ad- I . ~ rn 'rhis is only the ordinary .... ~ ,...... versities of poYerty. I !"; < -< w rL <: -_, :::,:)-- . z 0 -< result of industry nnd cnre upon the fnnn. < ....,A" r ...... 0 <: z a::. Yield per ~-\ere of I ffj ...... , z ~ -< w ..... ~ "'"" X ot an iten1 sho\YS nboYc the co1nn1on produc ...... ~ ..... ' ...... ~ < ._.- z , ~ ~- ~ c H ~ tion of the country \Yhere the fields are care ------fully and attenti~Yc1y tilleq. It \Yill be ob~ \YO and mo~t pr<)f ~ Indian Corn ..• • 2ti 12 13 11 34.!1132.8 21 l3 9 served that t of the ordinary ]til /'Y 3 1s lo 13 6 16.3 Wheat...... I ( • 6.3 7 italJle crops are neglected by this co,ltented Rye ...... ••.. - 18j .••. .... 17 8 14.5 ltL2 HL 3 fanner, to-\Yit O TI~Xl1..S: HER l{ESOURCES .AND CAP... ~BILITIES. 21 ------•1... uro".,th and n1aturity, nncl l.>ecause it is one cent. of the lands adapted to cotton now un- 1 f 't' e most profitable crop~ of the soil. It der cultivation, although the yield the present ~eqt~res cont.inuous labor. in its produc.tio~. year will be over a million bales, worth fifty 'l'he preparation of the ~oil should ~1egin In millions of dollars on the farn1. January, hy deep u~d careful fallO\Ying. In INDIAN CORN. ,he months of February and )larch the land Inchan corn or n1aize is a common crop upon ; . then thrO\Vll up in beds from tlu~ee to five every farm. It is not raised in rrexas as a feet, according to the strengt~ of so1l. Plant- market product, cotton and sugar being 1n(r JS usually clone by opening the beds or the special crops of the State. Each farmer ridge' with a"m~tll · ·scootm·"' or "bull-tongue" aims to raise just corn enough to supply his p1ow, the seRd I so\vn .then as regularly as own need upon his farm. Consequently its poss1ble 5 an~ covered "-~~th a harrow or drag. I cultivation is frequently neglected for other The better plan to ?over IS to run two furrows I crops considered more profitable. The modes with a iight turning plow, and afterwards of cultivation are a bout the same as those draggi~g off m~h a bl pri~e. LOCATION. The sugar crop of 1878, of \Vhich only \Ve have stati tics by us, n1et \vith serious disaster ------in a nun1ber of 1n tnn~e:s fro1u excessive rains 18 6 4 SI8 .1°0 5l 3,080 8 late in the\V season, and other uuto\vard circun1- Col.linGrayson········· .... , ...... ·. j 15 99.400. 29 2,985 8 5 to gi vc the exact El h,...... • . • • . 14 81,3bO 2~ 2,070 8 ;) stances. e are prepared 5 product of the State in sug·ar and mola se~- Dallas...... 11 102.200 30 2,4:20 h 5 \Yith the exception of the ~unount of molasses Kaufnlan...... 8 41,500 16 1,635 ~ 5 d l' t f tl 1 · . h Cooke...... 8 31,000 15 1,500 t up- 'l'urrant...... 8 60.800 19 1,400 8 5 use c 1rec ron1 1e p antatrons Ill e I i eountry-the data being furni~hed by 1nercan- Hill . . . . .• • . . . . . 8 ~4.!.-lOO t 14 1,445 8 4 tile houses in Houl:'ton and Galveston. The Johnson .. ······· 58 ~~:~~g ig 1 Dtif> 8 4 fi.g_·ures- are exact. The crop of the State \Ya~ DentonPcnker ·. ·. ..· . ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 6 ~28 ~,000 10 ,aoo900 4 8 5,500 6 3L)ll t-< handled by five parties in I-Iou ..:ton and eleven \Vise ..... :...... 4 3 parties in Galveston. 'I'he Houston lnerchant~ 1\lontague...... 5 10,bOO 8 I 400 8 3 '> 1~5 1 1 d l ~u b llood...... • . . 5 18,000 10 300 8 5 11 ~1 1 ldl e d ""'' u 1ogs 1ea s sugar nne 5 , 1 ou ar- Other points...... 28 220,300 57 I 3,500 8 rels n1olasses; the G·alveston n1erchnnts 3,209 hogsheads ::sugar and 6,388 barrel~ nlolas~es. 149 $U93.1SO :31<' 24,:!~0 8 , 4~ £icld to this a shiptnent of 300 hog~hends sugar Actual con~un1 ption per year1 1.784,207 bushels. and. 700 barrels rnolasses fron1 Indianola to :rtlaximutn capacity ver year, 1.556,640 bushel ~ . New Orlean·, and the total crop of the State reaches 5,6()4 hogsheads sugar autl12,244 bar- .L\_ revie\Y of the crops since 1875 " rill sho\v . d 1 t.l1e clis(.nd,rantaQ'es \\"' ith '' hich the \Yheat.- re 1s mo1 asses. Tl1e va1 ue o f sugar an n1o HB- ·" .. -.J · r!., f 1 · 11 QTOY\.. or had to contend, and the cau~es \vhic !t scs prod ucc d 1n -'- exus or t 1c year 1s roun( y -.J \.. stated at $4i33, U69. Favorable circun1stances are operating in retarding production. 'l'hl' and a judicious application of capital in the crop of 1875 \vas ~1bundant in yield and super· fnture will yet make sugar production in tlus ior in quality, and, as alreally ~tated, ~tim u- · State a matter of far 111ore than ordinary lntecl production and increased the ntunbcr n1on1ent. Pressed to its full capacity suo·a\· and eapacity of the 1nills of the State. In production should rank only second 'to the creased acreage \Yas planted in 1876. but, O\V- <'Teat staple cotton itselr. · ing to an unfavorable season, the yield \YaB 0 ' 'l\.HE. .\.T. 'less in a~greg:ate tlun: t~c p1:evious yc~r, and . n l.UlJ)OI'tant f ct . tl 't' f the. quality of the gnuu 1. nferlOl'. The foliO\\'- Tlll~ ' a • 01' Ill lC COlllpOSl lOll 0 · -,.., l't th J l ·ops ha-· not atta· ne 1 tl t ·t· . T Ing· year, 18 1 • , \Ya · ( Ibn'"' rous, e ear Y \Y 1c. i.l t Cl (. :s ( · 1 t . u1. pos1 H·Jn 1n exas l ." "'l . . l tl l· · . 1' .... t to \Vhich its lllerit - t't] 't f tl · )t rug CUt S 101 t ,UH 1e ate ClOp d 1110:; . tO- . sell 1 c l . ll le lllllllense t· 11 T l ·..l . ~ d l r • ·t Th • . f' lR·-Q ··lr·r·r· c r·ecrr· on of tlle St te 1 tl 'l ;J c.l \ l <:btl 0:\ e )\ I u::; .. e el op o c 'e- n ;:, .a , \V H~re 1e SOl anu 1 .. 1 .. .. · l · l S · l)l. • te are nlo t f bl · tHe urge~t eYer nusec 111 t lC tat ) - \Y as 01c1 s a v0 ra e \V 1le'lt 1s 'l" vet ...., ell• ()lement of pr·o luct· 's b .(._. ' (.t::s .,tl ' ruine(l in c1nn 1i ty during· the harvesting I)Priod, . ( l Ion n Sll1 Iary o 1e .. ·- ~ ~t·ti)le111 crOJ) of cotton It -. . · .. · tl .. . and the prodl c , as a crop, \Yas not n1nrketl'd. . >e:lt of 'l'exac: tlle . ' e . °~ct, ~lpl~ls 111 blc gic.Un- In 187H the acreage \\ra · increased slightlY, but l ... c. •:J ~ ::;<1 lll p Sl lOll le1 (1 y COru . , ~ ·-. ~ . """' '' . · . in the NorthV\'estern States0 ,vhcre "\\.. heat is U~c ClOp ~ut ::;hort b;- du:~uth. The qulll.It~ the principal market crop. 1'he inithtl period o~ the ~1~am,. how~Y?r, re~neved t~e rep.~~atwl: of successful 't~rheat > • d . . . of Texa.s n1.1lls, \\ luch h,1.d been unpaned b.) n ) -gro\Ylllg an Dll11 lng Ill tl d l f 'l . Tl the State d·lte~ b lCk · 1e an1agel crop o t 1e prevrons year. H~ ( o..; (: 0 n 1y SIX years, \-\' 1len an . f tl . ' t T • • )d .) l ... . cr ·tbuntlant vr'eld ancl e pc · \ t l't f . . crop o 1e curren year, Ie uc<:l 111 a.ClCH0 C , c J , .l x e 11 en qua 1 y o g1 a1n 1, tl ·t f tl d tl f 18-f\ 1 · 11 \\·on for Texas are 'utat.ion vvh' h -~f l· t :~ i vy lC severl ~~ o . le rou l o ',,, v... 11C . . 1-. . lC • ll1H~ a. ec \\·as u. bar to break1no·0 UI) land \\"'as danupred.0 }Hoc• 1 nct1on· · • ' and ra111cll. J,~ Inere·\sed• (. .~ - her Inillln ~o· by reason of continuous rains after' the haryest eapucit). Data fro1n "~ell-In torined sources I , .. , subsequent years at: season. fixes the yield of that and 'The 1nisfortun('s attending the produ ·tion Bushels. Busht>1s. of \vheat during the pa:::-:.t tiYe year~ are chnrge- 181'5 ...... 3,000,000 11878 ...... 4,000,000 f 1876 ...... 2,250,000 1879 ...... 2,000,000 able to slli tles:s cultl\·ation. \\·ant of Inanan·e- 1877 . ... ·••· ... 2,000,000 11880 ...... 1,30o,ooo 1nent in saving tlH.• crop · after ~u1rvest. and The Inilling· cupacity of the State is in ad- carelessness iu the Sf'l•etion of seed, cleauing ::;e van<..!e of production, autl lll'>re thnn a1nple to 1 and ~r~H.ling ~)f t_h 8 grain. 1"he ne~· lcct ,of the ~upply the population uf the tnte ,vith tlnur. 1 confht1on~, lll above, to tlte over-inflnellce of cotton as a year for Gorn nnd sn1all grain, 'vhLJ1, in n1any staple crop, as exhibited helo\v. 1.,he tahlc localitic~, were tothlly dc·stroyed hy the sever dct·dls the productions of 1879 in the tl.lird est drouth experh:.nced in the State in :fifteen .. ~'l]'c:;:. congre::;:;iunal elL t ri ct, an exceptionally bad } ~ ( 'V • ------I Tilled Cvn.N. I I 0 A 'f.;. \VIIEAT. CoTTON. 'l,illed COUNTIES. Ill in I 1879. Acres. Bush~l~., Acres. Bushels. t\ cres Bu:::;hels. Acres. j Dales. 1880. - -- I - I I Collin ...... J 35,901 53.178 994.20{i 11,014 333,188 23.813 183,610 47,8961 22,203 167,571 Cooke .... 79,780 31,400 498,400 5.94~ 1~4,782 9,:-371 5:j,026 33.01)7 16,030 89.5()0 Clay ...... 20,U70 7,B66 117. 99(1 2,()22 52,440 2 ,6·>•) ... ,. 20,976 3,440 •>o~ 7~866 20.976 Callahan ... '5 I._, 0) :3,400 :;7; 200 65 810 1 ,~40 6.200 !100' 19-,..,;) ~,250 169,085 I Dalla5 ..... 48 55 655.914 10.292 236,44~ 2H.:3!1f> ~07,081 5L7ns 28,160 '>3 ' ~ ,...,.., 203.808 Denton. ... 6~.872 ""' . :) I I 447,960 2~ t:~"() 7,559 151,180 8.160 65,280 . ,,) 1] ,::320 62,775 Ellis ...... •. 152.8~1 ' 42,960 581' 191 6.431 168,490 19,6~;) 18l. ~;)9 53.8:35 19,917 18H. 412 Erath ..... 42~476 12,141 230.b'i9 3,993 79.H60 4,201 37.809 12,141 6,030 3Z,375 2·)3 2~"'"' Gra vson .... s·)"" , ,...,.I ....I 5~,864 961.805 9,729 184,857 15.908 86, 18;2 40.581 19,223 183,412 IIi II' ...... I l l 31.5!?:3 3~-!.6::32 4,485 137,786 6,47!) 50,6:30 37.og4 8.286 115.036 Hood .. .. _.. 19,600 8 500 127,GOO 2.500 75.000 600 :-3,20fl 8.000 3,800 25.000 ~John r-on .... 94.620 35,751 37~.( 1 68 5,194 131,610 13,405 R8,724 40,270 13.!315 243,665 (Ta ck . ..•.... 20,1 ti8 9,813 147 ,Hif> S,2ti l 6:>,~20 3,28i 26.248 9.813 4,407 26.175 l{au f1nan ... 59,505 21,109 321,235 3.975 94,764 7,820 62 601 23,u01 9.46() 75,257 :1\'Ion t ngue .. 26,896 10.086 151,~90 3,:31t0 2,.,. ' 39·) u6,ooo 3,424 • 'lill • - '¥ 10,086: 4,068 26,900 P llrker . -.. 56,400 28,400 4~6.000 J ,500 50.000 5.000 22.000 2J ,000 1,000 70.000 Palo Pinto. 18,516 n,966 104.4PO 2 39·> ' ""'"' 4ff4-W 2.322 18.576 6,966 3.330 18,600 Roc~nvall. .. 25,381 9.U57 1~7,999 1.224 34,816 2 8/'1 23.73:2 8,6-~1 3.714 33,518 65,248 ,02(1 Tarrant. .... 24.468 367 8.156 163.120 8.1;)6 6-.),..,•>4R > 2~ .468 12,130 65,250 "rise '"'8 5 .. •) .. _.... ~ ' o .... 21:710 325 l ti95 7,500 150,000 7,642 59,186 ~1.700 10,200 60,575 Frontier Con ntie8 I 51.798 20,21~ 281.562 10.310 144,796 o.o2H 48 6-1-1 6,158 I 14,6471 52,991 Total. .•.... ,1,~78,490 506,131 7,603,034 111,374 2,490,601 181,4:\8 1 ,:34:l.5ti~) t ,..9 ~ ·1·) •>o3 3· '2 1,'755,047 ' • ':). 41 I.... ' ... To arri \.. e at the acreage in cotton in the not,vithstanding the short crops of 1879. con grain belt, estimntes for Fannin, Lan1ar, Hunt, :fidence in the capabilities of the ]and has Hains. Van Zandt, N aYarro, Lin1estone, l\lc- stimulated an activity in developing farms in Lennan. Bosque, and other counties not com- 1880-the increased acreage in twenty-t,vo pri~ed in the third congressional district, must counties heard from being 476,557 acres. be added to the above table, "\\.. hich swell the Texas is so young a State that wheat-grow cotton acreage in round :figures to 900,000 ing in it 1nay be considered as yet experinleu acres, against 250,000 acres in wheat, yielding tal, and that the experiments h'lve not so far the crop of 1879. This disparity in quantity determined what is the best variety to gro\V. of land tilled, militates against the production In Southern 'rexas no man for a long time and quality of the wheat, the time necessary thought of so\ving oats, becauRe the crop was to the proper preparatiou of land for the grain considered certain to be de~troyed by rust. crop being demanded for and devoted to the Yet at last a variety 'vas found \vhich entirely gathering of the cotton .crop. With a judi- resists the rust, and now oats arc extensively cious distribution of crops, care in the selcc- grown in Southern Texas, yielding very large · tion of seed, thorough preparation of land, crops. So, a short tin1e ago, no n1an jn Cen provisions against wet harvesting periods and tral TexaR much below the latitude of Austin, careful grading, the factors, soil and climate, thought of sowing wheat on account of the quality of grain, and an unlitnited demand for rust; but at last the Nicaragua variety turned production, '\Vill align Texas, in the near up, which proved admirably suited to the future, with the foremost wheat-growing lower portion of the State, resisting rust and States in the Union. yielding from t\venty to fo~ty-five bushels ~o The table illustrates the advantages of di- the acre. It is no'v considerably grown In ver~dfied crops, and is suggestive of the won- those parts, and would be very extensively derful capabilities of that portion of the State gro,vn if the Texas 1nillers would procure the where the t'vo great staples, cotton and wheat, I right sort of n1nchinery for grir;tding it. I.n are grown successfully side by side. The stead of doing so, they have discouraged Its crop result demonstrates the certainty of a , production. So in North Texas and other fair return in this favored seetion, under the portions of the State, the vDriety best adapted most adverse season. For instance, Grayson, ' remains yet to be discovered, and no doubt located on l{cd l~iver, is ordinarily a prolific . "')" ill be discovered soon. ~"'llall grain county, and Hill, located on the 1 We 'vill t~ke ~he liberty of. ma~ing a sng Brazos River, reputed to he one of the brst gestion on tl11s point, an<;J hope It \V~ll be borne cotton counties. An exceptionally bad crop- 1 in mind. It. is a suggcst1o!'l on a po1nt of great ping year, inste~Hl of being disastrous to the value. The 'vheat so,vn 1n Texas, except the farmer as \vould have been the ca~e bad the Nicaragua, hnR all cotnc from the North, fro1n soil,as ~lsewhere, been adapted solely to either I regi onsJ ,vhose soil nnd climn~ic co.nditions ~otton or \VhPa1, ~imply transfor111s the latter , differ \Videly_ fron1 our own. \V ou1d. 11 not be Into a \vhcat county nnd the fortnPr into a cot- better to get It frotn southern countnes \vbose ton COl..Jty. Anot'hcr feature is the fact, that soil and c1ilnatic conditions nre Vel:Y silnilar 24 TEXA~: HER RESOD ROE~ 1\.ND C.L\.P.A.. BILITlES. to our O\vn? Does it not look reasonable and tion that "ye now learn after so ] ong a time natural? It undoubtedly scen1s so. In 1\fexico and after so n1any trials and disappointments and California they llav-e a clin1ate and soilre- that the "~heat, the Nicaragua, a sample of . lllarkably akin to OUl'S, and it h, a well-kllO\Yn "rhich \vas sent, is pronounced by ~Iessr ... fact that" these two countries are reno\l'ned for Hartly, Watson & Co., grain 1nerchants, of the production of wheat-not only for the quan Liverpool) a good hard wheat, \Yorth in that tity to the acre, but for the ~urpa~~ing excell 1narket $1.30 a bushel. In confirmation of ence of the article. Does not cotnn1on sense sug· this valuation, we yesterday sa\v a telegram gest that we should go to those region~ to get from a responsible merchant of Houston, our seed-"~heat, rather than to Illinois and stating that he wns offered $1.15 a bushel for 0 hio? Let some of our enterprising agricul the Xicaragua, sacked and delivered on board turists try it, and \Ve do not que tion that they a veBsel in N en,. Orleans. The cost of trans "~in :find themselves largely benefited. portation adcled makes $1.30 the Liverpool Tile \V heat of Spain would al~o be worth valuation. If, no"~, this wheat is "~orth $1.30 attention in this direction. That region has a in Liverpool, or $1.15 on board a vessel in clhnutc Yery much like our O\Yn, and its \Vheat N e"~ Orleans, \vhat is it, rather what ought stands at the very head of the wheats of the it to be worth a bushel here in vVaco or a\ \YOrld. The wheat of nfexico was derived other points in the interior? from Spain, and the most of that grown in '' The cost of transportation from this point California was derived from 1\Iexico. The is per car-load of 20,000 to 24,000 lbs. to Hous wheat so largely imported fron1 Trieste, on ton, $40; to Galveston, $50; and to New Or the !Yiediterranean, also deserves attention. leans, $80, or in round figures....., about 24c. a bush- It is worthy of mention that the wheat of el to New Orleans. Now, with these figures Texas ripens fron1 six weeks to tv.~o months in before us, what ought Nicaragua wheat to be advance of that of the N orth"~Lstern State , worth in this market ? The market price, we nnd that in general it weighs much more to believe, is, at Waco and other places gener the bushel, and has a 1nuch sn1aller per cent. ally over the State, 40 to 50c. a bushel. Add of moisture. :Vrhat it lacks in moisture as transportation say 25c., and the buyer has a compared "~ith the Northern wheat, it makes profit of 75c. from $1.13, forty cents a bushel ! up in solid nutritious ele1nents, It is there A bonanza for the buy2r certainly, whether fore a richer \V heat than the Northern wheat, very profitable to the producer or not. With and a pound of its flour "'"ill make more bread these facts before them, however, producers than a pound, of Northern flour. It would ought to be able to come ln for a little share also bear transportation over the seas, especi of the profits to be realized on the much de~ ally through tropical latitudes, much better. cried Nicaragua ''heat-a crop which of all No man ever knew a barrel of Texas flour to others succeeds best in Texas, and which if sour in Texas, though it has been kept in it maintain the price above quoted will prove "'""arehouses in Galveston, more than a year, a veritable bonanza, not to a few buyers only, to try it; while the flour from the North soon but to the farming interest of the State." sours in the South. Texas should become a AMBER CANE. very ]arge exporter of flour, particularly to The earlier experiments in the manufacture ~-: lUL il An1erica and the West Indies. She of s: rnp and sugar from the Sorghum cane \\. 1.~1 1Jecolnu this soon if her wheat industry \.verc unsuccessful to a certain extent in this . is only properly fostered and encouraged In State, as they were throughout the Union telligently, as it should be. generally. This was mainly owing to the As evidence of the value of Nicaragua crude and imperfect appliances and machin wheat, which has been so successfully grown ery used in the manufacture of its products. wherever tried in Southern and Western A few years since, however, the Amber Texas, we clip the follo,ving from the Waco cane 'vas Introduced, and since its introduc Examiner of June 25, 1b81: tion the efforts in this branch of industry ~"""CARAGUA 'rHEAT-A BONA.t.""ZA.. have re~ulted in the realization of the most " From time to time, for several years past sanguine hopes.. . . . the ExAMIXER has entered a plea in behalf of Prop~r machi~e;y IS being Introduc~d f?r the Nicaragua as a good wheat, worth, cer- expressing the JUICe and manufact.uring I~, tainly, very much more than it brings in mar- and syrup and sugar of. a very superror quah ket, if only the mills in this country were pre- ty are now m~de at their own homes by some pared to grind it. J3ut no less persistently of our farmel ~ at a very SJ?all .cost. has it been decried, certain millers going to Th~ follo\VIng exti~ct IS clipped from the the extreme of asserting that, strictly speak- A~~tln Statesman of :Nov. 5. ~880: ing, the Nicaragua is no wheat at all, but a rr:hose who have mad~ trial of the Amber ~ort of barley, devoid of the flo\Yin a- or flour- cane In '\estern Texas this yea~ report that ing property which distinguishes th~ standard the. experiment was attended With the. most grain of ~he queen cereaL Though not very S[ltlsfacto:y res':llts. The Amber cane IS ~x well up In such matters, we have, \\"ith all 1 cell~nt ~OI ~ak1ng sugar and molasse~. and It~ due respect, doubted the correctness of this cultrvahon IS recommended to every farmer. conclusion and have in every way possible en- POTATOES. cou;a~ed investiga..tion as to the value of this Both sweet and Irish are raised in great grain I?J- other marK~ts, ~otably ~ ew Or~eans ~bunclance. The fonner grow to perfe.ction and Liverpool. It IS With no httle satisfac- l in every part of the State, and the latter are TF~XA_. : IIER ItESOUROES 1\__._TD CAP_._\BILTTIES. 25 . I ------· -- C qUHll)~!D.? , 1,)nt ~t~~ ~ n<.)t. ~cep so \Yell. Irish 1 hardly be called an inllustry, because they pot~t (J e~ ~ 1pen 'c1 Y. c~1 l), and a profitable come forth to bud and blossom, ua the ra~n uu s inc~ s 1~ done shipping then1 to Northern comes to \Yater the earth and the sunlio'l t ~nar!;:d:; before the new crop comes in in that come.s to gladd~n the mor~ing, and the lea~t~tl ~ect1on. put for~. h to yield a grateful shade. It· is 1YII~D (~ll.-U~SES. Inore of a recre~t1on and plea ure than an in- P erhaps no eountry in the world hns bccon1e clustry to cultivate the flowers in a chmate Jnorc f,unous than 1'exa~ for its \Yilcl grasses, \Yh~re there is perpetual bloom. Every -which every\vhere COYer the untilled soil \Yith variety knO\Yl1 to a tropical clin1e is there a sea of the greenest vcnlure. Of these there , g~·o\vn, and the wondrous plumage of the nrc .__ everal ~in~ s , the 1no~t noted of \Yhich arc birds of ~out~ America has not more beau~y the "Incsqulte· (pronounced · :n1u~kect ') and and combination of colors than the flo"'Y\rers of the "gnnut. ,. The nlcbquite is a native of Texas. Th~:r adorn the garden, the home 1\fiddle and Western TexasJ is very hardy, a and the pnurie,and are everywhere the cheer rapid gro,vth, and but little affected by drv ful. en1blems of u cultured and refined civili~ weather. All kinlls of stock are fond of ii', zat1o~. A State, therefore, that adds to its and it is ':ery nutritious and fattening, There ~agnificen~ crops of cotton, grain, vegetables; arc t\YO kinds, the ''bearded" and "curly,'' the Its vast heids of ~attle and horses, and flocks latter a short curly grass, as its name inlplies of sheep, the fru1ts and flowers that enrich particularly adapted to sheep and horse~: and make happ~ its citizens, justly claims the 'fhe "gama" gTass delights in dry upland.. favorable attention of the 'vorld and is found in its greatest glory \vest of the · l~RUIT CULTURE. Pecos l{~ver and along the upper Rio Grande. . The original Texans "rere badly demoral T~lese high, drouthy table-lands are covered · Ized on th~ subje~t of fruit-gro\ving, because w1th a ~ense gr~lwth of "gama" which, al- of the failure or so many untried varieties thoug~ It may be brown and sere in appear- which must necessarily have to pass the or ance, Is yet green and succulent near its roots deal of a ne\v clin1ate in reaching a success in the gre::test droutbs. . Stock of all kinds ful .lis~. Now we plant with confidence many are exce~dingly fond of It, and keep rolling varieties of apples, pears, peaches, plums, fat upon Its succulent leaves even in the driest grapes and small fruits. and coldest winters. 1 As soon as experimental tests had settled But little attention ha~ been paid yet in the orchardist down upon the three May ap T.exas to t~e cultivated grasses, but 1nany ples, including the Red Astrachan, the Red kinds, especially the ''Bermuda," do well and June and Early Harvest£ or the month of June; the time is not far distant when the thrifty the Sweet Bough and Horse Apple for July; farmer will find it to his interest to aid nature the August Pippin for August: the Autumn in this, as in her other desirable products. Strawberry for fall, and the Ben Davis and TOB1 ceo CULTURE IN TEXAS. Shockly for winter, we began _to see that Previous to the late war tobacco was culti- Te~as. was an !1-PPle cou~try. T~e foregoing vated 'v-ith considerable success in most of the varieties all ripen \Yell In our climate, with S?t~thern States, ar;d more especially in \Tir- out rot-spot or tan, and a~~ ~s w~ll d~vel.oped g1n1a and the Carolinas, and yet a considerable an~ possess as fine fl~ vor ao:s If raised In higher portion of the export supply, before and since latlt~des. The~e kinds are successful any the war, has. been produced in Connecticut wbe1e above latitude 30°. Ohio, Indiana, and other Northern States: Pears grow well and bear well here. ~he where the climate and soil are far inferior in ~rees have been at!acked by blight only tWJce the gro,vth of that product to that of the In our whole history.. The Bartlett and Southern States. Duci:ess came to us so . highly recommended During the past few years, experiments of a that It .precludes experiments ~o a great _de most satisfactory character in tobacco crrowino- gree WI~h other sorts. We believe there IS a have been made in n1any counties ir~ Texas~ better hs~ of pears for Texas th~n these, al Thcse cxperitnents have shOY\'"ll nlost conclu- thou~h the fa~·mer and orchardist are suc sively that the soil in 1nany sections of this ce~ding \Vell ':1th these. State js most admirably adapted to the differ- fhe :peach IS a perfect suc~e~s! and when ent varieties of this staple. It is true that sh~wn .. In the. ~arkets 01: exhibitions of .the these tests have been nlade chiefly in the cen- ~o1 th'' est, exc1tes the "onder and admrra tral counties of the State, yet it is the opinion t1on of those \Yho ha:e. ai-~vays been .accus Df experienced tobacco planters In other States, tomf:d to the satne varieties. As an ~:I~en~e !hat tobacco can he produced advantageouRly ! 1h~t Texa~ posses~es natu,~·al capa?1htles IR 1n nearly every portion of the State, and that soil and climate foi the pe1.fect de' elopl?ent Texas is destined jn the inllnediate future to of !he peach by he: hundreds of seedhng.s, 1Jecome one of the largest and Ino~t excellent ':hich are. overtopping the ~tandard sorts In tobacco producing States in the Union. There s1ze, flavor nnd excelle!-lce, a peach now called ~re less danger. to the crop there from early Senator Re~gan~ decidedly the best peach frosts than in Virginia, and the snme is true, every 1-vay, In s1.z~, beaut~ and flav?r, th~t ~hf! ll protracted droughts are taken into con- has_ yet been P.l oduced, "as first g1own m s1deration. Texas on the fa1 n1 of the Ron. J: I-I. Reagan, of Anderson county, and we might point to FLOlYER CULTURE. many reu1arkable products in the 'vay of The cultivation of flo\vers in Texas can peaches in our country, all gro\\'"n fro1n ~seed TEXAS: HER RESOlTRCES AND C.A.PABILITIES. selected from the fine varieties of the grafted under shude trees, in front yards, back yards~ Barts. gardens-anywhere about the premises. As Grapes of Yarieties vvhich suit our climate, to the care vvhich they receive, generally it and these only of the species JEstivalis, are amounts to about t.his: they are hived ,,~her ~ successful and heaithy. Some vineyards they swarm, and robbed \Vhen the family re- haYe reached the age of twenty years. and quir~s honey. 1 l ve not failed in producing good annual This business is extretnely profitable in crops during the time. many countries and certainly should be in Grapes of the species .LEsti valis are the best 'rexas, vvhere flo"rers bloo1n every n1ont.h and .A_merican grapes for ·w·ines. a<;cording to re- during most of the year jn the greatest pro ports from highest authorities, and we have fusion. It is a beautiful occupation, that of nt least a dozen kinds of them "·hich suit our rearing b~es, and o~e that can be prosecuted, country. ou quite an extensive scale,· Vlith little or no The Lenoir for our coast, the 1\fcKee for capital. Every fan1ily, even of renters. 1night the central territory. and the Herbemont for have a fe\v stands of bees. It is a business in northern Texas, have p.roved perfect successes which ladieb may pleasantly and profitably en- thus far. gage . .L<\.11 plums of the Chickasaw varieties yield GARDEN VEGETABLES AND MEIJONS. certain and profitable crops, and of these the ' Brill, Wildgoose and l\Iiner take the lead for Almost all garden vegetables do \\Tell in a succession, and never fail to bear, and are Texas, although her diversity of soil, clitnate, out slightly affected by the curculio. etc., is so great that an intelligent adaptation Blackuerries and strawberries-the latter, to the peculiarities of the locality 1nust be of select varieties-give perfect satisfaction carefully studied by the successful cultivator. and require no protection in tbe winter. Root vegetahles grovv particularly "~en and The former is a native fruit, and the intro finer potatoes, beets, parsnips, carrots, turnips,. duced finer varieties scarcely excel our na radishes, onions, etc., are not rai eel anywhere. . tives. Of melons, both water and musk, we have a Raspberries are cultivated a great deal in greater variety, and they grow to absolute per }fiddle, Eastern and Northern Texas. The fection. Watermelons attain to enorn1ous black-caps are best adapted to our climate. proportions, and the cantaloupes of Texas are We 1night add that apples, pears, peaches unrivalled in flavor. Squashes and pumpkins and plums begin to ripen on the tree from the do well and are richly flavc:,ed, and no finer 6th to the 20th of 1\:Iay, and continue to ripen tomatoes are grown. No :finer beans and pea~ to the 25th of November, and all this pro can be gTown than those produced here. tracted Beason is filled with abundant varie WILD FRUITS, NUTS AND BERRIES. ties. so as to keep them all the time on the Texas is blessed with a reasonable share of table or on the vvay to market. native products coming under this head, such The fig attains its greatest perfection in the as plums, persilnmon8, grapeR and black and south and southwestern portions of Texas. dew-berrie... The "n1ustang'' grape grow~ No-where else is this fruit so luscious and so everywhere in the river botton1s in great lux tempting, the small purple fig fairly bursting uriance) and from it an excellent quality of red open when ripe with its own S"\Veetness. In wine is frequently 1nanufactur~rl. The ''post its season it is a welcome addition to the oak" grape, seen1s to be a modification of the breakfast table, and at dinner it is not the former, and is very plentiful on sandy uplands. least attractive portion of the dessert, but no Blackberries are very abundant in the eastern attempt is made to utilize what is not thus part of the State, and dew-berries in the middle used, and the birds and poultry generally and western portions; both of these are too consume the surplus crop. There is no rea well-known t® require description. In Easter-n son why it should not be dried and become a Texas the walnut and the hickory-nut are valuable article of consumption and export. common, while Middle, Northern, and parti BEES AND HONEY. cularly Western Texas, are the native home of the "pecan,'' wh~ch here grovvs to its greatest Bees and honey are natural products of perfection, and which from its ''toothsome Texas. Wild bees are found here in great ness" has become famous all the vv""orld over plenty, and they thrive well when domesti- and is yearly exported in large quantities, cated. But very little attention has been paid Statistics on the yield and quantity of this nut to this industry, although we hear recently of annually exported from the State have never several instances where bee culture has been been collected) so far as we know, hut it is safe very successfully carried on. Still it has not to estimate that the pecan tree, without any been altogether neglected, for in nearly every cultiv&tion, vields an annual revenue of not neighborhood a few swarms may be found, less tan two million dollars. The nut sells vvhich, however, are generally allowed to take readily, even at points far removed in the in eare of themselves. Some are placed in empty terior from railroad transportatioD J at from barrels, with sticks across them; others in dis- $1.50 to $2.00 per bushel. \V e are not a ware carded goods boxes; others in hollow trees that the tree has been cultivated to any extent, sa\ved off in sections. The Texas "bee house" but it is safe to predict that a handsome addi is generally a n1ost primitive institution and a tion to the product of his farm could, in ten "'make-shift." They may be seen scattered years, lJe secured hy any farmer in Western. about promiscuously, in the fence-corners, 1 Texas, "\vho would plant and give a little ~Jt- • l'EX1\.S: I-IER l~ESOlTRCE~ .A.ND CAPABILITIES. ------tention tn a ~nw.ll pht ntntion of this Yalual>le often called by the rfexans-has a big future· nnt. .A. an cvidc)nce of the value of the pecan in it as a \Vine grape. \Ve want skilled \vine crop tbis scn~un \Y(' clip th~ follo\Ying p~n·n- makers to turn its good qualities to account. graph fro1n tll ") Gr(l?.: L·ton .1\ l31CS of :\ ove1n ber It has no diseases, and its crops are certain a.t 5, 1t!SO: all seasons. It may, no doubt, ue much im- FAYE'l'TE couNTY. proved by selection and cultivation, as 've· " 1\lr. L)i~·no\Yitz slVS, that. not n1ore thnn have often noticed 1narketl differences in the· one-fourth (~f th) cotto'"n produced in the vicin- quality of the grapes taken from. different. ltY of Ln Grange has l>ecn picked. Colored vines, some being much better than others in nien he ve n baudoned the cotton-fields, and sweetness and juiciness. · ~one to gathering pel'nns, nt \Vhich they real- Next in importance probably is the ''po~t-· ize nbout t\Yicc ns 1nu ·h n1oney as they do oak grape.'' It is classed by some botanists. pi ·king cott u. The de1nancl for labor is Yery as a variety of Vi'tis Labr1.tsca. by others as of ,.rrent. ., the Vitis ..JE~tival-is _; but Dr ... Buckle~", of e GRAPES- ..,. . lYILD A~D DOMESTIC. T exas, consid ers it a distinct species, andJ hae TcxttS is rich in 'Yild grapes. There 1s no named it Vitis Lincecu1ni, after Dr. Gid. Lin portion ~f the State except the Staked Plain, cecum, a well known Texas naturalist, now in which they a1·e not found in abundanee. dead. Dr. Buckley is probably right. It is. Of these perhaps the n1ost in1portant is the found in most of the post-oak regions in the. Mustaug. fron1 its great a bun dance, \Vide habi- State, and is a good medium-sized grape, very tnt. and sterling "\viue-Inaking properties. It palatable nnd good for wine. It has been do- 1s found in nearly every portion of the State, mestica.ted to some extent and sho,vs g-reat in the valleys of the strean1s) climbing to the improvement by cultivation. Dr. Yoakum tops of the tallest tree~, and often extends out grows in his extensive nurseries at Laris~a, iu to the forests away fron1 the streams. It is, Cherokee county, a grape "'\\Thich he calls we believe, confinrd exclusively to ·Texas, and "l\lcKee's Ever-bearing,'' and \\·hich is mere among botanists is c]a~~()d as a vine "'\\Tith itself, ly the post-oak grape improved by cultiva-· being distinct fToin all other classes of grapes. tion. It has greatly increased in size, flavor It is the most vigorous grower of all and none and juiciness, and is considered by him a exceed It ia abundant bearing. \,;{ e have seen :great acquisition. th~ vines sometilnes ~o full of the ripe fruit, : The muscadine or ·' bullace'' is common in that had the leaves been stripped off, they Eastern Texas, and is tlle same as the grape "(·Hlld have pre ~en ted alluost the appearance of that name found all over the Southern of, vast solid 1nn~s of grapes. The fruit is States. dark purple or hlnek, nearly half an inch in In the highland and mountainous district~: dimneter. The pulp is 'Yhite or pearly in ap- the "n1ountain grape'' grows abundantly. pc arance They nrc not a table-gn1pe, and rc- Dr. Buekley classes it as a distinct species, quire to be eaten \vith son1e care in order to cn1ling it Vitis Monticola, but others class it be palatable. There is an acrid juice bet\reen '\Yith Vitis .Supest1"is. It is a bluish grape~ the pulp and the skin, "\vhich \Yhen taken in about the size of buckshot, and coverEd with the 1nouth produces a di~agrecable, son1e~vhat. a \\"'"hitish "bloom," very sweet and altogether sti11ging and '·puckering,. ~ensation. The skjn excellent. It is a great bearer, and not being ma~r be easily stripped off. leavlng the pulp n1uch of a climber its large bunches are easily still adhering to the s1e1n; and n~ the acrid gathered. rfhis grape deserves cultivation. juice goes \Yith the bkin. they Inny then be eaten 'vhich \vould no doubt add much to its al with relish. They arc e~pecinlly refreshing to ready excellent qualities. It is full of juice. the traveller on horseback on a '"arn1 sunnner and makes a sprightly wine. day, when he stops in the shade to re8t, and Wjnter grapes· abound along the water~ 'more likely to bt esteen,ecl by hinL as a. j'ood-grape courses of VV estern Texas, but are very small, than by anyone else. Their great n1erit. i in black and sour-as they are everywhere else· wiue-nulking. When \Veil treated it n1akes a that we have seen then1. Vitis Suprestes, very robust \\7 ine._,of stout body, superior in into xi- much like the mountain grape, if it be not eating properties to any of the French clarets the same, grows in the same localities. with ~vhich we are acquainted. It has a de- Of the eultivated or domestic grapes the cidedly ga·me fia vor, and the lines of Long- Herbe1nont and Black Spanish are undoub- fellow are not inappropriate: tedly the best so far. They arc native South- H rrhe red :Mustang ern grapes of the Vitis ..LEsti'l:alis. ~hey C Spani~h under another 1U1n1e. The latter luxuriant crops la t. sununer-1880, and llc grapJ no doubt derived the n \Vater, and till more h ·r unif n1 and de- ca1 ves. has . to cl the te .... t of tiJne, and '\Ye ligbtful climate. all con1bin .1 to mnke 'Texas ..iev \vi1l be ratller under than over t 1e 1nark excel all other · untrie"' in this io1portant in- al,YaYs a.,;snming that the hnsine"""s is tnanae-r·d dustr . vYhen th:; Stat~ \YH. first pe pled. industrious}~ Ul~d \Ylth good ju lgnlent. ·- her pi·airie::, \Yeie found coYered "~ith ~n r 1n- A 'l'ABLE ou~ herL s of buffalo (bison). antelope leer \ snowLTG THE r..·cnEASE FROM 100 cow .. , 2 Bt:LL:-- • ..a.~n Hllfl wild hOrSeS, \Yhich UDder the infiu liCe 100 OlUYES: FOR A PEHIOD OP TWELYE YEAHS. of favorable natural environm nt b~ d incret -- ~- , 'J. - - ed to an astonishing degree. The fir ~t set- -n ~ I ~ ~ ~ _ tiers \Yere not slow to take ad van ta ~re of ~ :!:. ; -::: .::--:: >- ..c ;;: ~ ::: -· the capabilities of the country in thi~ re~1 ect, _: ~ ~ ~ ~ "3 ~-= ~-= ~ ; as indic< ted b} nature. and fron.L the earliest I ~ ~ .:::. time~ in Tcxc ::,, the rai.jng of li,.e stock has --- 1---- = ~ R :::... been one of the chief and rnost profitable in- ~t ,~Dar 100 2 100 1 ~ ~~ 147 3 117 50 dustries. 2dd 204 51 163 5-. , 50 I C!. TTLE. 3 n 2'"'4 ~27 1 87 50 4th .. 395 ]] 816 113 81 --- 51) 1\ few Years, since the horned :tack of Te:s:- 5th •• 551 14 440 1:)8 113 ;),1 D·,..i ve:.o as "·a eon :fined to the na tiYe breed, and ran 6th '' 769 16 1615 2~0 15'"' 113 s1 57 wild n1 on the prairie~ \vith litt]e more care 7th " 1,07'5 19 S60 307 ~:Zo 158 113 81 '"'th J ,497 27 1.197 4:30 307 2:21) 15'"' 113 than the trouble of branding- the calve~. 9rh ., 2.0-..5 3l 1,6o Mr' 4:30 3t ~; 2:20 J5~ Since then a great in1provement has taken lOth •· 2.9 o 56 2.3:.!0 3-t n98 430 301 22, place in 1 h :-. quality of the stock by mixing it IJ rh •· (osa 7 :3.~66 1,160 8~4 59 4:30 307 12 5 684 110 4 349 1 16 5 \Yith the finer grades of import od bree Is: and th " · 1l,B33 : 0 3-1 981 4:){· this poJicy is not on]u fonnd to "~ork a valu- abl iJnpr0vement in the stock itself_, but add~ Let us examine the abo e table carefullY. · greatly to the alreadv large profits of the in- and mark the result at the end of t'lvel'" dustrj· by increa~ing.. the quality and pri ·e of years. r:rhe stock \Yould be as follows ~ beeves that are no'v in so great demand in the Inch cows . .. . - ...... 5.6'"'4 eastern markets, and for tr1e new traffic of ex- Bulb·· c • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 110 portation to Europe. f~~\~~f~g~·- : ~ ~ ·.~ ·. ~:::::::: ~ ~ ~:::: i:~t~ The rapid increase of population in the Two years old ...... ••... 1.160 Three old.···· ... ·•·•··••· h34 ~tate and the consequent enhanced value of year~ 598 land. have to some extent interfered \vith the Four year~ old· ················· 14.368 opt... rations of the old time '' ·attle men," Deduct :..0 per cent. for casualties... ~.872 ..who, perhaps witbout possessing an acre of 11.496 1he soil, 0'' ned thou~ands of head of fat Deduct for strays...... 1,496 cattle. and could boast of enormous '\Yealth. Thej haYe either been co1npelled of late, ·ears 10.000 ...... O\V ~u.p1 .. osin e: that you hould "·ish to to limit the increase of their '"'tock bv free :ettle Up the and realize. Inark the sales to buy and fence in large tract o{land, bn~lnCSS re~ults. not"Tithstanding the uncommon de or to move their stocks farther \\~est. E,·en ductions I have rnade ~ ..__ where the latter alternatiYe has been adopted, that in the march of Sale of 50 five-vear-old beeves at the end of the n1any have concluded ~ 5th year. at SlO...... $500 progres-- they will again be interfered with, 57 .. 6th ...... 57'~ ,, 1 and are adopting the plan of lea ing land in ~1 ' 7th •...... • . • 810 •• 113 .• ~th .. . . . •••• 1,130 larg~ from the railroad companies for bodies '. 158 9th " ...... 1.5 0 a term oi years. By thi means. at a small ,. 220 10th " ...... 2.:?00 expenditure of cash annually: they control M7' •· 1 Jth '· • . • .. • . • 3,010 their O\Vn ranges. and are not likelv to be in •• 430 " 12 th ...... 4.300 '. 10.000 head of ~tock cattle at $5...... 50.000 terfered with~ soon. The current price of S64, 160 ~ # about rental of the e "·ild ...... ,grazing lands two cents per acre annually, or ay $12.80 for .A.s regards imported cattle of the finer breeds. - a ~ection (one n1ile sqnare). Jerseys, .~lclern eys. Durhan1 ~. etc.. there h a...: It is not deemed V\.. ortb while to encumber been a varied exp .lrience in T'exas, the genera1 this publication "-ith indiYidual instances of opinion now being that the Durhams thriv ~ucce~sful cattle ra.ising in Texas. They be~t. could be counted bY thousands. and some of G. W. Elliott, of ~fountain \Tie,-r;- in the San them upon a grand Lscale, like that of Captajn Antonio E.r.pre~ ·, sa.. rs of hi~ experience with Richard King, of Santa Gertrude:', about in1ported cattle: .. [ arriYed here Dec. 3, 1878, thirty-five miles south\\·est of Corpus Christi. ··with sixtY-~ix head of Durhn.n1 calYe~. fron1 in .... ~ueces county, \Vho coming to thi country fiye to -..e-\.. en n1onth~ uld. I put then1 at once a poor cabin boy, sornething over twenty upon n1y pa ... tur :l of 1:500 acres, \Yhich. I had years ago, is now the possessor of an enorn1- fenced ~evera1 n1onths preYiou"", and had al ous estate, con... isting partir of six y thousand lo"ed no stock upon it. I fed them Yer,· acres of land under fence, a out 50.000 li tle-a small anlount of wheat bran once a horned cattle. 10 00 horse~. :20.COO cihe ·p day for a coupl .. of 11ouths. On that, '' ith the grass in the pa::,ture. they \\... ent throuQh 8,00 ...... goat"". etc.,. etc. tl:e ''inter i 1 very go d co11 lit ion· the ot1ly The follo"-ing'-' tabulated statement ~howin!...... the increase from 100 co,vs, 2 bulls. and 100 trouble was the bpanish feYer, which the.~ al TEXAt): H~~I1 11E~OUI~CES AND CA_PARIIJITIES. 21 --- bad sooner or later. I lo::-t only six of the herd of 10 per cent. for losses. The profit on heifers out. of fift.y-s )Yen, \\·hilst I lost eight a 1nixed herd is about 20 per cent. It says wales out of nin ·teen head with that disea c. there is a total of cattle in the Panhandle I can only nceouut for the discrepancy in couutry of about 129,000 head, and it is fair to uun1her of deaths per sex in one way. !fhe ealculate that the increase this year frorn the h ~Hers are frcqhently thro\vn in contact \Yith present herds \vill aYeruge not les~ than 50 Texn. cattle during the \Yinter, by their being per cent. of the entire number. r-rhis will driven through the pa~turc the heifers occu- give 50,000 C The total increase in the twelve States men race of Spain, even at present distributed in tioned (exclusive of Texas) will be seen to be all parts of that kingdom-a race dist~nguishecl 596 231 and in Texas alone 821,138. for its robust temperament, the facility \Vith Thes~ figures indicate the extraordinary \Vhich it is nourished, and its resistance to gro\vth of'""' the industry in thP.. ~ tate. ...'\.nd hunger and tempestuous seasons. "\Vhen the yet the vast area of Texas, spec1ally adapted anin1als are properly fed and bred, tliey may to sheep raising, has hardly been touched, be made to prod nee a long and very \vhite, and its· expansion and rapid growth is not though coarse \vool. well adapted for carpets. likely to be checked Y\"'"ithin the next fifty This is the stock which was the orginal foun years. dation of the present Texas flocks. In treating this important subject, we can We regret that, with all our efforts, we hardly do better than to use the facts collected have been unable to obtain condensed, origi by }lr. John L. Hayes, sec-retary of the N a nal statements in regard to the sheep husband tiona! association of wool manufacturers, in ry of Texas, like those so kindly furnished his valuable pamphlet entitled ''Sheep Hus us by Mr. Peters and Colonel Watts in rela- bandry in the South," published in 1878:- tion to Georgia and South Carolina. In their The sheep husbandry of this State is so absence, we must content ourselves with distinct in its eharacter, from that pursued or giving extracts from the Texas correspondents feasible in the older States of the South, and with the Department of Agriculture. ...t\..1- is of such high importance, that it demands a though fragmentary in their character, they separate consideration. The estimated num will perhaps present a more exact picture of ber of sheep in this State, in January, 1878, the general sheep husbandry of the State than was 3,674,700. It ranks at present as the could be given by n1ore elaborate and better third wool-producing State in the Union, arranged statements. although having but about a hundred thousand We give the extracts at hazard, and with bead less than Ohio, which has 3, 780,000, and out reference to the geographical position of about half the number of California, which the counties, or their bearing upon any par has 6,561,000 head. ticular question in sheep husbandry. In or In its adaptation for sheep husbandry on a der to preserve tne piquancy of the state large :;cale, Texas possesses decided advan ments, the exact language of the correspon tages over our other Southern States, en dents is given in all cases. The correspon ormous ones over the Northern and Eastern aents, it will be reme1nbered, are selecteq by States, and many over California and the the department fro1n the most intelligent agri trans-}Iissouri region·. The cheapness of culturists residing in the seYeral counties. land; its natural fertility; its genial climate A correspondent from Palo Pinto coun~y and exemption from tempestuous weather, \vrite': .. except in the northers, wh{)se severity is gener ''.A. sheep-raiser for ::,everal year::, , ay~: (Say ally 1n1tch e:cagge'rated_; the absence of seasons for 1,0()0 head. . it -vvill cost $300 for herding; (,f continuous drouth, O"\ving to the influence extra help in lan1bing time, $30; salt, $15 : of the Gulf before referred to; the possession eost of shearing, $50; feed during \Yinter, of permanent ·winter grasses, making the pas $200. rV e in1agine the Georgia -Bureau of turage perennial-are advantages "\vhich will Agriculture knows but little about large hen]:--. make Texas one of the great \Vool-producing of sheep, as they are gro\vn on prairie gra 'S. countries of the world. Dr. Randall said, in They are accustomed to herds of fron1 ten to 1859, of regions of Texas \Vhich he had thor one hundred. Such flocks are not necessary oughly studiell: to be herded, and yield a fine profit. If we "I do not entertain a particle of doubt that make it a Pperialty, and put 500 to 1, 000 in a wool can he raised more cheaply in those herd, \vhich i , co1nmon here, they \Viii not regions than in any other portion of the globe, pay SO well. r['he figures n1ade On paper \Vill where good ~overnn1ent prevails to make life sho\V then1 to pay better than anything else. tolerable aucl secure, and sucb property as But a very little experience show the fi (rures sheep, safe from frequent and extensive de quite an r:~ror. Small herds here will pay predations. In no such portion are lands very well, and much better than large, " Then furnishing perennial pasturage, or the use of they are so large as to require a herder." such lands, so cheap. In none are general Navarro County.-·' I have been engaged,'' eircumstances more favorable, the accidental says the correspondent, ''in sheep-raising for and occasional disadvantages so few." fourteen years. In this and all the old settled Upon its annexation to the United States, in prairie counties, 300 to 400 sheep do 1vell. 1845, Texas retained, as the most valuable, 100 per cent. gross profit is a fair statement. though then little appreciated relic of the The profit diminishes 10 per cent. per 100 former l\Texican proprietors, scattered here head, as you go over 100. ~Iy flock has and there, flocks of the so-called ''native" ranged from 300 to 1,000. I put up annually sheep of ~Iexico, of \Vhich large flocks still 100 pounds of prairie hay and one bushel of abound in that country, and 1\~hich still fur cotton seed to the sheep, and have good shel nishes an easy supply of all that are needed. ter provided." This :ac~, greatly deteriorated by neglect, Goliad County.-Thi correspondent, Ron. small In size, and bearing about two pounds Prior Lea, the writer has the pleasure of of coarse wool, is supposed by many to be de kno\ving personally to bB entitled to great generateclinerinos. It is now well established confidence. "Cost and profit of g ro,ving that they are descendants from the Ohourro "\Yool may be estiinated in two ways. Credit- TEX.A.S: HER RESOURCES AND C ...~PABILITIES. 33 - ---ing increase of sheep as equal to all cost, the from this, the leading wool-producing county wool ,vould be net profit; and this, at least, in the t:;tate. is claimed by n1any per ~ ons. Without credit- ' One correspondent says: "Sheep husbandry ing increase for more t han enough to Inain-- is the leading industry; and a higher degree tain the flock equal to its primitiYe condition, of intelligence is devoted to it than to any a practical estimate for cost, considering every other enterprise in the county.'' ., kind of item, might be from 10 to 12 cents per Another says: ''I would estimate the cost pound of un"\vashed \YOol, averaging 17 cents of keep and profits on the sheep (Spanish in market. This latter mode gives broad merino) as follows: margin for contingencies.'' i Ba1u.lera County.-'· Cost of keeping sheep, 1 tv.o-year-old ewe coet $5.00. 25 profit, cents to JJr. about cents per head; ao To interest, one year at 12 per cent .••..... $0 60 $1, exclusive of increase-" u cost of feed, herding, salt, etc ...... 100 4 Another, same county.-' 'One flock of 800 ' B uc k . ~ service...... •. • ...... • . • ...... 40 cost, for the shepherd and salt, $275; net '' Insurance .....••..•••.....•••...... 10 " Shrinkage in value ...... 70 profi t. including wool and increase, 31 per cent." Total ...... , ...... $2 80 Aransas County.-'' Cost of keep, 10 per Cr. cent. ; profit, 50 to 60 per cent. on capital. By 5~ l bs. of wool, at 20 cents...... $1 10 '" 75 per cent. of lambs, at $4.00...... 3 00 J\Ir. P 's flock averages 50 per cent. of its total --- value a s profit. About 100,000 sheep in the Total ..... _...... •• ~. . . $4 10 county, mostly improved merinos." Less cost of keep. . . . .• • ...... • • • • . . 2.80' BuJ•net County.-"One-half in farms under $1 30 cultivation; all the rest a complete pasture. Per cent. of profit, 25. Sheep-raisers say this is the best county they ever saw. " "My OV{n · flock, now numbering 1, 700,. Gallahan County.-''Flock of 2,000. Tw·en- started 460 in 1873 (merinos and Cotswold ty cents per head cost. Profit by wool, 40 grade), has paid above per cent. of profit, or cents per h ead." more.'' P'ort Bend County.-' ' 250, 000 sheep could Another careful correspondent from the be raised in this county. One-quarter in cul county of N ueces says: ''l{ams have been im tivation. A.ll the r est adapted for sheep pas ported in large numbers. In1provement is al· ture, yet no sheep v.rorth 1nen t ioning: all cattle ready far ad vance d. Flocks are sheltered and cotton. ..A.t close of war, ~heep-ra.i sing from Nov. 15th to Fe b. 1st, by selecting their hegan to decline, O\ving to depreciation of range and night camp on the south side of price of \vool. A reaction has no\v taken so1ne creek or prairie thnber. There is no place: extensive p astures a re no'v being en foot-rot. ·semi-annual lambing is generally closed; itnproved breeds are introduced. " adopted in this county; the February or spring Kendall County.- ' ' ~fr. B. has 1, 000 head crop being always the n1ost preferable. One of sheep. Shears 5, 000 pounds of \vool ; at '3et of e\ves, latnb in the spring, and another 2t) c~nts, $ 1,4:00 ; cost of keep, $H25; profit, "et in the fall. Those who shear the best and $1,075." tnost desirable clips of wool handle their sheep sa1ne c ounty. - ·'' A successful tn moderately large flocks of 1,000 to 1,200 Another; head. Provision is only made for select sheep sheep-raiser says : ·I cotn menced \vith 220 \VPight of fleece, e sold sufficient -sucn as rains. Average e·we~, three years ago, and hav ve pounds. Average cost of keeping, 25 to rease of 100 per a of the flock to n1ake an inc 28 cents. Profit, 72 to 75 cents. Where dip cent. per year average; and the -vvool has av ping has to be added, the general expenses eraged for that time f rom 75 cents to $1 an will be 3 to 4 cents per head. Good tobacco, nually.'' liberally used, invariably cure~ the. scab; all Lavaca Co1.tnty.-'' ~Ir. S. B. }1. has a flock other preparatioas haY~ failecl1n th1s coun~y. of 1,500 head, let out to a herder on shares; Profits on wool only g1ven, as profits from In and, therefore, furnishes a pretty fair sample crease are rarely turned into cash. Ewe a~ to profi ts. He gives the herder one-qnarter lambs of high grade sell readily for $2.50 to of the wool and one-quarter of the annual in $4.00 per head. The cost of keeping, whe~e crease, that is, the actual increase. He fur the sh<::pherd cares for only 1,000 sheep, IS nishes the salt, sheep dip, etc. The herder the cost given; ""'here he cares for 1,500 to pays all other expenses, except shearing; and 2, 000, as many do the year round, the real pays one quarter of this amount. This makes cost is proportionably less.. , the yield to the owner- The number of sheep in this county, ac- 00 cording to the returns of assessors) is 656,000; ¥~~ i~1~~~~;~ ~r ·tb:~ fi~ck ·,~ r.iii ~~~~age - ·· · · · · · · · $S()o and the remarkable fact is presented to us, ~DO head; which, at $1.50 per lamb, that very nearly the most southerly county of m spring, makes lambs ...... $L200 00 Deduct fron1 this $ 1 , ~00, ~ to herder, 300 00 the whole United States is the banner sheep county of the Union. 'rhe adjoining county, which 1eaves ...... --900 00 Starr, has 184,000 sheep. And these two Leaving a balance as net profit, on one counties have more sheep than the four States flock, of .. _...... _... $1,700 00 of the South-Georgia, South Carolina, Flor or about $1.1:3 per head on the entire flock .~, ida, and Louisiana together; or the conjoined. IIampshire. Ver Nu.ecea Cou·nty.-rrhere are several reports States of the North-Ne\Y 34 TEX.A.~: IIJ~l"{ l{ESOUI{CES ~J\.rTD 0 ...-\.P .ABILil'lEb. mont ~iassachusetts, and T~hode Island. '· conn try. But, until Uncle San1 will protect On~ of our O\Vn correspondents, certified to I us there, the life of the ~· hepherd and his ftocl\3 as one of the oldest and }Jest citizen8 of rrexas, arc in constant jeopardy frotn the 1\:Iexicans. 7.· writes us as follo,vs: These thieves a!ld marauders operate in a re "WAco, McLELLAN ~o., 'rExAs, J~n. 1.2, 1878. gularly systetnatic \vay; heing fitted out and ... . "Srn:-~ have been dn~ectl~ or .lndirectly encouraged by the wealthy nfexicans livjilg tnte~es~ed In the wool-growing, In tlns _state ~nd on or near the border, \\Tho for years llave section, for many years. The country IS rolling l>een at the botton1 of all the border troubles prairie land; the soil, black-waxy, and, in sec- from their de ... rre for annexation to this coun~ tions, quite sandy, and an excellent grazing try. Their purpose is constantly to provoke countr.y. The natural grasses ar~ t~e sedge and a \Var, lJelieving the result will be annexation, mesqlute; of the l~tter, three varieties; the best, \Vllen they ,vill then have a stable govern the bearded var1e~y. 1\Iy. flocks ~ave been ment, whieh they know they never "\Yill Lave French and Span1sh meriJ?OS, . mixed; the under any IVIexican leader. . . average product of fleece be1ng six pounds, at "There are other very ·fine fields for this in- an average valuation, for five years,.of 25 cts. dustry near Corpus Christi San Antonio per pound. This can be produced under north and south of Dallas· b~t the finest sed favorable circumstances for sixteen cents net tion in this country, in nty judgment, 1nust re cost to the shepherd; but he should have not 1nain idle, unless, as I have said, the govern less than the ten cents profit added, to make 1nent will give protection. a paying investment. If there is no change "s. W. PIPKL.~.'' in our duties, I am confident that there is no more promi8ing industry in the country than Stntements of Mr. Sllaejfet·.-After the above wool-growing; but, if vre are to have reduced note~ had been put in press, the vvTriter en duties or free "\vools. the occupation will have joyed the privilege of several personal inter to be ~bandoned. ' vie\VS at vVashington \Vith l\Ir. F'. w. Shaeffer, ''There is no objection to sheep from any of San Diago, Duval county, Texas, con1n1end- section of the North or West, if free fro1n ed by members of the delegation in Uongre~s ·distase. For the ordinary "\vools I would from Texas, as the highest authority on sheep prefer the 1nerino; for mutton or combing growi~Jg in that State. The following notes wools, a cross of the Cotswold \Vitb pure· which this gentlenHln perrnitted us to take at blood merinos. The country is uniformly these intPrviews, \vill serve to give a Inuch healthy for sheep here. In three months of n1ore exact idea of the present condition and the winter, the sheep should have some feed; resources for sheep husbandry in Texas, than say one-third of their consumption. I would the notes before given. say that aixty-five cents a head would cover Our informant, born in Ohio, was early in .every possible contingency or cost in sheep life engaged in mercantile pers"Uits in the city husbandry, per annum, in this section. As of New York, Finding them uncongenial, I have said, if the farmers are to keep the he ernbarked in sheep husbandry in Texas, a protection they no\v have against the pro- bout the year 1857, settling in the higher re (1.ucers of foreign wools, there is no more gion of the State, north of San Antonio. The profitable industry that any one who will put foundation of his flocks, \Vhich now number his attention to the business can be engaged in. 15,000 head, \Vas sheop purchased before the "Yours truly, "VV. R. ICELLUM. \Var fron1 a br?ther of General Be'lure!.!a.rd, • supplemented since the war by 1,500 breeding Another of our own correspondents writes ewes, obtained fro1n the estates of G. W. Ken- as follows: dall, identified with the introduction of im- '·HousTox, TE:s:As, Jan. 9, 1878. proved sheep husbandry in Texas DEAR Srn :-I have had long experience iu Finding the clin1ate in the high region sheep husbandry in the San· Joaquin and Santa w·here he was :first e~tablh;bed not as n1i1d ns Barbara country, and also in Los Angeles, he desired, he purchased lands in the more California, I know well Colonel Hollister, southerly regions of the State, about :fifty }lr. Dibbles, of California, and other promi- n1iles from Corpus Christi, in Nueces county, nent wool growers there. I was also for a ol>taining gradually about 80,000 acres; the time in Utah; also, in Western Texas, which ,vhole of this great tract being enclosed in one I regard as the best country for the industry vast pasture by a wire fence, which cost up with which I am acquainted, if life and proper- V{ards of $16,000. Here he found the climate ty were only secure against Mexican depreda- so mild that the sheep thrive absolutely with tions. The .climate, for man and beast, is out shelter. He regards it as necessary only unrivalled; the feed, rich and unfailing all to keep the sheep fat and in good condition, the year round. No country. I know of could to enable then1 to resist "·itbout inconvenjence so well sustain the large flocks which, from the cold \Vind and rain of that clin1ate. Even :ari?us causes, are being broken up in Cali- the shepherds have no shelter, except such as ... ornia. they may make \vitb their blanl\ets; (ind no "In a parallel drawn north from Laredo to means of "\Vanning themselves, but a fire 011 the Indian Territory, there is the best location the open ground. rrhey suffer no inconven! for the industry, in n1y judgment, in the ence, however, fron' p1js exposure, rnd are at * There is no longer any complaint on this score. ways on hand to take care of their steep. Flocks on the ~Iexican border are now as safe as they Tl h · th · i' · t 1· · d l · to .are any,where. The Mexican and India.a troubles are le s ~ep In 1 ~ r IStriC are· C lVl et Ill -4~dead issues.,,-En. sjngle fl0cks of from 1, .i.OO. to 1.30(• in number; TEXAS: HER RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES. 35 usua:I]y about 1, 100, this being about the num pounds to the bushel, instead of 32. Through ber 'vhich can be advantageously kept togeth its introduction the price of oats has been re er under the care of one shephe1d. 'l'he ewes, duced from about 70 or 75 cents to 22 cents. with their lambs_, are kept sepHrate from the It is sown in N oven1ber, and fed during the dry e\Ye and the wethers-or n2uttons as they "Tinter, \Vhich increases the crop of grain. dred rams in Corpus Christi, all which will be times, flour, coffee and fre. h meat, no pork or sold at prices ranging from $30 to $50, and bacon being used. 'I'he fre8h meat is almost very choice animals for $100. The Texas invariably supplied by goats, vv hic.h are pas sheep husbandry is thus the 1neans of keeping tured with the sheep for this purpose. They up the 1nost. profitable branch of sheep culture cost about a dollar a head. Their flesh is ex at the North-a branch which may be carried cellent, and preferred by the Mexicans to .any on upon the highest-priced lands. The high other. '"fhe quantity of goat's meat which the priced rains are kept in Texas t"\VO or three pastore will consume is enormous; the con years, and sold at a less price to persons co1n sumption being about one goat a week to the n1eneing the sheep business with but little shepherd. capital. '' The shearing seasons are the busiest times '· It had been the custotn for the Texan for the Texan flock-master, not only on ac fiock-rnasters to sell the high-bred rams pro count of the number of extra hands to be over d need from their own flocks only at the high lookerl, but because upon the care exercised prices demanded by the Northern breeders. at these periods in culling, depends the future }tlr. Shaeffer early saw that he could benefit character of the flocks; and the tying up of his country better, and do as vvell for himseJf, the wool nicely is in1portant for its sale. The by changing this system. He found that the shearings take place twice a year. The spring young men of his country going into the sheep shearing con1mences about April 15th, and the business couJd not pay these high prices and fall shearing about September 15th. The n1ake a living. He therefore rRduced the shearings continue fro1n three to four weeks, prices of tne high-bred rams -vvhich he had aceording to the \Veather. The practice of two raised in Texas to from five to ten dolJars, and shearings a year has been adopted, fro1n the sold a great n1a:ny more by so doing. This experience that it is n1ost advantageous for had the effect of greatly extending the im the war1n climate of Texas. It has been a provenlent of the flocks in the country. An n1ooted question, whether there is more profit other step taken by him \Vas ilnportant for the in shearing twice a year than once. By 8hen.r develop1nent of the country in the direction ing t\vice, the "'\VooJ, of course, is shorter; IS of sheep-gro\ving. Mr. Shaeffer found that fitted for only one purpose-that of clothing, contef't s were constantly occurring between and hrings a less price per pound. Tlic tlle cattle-herders anll the shepherds. He high prices of 'vools for comb1ng purpos e~~ therefore began gradually to purchase all the for vvhich many of the improved wools of lands he required; his exan1ple V\Tas followed Texas, if suffered to grow to their full length, by others; and, at present, the greater part of are well adapted, is lost; and there is the ad the land in the sheep-region is held in freehold ditional expense of the extra shearing. But;t by the respective flock-masters. on the other hand, the sheep sheared twice a " There has no\Y been so long and extensive year are healthje... " and keep fatter; and the an experience in this country as to reduce the shearing checks the ."~.cab, if there is any ten n1cthods of the peculiar pastoral sheep-hus dency to this disease. The flock-master gets bandry to a well-established system, which is the 1noney for his wool twice a year, instead so sin1ple that it may be easily learned by any of once; an ilnportant consideration where the intelligent person. The plant required for the least rate of interest is one per cent. a month~ business, except the first stock of ewes and The double shearing is especially advantage rams, is exceedingly small. No buildings are ous to the lambs. By giving them their first required, if we except the covered platform shearing in August, to be repeated in the next for shearing. A rude camp is all that is neces spring. their health and growth are greatly sary for the flock-master, and a wagon with a pro1noted, and, consequently, the general in pair of hon~es for his supplies; of course he crease of the flock. ~Ir. Shaeffer believes it will have a saddle horse. The well-arranged would be advantageous to shear the lan~bs t'vice ~ 1~anche is an arter luxury, to be earned by the even at the North. Seeing the lambs in the profits of the enterprise. The aim is to have flock of an eminent breeder in ~Iissouri fail flocks of at least 1,000 or 1,100 head, for each ing, :Nir. Schaeffer recommended immediate of "?.rhich one shepherd-invariably a native shearing. The advice was follo,Yed and all 1\'Iexican, called a pasto1·e-is required. It is were saved; one of these lambs, (a ram) when desiral)le that the proprietor should have at grown, was afterwards sold for $150. least three flocks of this number. The sepa The shearing in Texas is all performed by rate flocks, each \Vith its shepherd. are so lo Mexicans, from both sides of the river Rio cated that they can be brought at night to a Grande; many coming in, for this purpose, central cnmp, where the bacc~~1·ro, or sheep even fro1n as far us l\fonterey. riihey shear overseer, also a native }lexican, is established. by the head; the u ual price being about $3.50 This overseer is necessary, in all cases, to re per hundred for fine sheep. rrhe shearer lieve the shepherds in case 0f accident, and to average about thirty head a day. The shear cook their rations. The baccierros, as a class, ing is performed on a floor or platforn1, espe are re1narkable for their fidelity. The impedi cially constructed for this purpose. The most menta~ of the camp, if they may be called by careful flock-masters have this floor protecte(l this na1ne, consist only of the rudest cooking by a roof. The barn floors of theNorth, it n1u~t utensils, and the stvres of provisions, no shel 1Je remembered, are not kno\vn in Texa". ter being required, and the bed of the shep In shearing, the ~[exicans tie down the sheep herd being a sheepskin. 'The food or rations upon the floor, usually about ten at a tin1 e. of the shepherd are corn for tortillas, or ~o1ne- This titne the flock-master bnproves for ex- TEXAS: HER RESOURCES .L-\.ND CAPABILITIES. 37 amining his sheep and the character of their Our infor1naut llas but little faith in esti· fleeces. l-Ie selects those \Vhich are to be mates ?f profit~, as .the circun1stances vary so culled out on account of age or defects of much 1n the situation of the establishment fleece, or those which are to be preserved for and the personal and economical habits of special uses in breeding; makes the proper the flock-master. He has consented however marks upon the animals, duly entering them to make a statement of the necessary expense~ upon his sheep-book. The \YOol from the and results, with one flock of 1,100 sheep in spring shearing is tied up in fleeces· the fall one year. ' shearing, lJeing light, is put in sacks' without EXPENSES. being tied. 1'he packing the 'vool in sacks Sheph_erds and wages at $11 per month and rations ..... $250.00 SJ:;tea!'lng and I:'Undry expenses at shearing· time...... 77.00 although it cannot be dispensed \vith is con~ ~~~~P1ncfi f~r scab, four cents per head...... H.OO p or worms...... 5 00 sidered disadvantageous to the growe~ of the E xtra labor ...... '...... · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · 20.00· wools, as \YOOl from inferior fleeces, or an S t · d $396.00 inferior part of the body, is liable to be mixed aIt 1s· no requ1re near the coa~t o.r with mesquite grass. with better \vool, and to prejudice the 'vhole RECEIPTS. It is belieYed that a profit 1,100 sheep, at 5 lbs. per head, equals 5,500 lbs. wool lot to the bu_yer. at 20 cents per pound...... 20 ' able enterprise, and one very advantageous to the Texan growers, ''rou1d be the estab1ish- Cashreleipt~ ...... $1,10000 S110000 Jnent in that country of extensive wool-scour- 80 per cent. iuerea~e, 880 head at $3.00. ."...... 2:640:oo ing establishments, like those in Bel()'ium and $3~Ho.oo France. The facility of obtaining~ scoured t~~:[~~f~:~s$~:ooo.ai.i2 i)e~:ceiii.'.".'.".'.'.'.'.'.s~g&:88 ·wool \YOUld be advantageous to manufacturers en ° pace.······ .. ·················· -~00.00 $1,096.00 $1,096.00 \Yith sn1all capital and establishments and in -- saYing of freight. The sheep in T~xas, it . $2,644.00 I n thIS Rtatement, the expenses of the over- mu~t be observed, are never washed. The included. One is required in all \Yater is calcareous; and perhaps contains iron seer are not one will suffice for three or four because it 1nakes the \Yoo1 black. ' cases; but flo('ks. It is best to start \Vith 1, 600 head of Even with the rich pastures of Texas it is desirable to have at least t\vo ac;·es to e:v~s; b~cause after lambing they can be d~1ned three flocks of ewes with their every sheep. It js of the first ilnportance d1v1ded Into lambs, with an expense of but one baccierro that the range should not be overstocked. .A. and one camp, and three shepherds. At the much larger range is required than in regular, end of five months, the lambs are weaned and enclosed pastures. over which the sheep taken fron1 their mothers. Then, until the scatter as soon as they are driven to them while next lambing time, which will take place in in the open range, under the care the ~f the succeeding }rlarch, the sheep can be well herder, much of the grass is trodden down by cared for by only two shepherds and one the sheep passing from one point to another ovtrseer, the ewes being in one flock and the in compact flocks, from their sleeping grounds. lambs in another. The proportion of bucks required for the The procedure and increase may be illus· e·wes is larger than in the X orth, as the bucks tra ted as follows: run with the ewes on the range about five "\Ye will suppose the new flock-master commences weeks. Three bucks are required for every October, 1876, ·with ewe:; ...... 1,600 ~larch, 1877, the e·wes produce 80 per cent. of lambs ...... 1,280 hundred ewes. The main lambing takes Septe1nber, 1877, weans the lambs; places them in one place from February 20th to April 1st. It is ft.ock, and the ewes in another, making only two flocks. )larch, 1878, there are ewes ...... 1,600 an interesting observation in regard to lamb :\larch, 1878,_ there are yearlings; one-half ewes, and the ing, that it is attended \Vith much less danger other half wethers ...... 1,280 l\Iarch, 1878, th.ere are lambs as 1877 ...... l,Zf\0 and difficulty where the sheep live in the 4: 3 1 ofyearliiJ.gs .. 4:,160 natural state of wild anin1als, than under a :\laking flocks; of ewes and lambs, and October, 1878, there are breeding ewes ...... 1,600 more artificial system. 'This applies also to . " " '' young ewes...... 64.0 the general health of the animals. During the Total to go to ram in October ...... 2,24:0 ~ambing season, in the evening or next morn ).larch, 1879, there are wethers, two-years-old...... 640 " " " yearlings (ewes and wethers) ..... 1,2SO Ing, after the flock of ewes, 'vith the lambs " " " breeding ewes ...... 2,240 dropped during the day-say from fifty to " '· " lambs ...... : ...... 2,24:0 one hundred-are driven into the camping 6 400 ground, the e\ves with the newly , drop~ed 1879, 2,240 lambs are sepa.rn.tedw from the flock, and October," " there" are yearlingbreeding ewes...... ewes ...... G-10 uffered to rest until the middle of the day, Making number of ewes to go to ram...... 2,880 )larch, 1880, there are breeding ewes...... 2.880 near the camping-ground. The next dny they " '' " lan1bs ...... 2,8RO are moved to another camp-ground, to give " " " wethers, 1ihree years old...... NU.MBER OF SHEEP IN NORTHERN AND 500 per cent. better off than he was when he WESTERN STATES, JAN. 1878. 1 started. th.e busi~ess, three or four years ago. STATES. ~o. of Sheep. 1 'Vhen 1t 1s considered how rapidly sheep in- Maine ...... • • • . . . . . • . 52;:, 800 crease, .and that the cost of keeping them in New Hun1pshire...... •• • • ...... ~39,900 I Texas IS next to nothing, outside of the hire Vel mont.················· · • • • · · · • • · · · 4~~,'~00 I of herders, such results are not sur1)rising. Mas~achusetts . • • . . . • ...... • • • . . . . . • • • vv u 00 Th lJ · · · H.bode I~! and...... •• • • ...... 24,500 ere IS n~ ustness 111 wluch fortunes rnay be Connecticut . . . . . • • ...... • • • • .. 92,500 more certain1 y or rapidly made, and all \..Y est New York ..... · ...... ·· · · ·•• ••••• 1,518,100 Texas has 1nany living proofs of it. During New Jersey .. . . • . . .• • • . • • • . . . . • . .. .. 1~8.300 the late tl •t , · Pennsylvania ...... •.•...... l,607,oOO W T\var · 1e wr1 er s nearest neighbor, in a Ohio ...... 3,78:1,000 e8t exas county, was a sheep man, who Michigan . . •...... 1,750,000 o'vned a flock of a thousand head at the Indiana.··· · ········ .• ···•••·•••···•·· l,09 ~· 700 beginning of the \Var, and nothing else \Vhat- 111 i nois ...... o ••••• o ••••• o • • • • • • 1,258. bOO Wisconsin...... • • • . •••. 1 ,3:t3,700 ever, except a horse or t\VO. lie had not a :Minnesota...... • . 300,000 foot of land, or a house to cover his bead but Iowa.····· .. ··· .. · .. ·• .. •• .. ··· .. · .. ·.. 560.000 r~nted a small tract. \Vith a shanty o~ it. 0 1 6 00 Kan:::asN e bra8ka..... · · · · · · .• .· .· .· .· .· .· .· .· .· ·. . .• .• .• .• •.. .• .• .• .• .• .• .• .• 6f>2,'40°0 'I'here was no accessible n1arket for hi's TITool"'' California o ...... o ...... 6,561.000 il~ th?se days, so he \Vas compelled to keep Oregon · · · .... · • • • · · • · ·• • • ...... · 1,074,600 I his chps on hand. He was very hard up, and Nevada...... • ...... • • • ...... • . . 72,000 d d b h Colorado...... • • • . .. . . • • ...... • . • • • . 600,00) . \vaxe very ragge ; ut ·w at with Wild The 'l'erritories...... • • • .. . • .. 2,600,000 ' venb<; i..l, \~vild turkey and wild trout \vith an , ., -::,-:-- occasional \Vether and plenty of cot:n bread, 25 852 300 1 otal. ·• • • •o • • ••• o• • • • • .. , , he 1nanaged to keep hhnself fat and healthy. As exan1ple is better than precept, \Ve give : 'Vhen the war closed lte had his clips of five some examples of fortunes made in Texas in .· years, and in the meantime his flocks bad in lhe sheep bnsiness. The following is from 1. creased to some uine thousand head. He the Galce"'to11 ..1..\-e1o8, ·special edition for Sep- 'waked up one morning and found himself Lember 1, 1880: rolling in \vealth. He sold his fine wool at ·'It may please those of your readers 1nter- i a high figure, put on lJroadcloth and silks ested in sheep matters, to learn a few facts : visited the cities, turned fool, concluded that about the Las Moras rancho, in Menard i he had n1istaken his business. sold his fine county, started on a comparatively extensive :flocks at a high figure, started ·life afresh a.s a 'Cale three or four years ago, by Mr. C., a · btg merchant in a big city, and in a short time French capitalist. 1 'busted '-busted all to pieces, without a ''After an examination of the frontier, he i copper ]eft to him in the \vorld. Truly the pitched upon the waters of the upper San ·fool and his sheep are easily parted. Saba as offering rare advantages for range "Another one of the writer's neighbors and water. fle at once, by judiciOUS pur- gre\V into SUdden weaJt.h in the same "\Yay. chases, secured valuable water privileges, and But he did not turn fool and turn merchant. o1oved son1e six thousand sheep, including He held on to his sheep, and died a short tilne some forty-five hundred ewes, up there, built ago a very rich 1nan, owning a large real estate. large and substantial buildings, farms and The sheep, under his excellent n1anagement, pastures, and gave the business the closest I did it all for him. attention. '·But this business, like any other, requires The result detnonstrates the advantages of very close attention to turn out these fine Western 'l'exas for this fast growing industry; results. Without this sort of attention, close and shcnvs what pluck and intelligence, con1- and intelligent, there is no 1noney it. Lined 1.vith capital, can in a short tin1e achieve. "N. A. T." ''After grading up his original stock \vith The Ne1.os of a later date has the follo"'ing the greatebt care, he now has some 15,000 sheep, fron1 a San Antonio correspondent: including son1c 400 lambs, all in the finest "Mr. L. licKenzie, born and raised in con'dition, 1vhile his clip for this spring runs Texas, and now thirty-five years old, began over 50,000 pounds, and ranks among the very the sheep business in ~Iaverick county, Aug. finest in the State for ~uality. 1, 1875. He had $740, for ·which he bought "It is rumored that he is so n1nch encour- 500 head of n'lexican e\ves. He in1n1cdiately aged that he hn~ secured the co-operation of procured the best n~erino bucks atta~nft~le, active gentlen1en nnd capital, both in this and con11nencecl grading Ius floek. H1s first Rtate and abroad "Tith a view of extending year's yield of \Vool 'vas 1,000 pounds. pure the business and ~{dding cattle-raising to it. ~Iexican, fo1!~ ':hich ~e re.ceived l~}r2c. per ''With a fe1.v n1ore such n1en among us, pound, or ~12t:>. Tlus, of course, \Yas not Texas "\vill in a fe,v vcars astonish the ~~ orld enough to keep his herder, but he had credit by the ma~gnitude of her' sheep interests, as and \VaS economical. In his second year he she has already done \Yith b ·r cattle and had a la.rge ntunber of half-breed ~heep, and cotton. an ineren.'ed quantity of \YOol of an improved "'T'hc a.llovc h~ hnt one of 1nany hundre~s of qnnlitX. 'l'his_ ·has h~en continued t.o ti:e pre similar insta11ecs in Texas that tnight be ctted. sent tune. dunng \Vl11ch he has n1a1nttuned a In three or four years l\Ir. C.'s ~flocks have ~ " Last spring Mr. ~IcKenzie sold his wool unued each one of then1, carried them to the at 21Yzc, per pound, amounting to $1,560, shade in the sheds, and in the evening return and the sale of his fall clip just made, which ed each to its proper stake. This feat was amounted to n1ore wool, brought only 2<•Yzc. witnessed by Mr. 1\'IcKenzie, who knew that per pound, and netted $1,287. A short time each kid was at its proper place, because the ago be sold 1,000 old ewes, muttons, etc., mother does not only know its young, but re at $1.50 per head, aggregating $1,500. Total turns to the stake where it was left, and not an1ount of 'vool sold in 1880, $4,347; includ finding its own offspring refuses to accept a ing the sheep, $5,847. substitute. Not a single instance of refusal '' During these five years :1\'Ir. McKenzie, by occurred; the old Mexican had properly re close attention to his herds, and always on the turned each kid to its stake. alert to take advantage of any trade or busi "Probably few men in West Texas can ness transaction that presented itself, bas ac show a better record than Mr ~ 1\'IcKenzie, and cumulated property as foll rv-ether v.~ith the great distance from our :but particularly in the west and southwest, ~utton markets, has caused them to be but this useful little animal thrives and prospers little grown. Some persons have been amazingly. \Vbere the horse, the cow, or prejudiced against ~Ierinos by the use of, or the sheep will starve, he finds his choicest attempt to breed, sheep brought into the State food, picking from barren hillside or drouthy .and called thoroughbred animals, that were plain the thorny leaf of the prickly pear, or bad grades, not possessing either constitution cropping with apparent satisfaction and com or other merit ; also, by the purchase of stock fort the scantiest herbage. in such a pampered condition, that they were To the sheep-raiser in the West, the goat is better adapted for quiet Recnrity in a box, indispensable, as he furnishes meat to the carefully fed, than for use or profit. It is no 1\iexican herders, who prefer "goat's flesh" "-onder that sensible persons become disgusted to anything else. And a small flock for that with such stock. The Spanish ~Ierino, or as purpose is generally kept along with the herd '\Ye generally term them, American ~1erinos, of sheep. None,.so far as we know,have devo on account of the great changes wrought upon ted themselves exclusively to goat-raising in them since they 'vere imported fron1 Spain to Texas, but those "·ho have tried it, on anything America, some seventy years ago, can be like an extensive scale, say it pays very hand grown in large herds; they are easily con- somely. A gentleman at Brackett, in Kinney trolled; excel any sheep in the production of county, told the writer but a short time since, "-ool, and make very good mutton; hence, that his flock of about 2,500 goats, whi~h he they are n1ost grown on Texas ranches. had been n1anaging several years, had netted "The irnproved condition of the \vool him forty per cent. per annum on the invest· market has given a new impetus to the sheep- ment. gro,ving business. Some men, of course, in Whether goat-raising as a business be profit their zeal to acquire a fortune without labor able or not, nearly every farmer will find a or n1uch time, will rush into this business and small flock a valuable addition to the economy lnake a shipwreck of it. and pleasure of his living. A beef or a hog ''During last winter a great many sheep cannot always be safely killed, for ~ear of died, and in some instances nearly whole losing the meat, hut the smallest family can flocks \vere lost. These sheep generally be- dispose of a kid, and there is nothing better iono·ed to adventurers above referred to· \Vere for the table. 0 • ' in charge of n1en not having experience or THE ANGORA GOAT. pr~ctical ju~gment, or, perhal?s, ha~ be~n In 1849 eight head of these goats were d.rn~.. en long dist~J?-ces and went. Into wint~r In brought to Austin, Texas, by ~1r. R. William ver; bad condit~on. In no Instance did I 1 son ao-ent of a Tennesse company. They ~earn of any ser1o':ls los~ among stock vvelll wei:e then known as the Cashmere Shawl ~e.rded, and supplied '\VIth such necessary . Goat. With these, and the occasional import t ni~gs. as are poss~ssed ?Y almost ~very flo.ck- tation of others, the goat has become g~nerally ma~tei. In Centi al T~x~s, although the gra~s distributed through Texas. There IS a fine -crop~ed from the prairies by the sheep. w1ll fioek at Leon Springs, Bexar Co. susttun them tolerab~y well,, yet experience In October, 1875, ~ir. J. W. Dunn, of ha.s t~ught me that~ little grain or cotton seed, Corpus Christi, imported a small flock pur principally fed dnr1ng Dec~mber and.January, chased from Col. Robert W. Scott, of Frank IS an expense doubly repaid by an Increased fort, Kentucky. After four years' experience, an1~ou~t of "'~~ol, and more valuable lambs the l\'Ir. Dunn says ~ , 'I find them to be both follo"\VIng spring. . healthy and hardy-standing our wet northers ': ..A_ bun dance of ~ood sheep-graz1n~ lands better than the common goat. The males ca~ be had convenient ~o the long lines of will shear about five pounds and the fen1ales railroad that ?~oss an~l Intersect o.ur Sta.te, about three and a-half pounds each. ~Iy last n~ar comn1unities hayr~1g good society, "\VIth spring clip "~as sold to ~Iessrs. Kitching c.aurch and school privileges, at fron1 .two to Brothers, of New York, for seventy cents per five d?llars per. acre; and further out, In ne'v pound, for the entire lot. And this, when -counties and distn_nt from .t~wns, good ranch the best Texas improved wool from sheep Ic--.nd can be had In quantities as lo\v as fifty sold at eighteen cents. The goat is nearly ce~ts~per acre. . . . omnivorous, eating· almost every shrub, and · "Cpon these n11lhons of acres of unocc~p.1ed can live with but little grass. There arc in land , nowhere . surpassed f('.>r stock-raiSing Texas millions of acres of rough, hilly country, purposes, ~' e give a 1velcome hand to all admirably adapted to range for goats, and ~)onest e~Igran.ts, whether t.hey come to where nothing else could be 1nade to live. ar1ns The o-oat is naturally a. hardy anhnal, and free I::vest t.heir capital, or by their strong 0 a1d us 1n the development of our great Lone from the diseases so destructive to flocks of St~r State, and assure to the.m the l~eacea?le sheep. The Angora is a success in California, enJoyment of all the good things their capital and, from my experience, I have no hesitation or labor may procure. in saying they can be made as profitable in ' ~ BELL CouNTY, TExAs, September 26~ 1879." Texas as in California, or even Natalia, their GO.A. TS. native Asiatic home." HORSES AND MULES. l :L-\~ ~ y persons believe that there is even a fiarger profit in raising goats than sheep in THAT Texas is "\Yell adapted to the raising Texas. Certain it is, that in every section, of horses and n1ules, as well as cattle and 42 TEX.A.S: I-IER RESOlJRCES A.ND CAPABILITIES. sheep, is amply proved by the fact that, upon can always save meat for their own use and as the first settlement of the country by Ameri n1uch for sale, but they must have everything cans, and for thirty years thereafter, there in reauiness, so that when a ''norther" comes, were more or less wild horses or '' mustangs" they can commence killing at once, and make in all sections, and in the unsettled portions the slaughter ''quick and lively," so that the they were numbered by hundreds of thousands. anilnal heat may be thoroughly expelled The wild horse of 'rexns sprang from escaped before warm weather sets in again. gentle stt)Ck, first introduced by the Spaniards The "northers" in the autum are but of in their conquest of 1\Iexico, of which Texas short duration, but in January and February \Vas then an integral part. They were the true they extend sometilnes over a period of several Andalusian horse, \Vith rnore or less Arabic cla vs, and the watchful farmer \Vill have blood, and as beautiful specimens of that several opportunities to slaughter with safety noble aniinal as could be found in the "\vorld. as 1nany animals as he is likely to take care of Our presen~ stock of horses in Texas are or debire. grades upon the ''mustang" (mostly half The best range for hogs is open post-oaks, breeds), but with the exception of a little gain and near a river bottom, where there is an in size, improvement in temper and tractability, ample supply of pecan trees. This furnishes have no great advantage over the original stock. them an abundance of grass in su1nn1er, and These half-breeds average about fourteen nuts and acorns during fall and 1vin1J3r. Hogs hands in height, but are very strong, active left to themselves soon get wild, and to Inak(l; and endu1:ing. .A. good one will carry a n1an the business pay tltey n1ust either be confined upon his back day after day, fron1 forty to in pastures, or son1e one u1ust go among them. fifty 1niles, and live on grasso Their qualities every d ny or two, and call then1 together, as saddle anhnals are unsurpassed, and for the feeding a little corn. A very little will suffice purpose that they are mostly used (driving to keep them gentle. cattle) they are better adapted than thorough Considerable attention has lately been paid bredso A Texas pony "\Vill carry his rider, in to the improvement of the stock, and the a wild chase after cattle, clay after day, with ' & Berkshire," " Chester White" a ...Jd "Poland nothing but the prairie grass to subsist on. China," and other choice breeds are rapidly These ponies are worth from fifteen to fifty taking the place of the lank 'rex as ''razor dollars, according to size and quality. The back." average price for a broken animal would With the railroad facilities now at hand for probably be thirty dollars. The cost of shipping live hogs, considering the cheapness raising them is but little more than the cost of of rearing them, no better opening presents raising a ''beef steer," perhaps no more. itself to the man of moderate means, than a They live upon "the range,'' and only require "hog ranche" in a proper locality. a little looking after, and an oceasional salting POULTRY. to keep them gentle. DoMESTIC fow Is of all kinds do well in Of late years, however, much attention has Texas, and require but little care or attention. been paid to the improve1nent of horses and The main thing is to provide an abundant mules, and at any of the country fairs first range, fresh, clean water, and allow them to rate specimens of the Texas-bred racer or the live out of doors and roost in the trees. trotter can be seen. Under these favorable conditions domesti~ The Texas mule is generally small, but fowls "increase, multiply aud replenish the tough and wiry, and capable of im1nense earth,'' in Texas, with a1nazing rapidity. endurance. Like his half brother, the "cow pony," he is adn1irably adapted to the country GAME AND FISH. and its demandso The price of good, broken Texas has long been noted for the vast Spanish mules, as they are called, will range number and varieties of its game-from the from forty to seventy dollars. It costs no noble buffalo (bison) to the- smallest of the more to raise the1n than it does the ''cow feathered tribe. Nowhere else on the Ameri pony." can continent can the eager sportsman spend HOGS. his time more pleasantly, whether his favorite TExAs is peculiarly adapted to raising hogs, weapon be the rifle or the shot-gun. Of and the success attending this business is co~rse here, as elsewhere, the larger game leading to a large annual increase. The animals have receded before the march of greater portion of Eastern Texas is " rell civilization, but there are still enough left to timbered with oak and nut-bearing trees, satisfy the most exacting. which furnish abundant food for hogs, while Among the principal game anilnals we have the large extent of post-oRk tin1ber and tlle the buffalo, big horn (rare), bear, antelope, t( river bottoms n of Central and Southern deer (tvvo varieties), cougar, wild-cat, wolf Texas, supply enormous quantitie~ of the (three varieties), sqn~rrel (three varieties), rac "porker's" favorite food, acorns and pecans. coon, opossun1, rabbit (three varieties) prairie Very fevv n1en have 1nade the raising of dog, havalina (Mexican hog or ' lpe~cary") , hogs a special business, or acquired wealth at and others of lesser 1mporta~ ce. it, for the reason that until very recently we The buffalo (Bison A ·1nericanus) is still quite have not had railroad or ot.flfr facilities for plentiful on tbe extren1c north,vestern fron getting live hogs to nJ<:trket, and the clilnate tier, but he is rapidly disappearing before tbe saviug of of Texas is too wann to nutke the '- destructive long-rauge rifles of the co\v-boy pork on a large scale a certainty. Farn1ers and the hunter. When they are knO\Yll to be .. TEXAS: HER llESOTJRCES AND CAPABlLITIES. 43 "do,vn," hunting parties are organized at all who camps out by himself is apt to be render the frontier posts, and the work of destruc- ed a little nervous by their incessant howling; tion goes remorselessly on. The buffalo hun- but they are great cowards. The Lobo is the ter lives on the ''range'' and follows the poor largest of the three and looks formidable, but beast 1vith untiring activity, his object being he is as timid as his half brother, the coyote. only to secure the hide and tongue. Thou- Both are great pests to the sheepmen, sands are thus slaughtered every winter. Of squirrels there are the fox, black or c1ifff The buffalo ranges fron1 the ''Panhandle" the grey and ground. The cliff squirrel alone of Texas to the Pecos River, but is rarely is peculiar, living as he does in the rocks and seen west of th~t stream. cliffs, and never, so far as the observation of The black bear ( Ursu.c:. A1nericanus) is found the \Vriter extends, taking to a tree. all over the State wherever the covert is suffi- 'Coons and 'possums are found everywhere cient. He is very plentiful among the rugged in the greatest abundance, and afford much hills of the "rest, where the ''bear-grass,'' his Bport to the boys and ·'cur dogs. H favorite food, is abundant. This he tears up, One of the distinguishing features of the devouring the soft, pulpy n1ass of which its Texas prairie is the 'mule-eared" or ''jackass" root consists. rabbit, as he is commonly called-an animal The big-horn, or Rocky ~Iountain sheep, in fact identical with the English hare, with has been observed in but one locality, viz.: some slight modification, perhaps, induced by the Guadalupe }fountains, on the sout:l;l.ern difference of habitat. The common Hswamp" boundary of N e'v }lexico. and ''cotton~ tail" varieties are found every- Antelope are found e\.. Pryw here on the west.. : where. ern prairies, remote from the thickly settled I Prairie-dogs are found in great numbers districts. They go in herds of from ten to \vest of longitude 99°. five hundred, ~nd are extremely difficult to The Peccary, Havalina, }!exican or wild approach. ·They are gifted, howP.ver, with a h0g (all local names for the same anilnal) IS most inordinate curiosity, and can frequently found in Southwest Texas and on the gand be enticed within gun-shot by the concealed hills of the Llano Estacado. They go in hunter throwing up his bat or waving a hand- droves of from half a dozen to twenty and kerchief. are exceedingly belligerent if disturbed. They Of deer we have the "black-tail'' (C. Macea- are not consiolered very good eating. tis), and the common Virginia deer (C. Vir- Of foxes we have only the common small ginianus). The first named is not found east grey fox, a very contemptible specimen of his of the Pecos l{iver, and not in very great tribe. numbers anywhere. They frequent the high, GAME BIRDS. bald mountain ranges, and usually go in small At the head of these stands the noble wild herds. The u Black·tail" is some\vhat larger turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), which is very than the common deer. Long and prominent abundant in many parts of the State, but so ears and a small black tuft of hair on the tail V{eil kno\vn as to require no special descrip ~ are its distinguishing features. The Virginia tion. or common red deer is too well known to re- Of the aquatic birds we have the swan quire any particular description. He is scat- (Cygnus Ame?·icanus), the Canada and snow tered all over the State and in many sections goose, and brant (Anse1~ be1·nwla); these begin is very abundant. On tho coast prairies, large to arrive about the lOth October, and remain herds of them may still be seen from the win- tilll\Iay 1st. Ducks visit us in vast numbers dows of the passing railway carriage. Here, every winter, and of them we find. some in former years, before the scream of the iron twenty varieties, including Teals, Mallard, horse startled these peaceful plains, was his Canvas back, Pintail, Black, Wood, Shovel favorite feeding ground. The writer rEmem- ler, Ringneck, Widgeon, Red-head, Ruffle hers, on one occasion, twent~y-five years ago, head, Butter-ball, Scaup, Gadwall, Ruddy on the extensive prairie bordering the coast and three varieties of l\1ergan~er. The coast near Aransas Bay, to have seen countless region of 'Texas is especially remarkable for thousands of deer and several noble herds of the number and variety of the water-fowl that the wild horse (mustangs). But there ~-ere frequent it. l\Iyriads of ducks, geese, s\\~ant no long-range rifles in those days, and but few plover, snipe and curlew assemble here every hunters. winter, and the sportsman can then satiate The cougar (1\Iexican lion) and panther, himself ,vith slaughter. At the mouth of the though not plentiful, are still found in vari- Trinity River is a famous "roosting" ground. ous portions of the State. They are very On certain lo"~ , n1arshy islands here assen1 ble timid, except \Vhen wounded or tarved, \vhen every night countless thousands of 1vater fo,Yl they become formidab1e. fron1 their feeding grounds round about. In Wild cats are plentiful and are usually the morning \Yhen they disperse in search of found in the mountains or heavily tin1bered "breakfast," the sky is fairly darkened with river bottoms. They are generally hunted their ntunbers. with dogs. T"·o Yarieties of cranes are ·w·ith us during Of 1\'0lves \Ve have three varieties, viz: the the "·inter, the ''Sr.ndhill'' ( G1·u~ Canade'Jisl::;), Blnck, Coyote, and Lobo (in the vernacular, and the 1~rumpeter crnn l ( (irus .Ll17tericaua). "Loafer.'') 1'he iirst nan1ed is rare and its 'T'hese arrive jn ~-~eptC'In her. out fe,y of th~n1 pelt js highly prized. Coyotes are very a bun- are ki!lcd, as t,her frequent the prairie~ and dant on the pnliries, and the lonely " rayfarcr ,open fiL'lcls, and are very ,,~ary. The Tru1n AND CAPABILITIES. 44 TEXAS: IfER RESOURCES sano," " Chapparal Cock." " Prairie Cock,,. crane is a beautiful bird, standing quite quail, peter by etc. This bird, somewhat larger than a six feet hio·h with white plumage re:ieved head, with prairies has a very long tail and crested hl~ack "\vin~s ~nd back. On the level It is solitary in stalking with brown and sombre plun1age. of the co~~t they may be seen great fleetness of foot, direction, lazy lo?k- its habits, possesses dignified steps in every wing unless pushed, when it a watchful eye on the In- and never takes incr but having a short distance. There are num They must be shot with the rifle at flies only tr~der. bers of birds and beasts beside those named, long range. much interest to the sportsman. ~.nd_ of them we .ha~e but none of Quail are a~undant, FISH IN TEXAS. VIZ. : the V Irg1n1a ( Ortyx Vi1·.q~n- ·five varieties, game fish par excellence of Texas is the Massena ( 0 . .J.l!llYJ~sena), Blue ( Oalipepla The £anus), black bass, or trout, as be is improperly called. Gam bel's (Lophortyx Gambeli) and lakes, 11quarnatu) these He is found in all the clear streams and the Texa~ qucul ( Ortyx Te;,ran?.!.~). Of to as many "Bob White,?' and ranges from four ounces the Virginia quail, or comn1on larger in size. Even the Texas only. The Texas pounds, or even is found in Northern spring branches are usually stocked the same note a& 0. Virgint'anus, smallest quail has with this fine fish, if they have deep pools .and the only perceptible difference between abounds in so large or so here and there. The white perch them is that the former is not and most of the lakes as the latter. The Texas some of the streams, brilliantly marked ponds. The catfish is found in all the is found all over the State in vast num- and .quail waters, and is of three 9r four varieties, the lies "rell to the dog, anti is in all respects In the bers, and Channel or Blue Cat being the best. equal in ,qamy qualities both in the field fish is gamy, Ortyx Vir clear s~reams of West Texas this -Dn the table, to his twin brother an excellent fish for the 1\Iassena, and Gambel's strong, active and ginianus. The Blue, is not esteen1ed more highly, only the same range, viz.: between table. He quail have all because he is abundant. latitude 27° and 30°, and west of the 100th of the and The '' Buffalo" fish is the largest degree of longitude through to l\'lexico the State. It of is of a steel-blue numerous sucker family in New }fexico. 'The blue quail of twenty pounds and Virginia quail, very ten attains a weight ·Color, about the size of a good food fish, and found rarely lying to the dog. upwards. It is a strong and active, part of the State. It is especially in large flocks, and have a call simi- in every They go fond of sluggish waters. Its habits are very to that of the Guinea fowl. The lVIassena also a lar in similar to the European carp, which is .quail the writer has found very abundant along the rough l1.uds of sucker. Crockett county, family there are many varie- They lie well to the dog, in- Of the perch Devil's River. ties. deed too well. inhabits all of our or prairie-chicken The soft-shell turtle The prinnated grouse, of the Brazos. In the quality in all the prairies.north strea1ns west ( Tetrao cupido) is found he is equal to any turtle. 29° and east of 98° longitude, of his flesh of latitude coast or salt-water fishes, which furnish on Red River it i~ found as far west as The though opens fine sport and fine eating, are too numerous longitude 100°. In our climate the season the pompano, when the young to describe, but we may mention about the middle of July, the red-fish, the Spanish mack grown and quite strong on the the sheepshead, birds are well and sea bass as among the best. Oysters At this season a more toothsome del- erel -vving. common along the \V hole coast, and sell can hardly be found. are at icacy all alon o· the railroads, far in the interior, 1'wo varieties of snipe are wit.h us during (Scolopax auout o~e dollar per hundred. the winter. The com1non snipe CARP. red-breast or Ne'Y -y·ork GERllL\N Wz'lsonii) and the has been succfJss- The \Voodcock is This valuable food fish snipe (S. Novebo'l--ctcensz'~). imported from Germany into the "Cnited abundant in Texas, though found in the fully not States, and a supply has been furnished to our .eastern part of the State. in Texas. Those that have piper tribe we have fish com1nissioner Of the plover and sand Texas waters have grown \Vith which the principal are the been placed in many varieti.cs, of rapidity, showing that our lakes and (1'Tinga ba1--tramia), Golden (li?.tlrus amazing Tattler rivers are well adapted to the fish. The carp ·Charttdrius) B'nll-head, or Swiss plover\ (}hctr<-t- chickens, plover can be as easily cultivated as pigs or drz',us Helv;tica), Marlin, or mountain all the stream , we h~ve the and there is no reason why ( 0. ntontanras). Of the waders State should not be and all kinds of lakes and ponds of the greater and lesser Telltale, in a few years. have also the common long- stocked with them sandpipers. vVe PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. neeled curlew (1Yumini1ts longirost·ris), ":h.ich i::; found in imn1ense flocks on our prairies. are such is com1non The public institutions of Texas The wild-pigeon (G. Canadensis) find in a liberal, high· of the State. The as one might expect to .in the timbered regions benevolent community. Ample (Columba Carolinensis), is every- spirited amd Uarohna dove provision is made for the blind and the deaf '\vhere n1et with. the insane.. The former are taught not a game bird, one well worthy 1nutes and. Although remunerati.ve occupations, so ~hat they may description, and peculiar to Texas and houor .of (Geo- o·o abroad In the world occupytng the possibly D'Iexico is the ()'round cuc~oo citizens. ~he ~ known hy various ~ble positi?n of self-s~pporting cocy:C Mexican us), locall} recetve the services of the best medical names: "Carre-camino" (road runner), "P(li-llatter ,....--·-""-· - I TEXAR· HER RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES. 45 skill in aid of their restoration to reason. 1\.ll of practical benevolence which will commend these buildings are located at Austin. itself to evety philanthropist. The number By the tenus of the treaty of annexation of pupils at present residing in the institution between the United States and the Republic is about seventy. of Texas, ten n1illions of dollars were paid to All deaf mutes of the State between the the State of Texas. A large portion of this ages of ten and twenty years, of sound tnind, money was expended in the building of deaf good moral character, and free from contagious and dumb, blind and lunatic asylun1s, and disease, are entitled to admission. certain portions of the public domain were No charge is made for board, tuition, wash set apart for their support. As these lands ing, n1edicines, rnedical attendance, books, or are sold, the proceeds are invested in bonds stationery, all these expenses being paid by and become a permanent fund for their sup- the State. port. TEXA.S LUN !.TIC ASYJ.JUM. 'IHE BLIND ASYLUJI. The Lunatio Asylum is delightfully located, The Blind Asylum is located, as all the and has ample grounds for the exercise and asylums are, on an elevated site in the suburbs recreation of patients. These grounds are of Austin. The air is salubrious, the water elegantly laid out and beautified 'vith flowers excellent, the buildings commodious and and gro-vving plants. It was first opened March comfortable. Through the influence of Sen- 1, 1861. Fron1 that date until October 3, 1880, a tor (then Governor) Coke. the services of an there bad been 1,418 admissions; of these 636 oculist of great skill and national reputation 1 recovered-138 itnproved; remained unim- 1\-.ere secured for the institution; the result proved, 59; died and escaped, 216; remained, has been that several who "\Yere supposed Oct. 31, 1880, 369. doomed to perpetual darkness, now see. The A large farm attached to the institution sup present number of pupils is eighty-four; these plies an abundance of milk and vegetables. nre an being educated and instructed in such. Because of the increase of population the useful arts as they are capable of practising. buildings already in use have been over-crowd- Sotne of the male graduates are in the busi- ed, and the project of either enlarging those, ness of broom and brush making; others earn or building another asylu1n in some other !a independent livings a~ music teachers and cality, is under consideration. piano tuners. Among the lady grq,d uates are TEXAS PENITENTIARIES • .aceomplished musicians aJ?-d ~ressmakers. Texas is perhaps the first State to apply the SoJ?e of .the latter compete In skill an.d dex- just rule-that convicts are to be treated kincl tenty with those who are blessed "\\rith the ly-but they are not to be made public bene sense of sight, and reproduce, by the sense of ficiaries. As a very large proportion of crilne touch, fashions and styles of dress that they arises from a hatred of work Texas prescribes "\Vill never see. The institution is supplied hard work as the cure. Hbnest men are not Hberally with pianos, organs, brass and string taxed to feed rogues. The Texas peniten instrum~nts, sewing. machiJ?-eS, and all ot?er tiaries are n1ore than self-suvporting, the necessaries for the ~n~truction of the pupils. surplus being nearly $100,000 annually. The The annual expenditures are about $20,000. convicts are ·well feel, comfortably clothed, It may be mentioned in this connection as in- are tau~ht useful employ1nents, and are liber dicative of the forms taken in Texa~ by pri- ally dealt \Vith on discharge; but they are not vate benevolence, that H. 1\I ..Hoxie, Esq., petted as in son1e States, and they are made to general manager of the International & Great vvork. Divine wisdom prescribed labor as the Northern Railway, furnishes any and all the proper punishment for the first crime, and pupils of the blind and deaf mute .as~lums hun1an intellect ha::; not yet found a better. with free railroad passe ·, whenever It IS de- On his discilarge each prisoner receives a suit .sirable for them to Yisit their homes, which of clothing, $20 in cash, and transportation to they all do at least ouce a year. Dr. Frank the eounty from \Vhich he caine, or its equiva RRiney, in his circular to parents, says: "Pupils lent in n1oney. admitted at any time. Everything here is free The labor of the prisoner is let out to the .of charge-board, \Yashing, tuition, books, in- highest bidder. These can sublet the labor of :struments, doctors' bills, etc." such portion as they cannot employ. The THE TEXAS INSTITU'l'IO~ FOR THE DEA}' following figures, taken from the report dated .AND DUlllB. October 31, 1t80, will sho\v how convict The location of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum labor is made productive. 1s on one of the Austin hills, and affords nu- The convicts on hand are distribnted as n1 erous vie~~s of most charming landscape. follows, viz.: In prh:;on .. · .. · .... · · .. : · .. · .... · .. : · · · ·-• · · .. · .. · · · · • · · 3t2 Besides the usual instruction in• si~n.._ language,• . Engaged Inprop~r pr1son COJ?.Struct~on at Rusk ...... 256 ~nd the artS USUally taught In SUCh InStltU- On railroad const,ructwn trains...... _...... ·...... 159 . . , f 1 ff ·t h 1, , d In wood-cutting force::; on T~xas and Pacific railroad ...... 215 t lOllS, a most SUCCe:::;S U e 01 as ueen rna Q At Kelly'~ iron furnace, :Marwn county ...... 104 durin()' the last few years to instruct the deaf On plantations in different localities ...... 1033 0 • • l · · A l ~liscellaneous employment...... 39 .mutes In practica print111g. very arge Total ...... 2157 ])r()portion of the State printing is no'v pcr There is a regular, systematic inspection of f'onned by the pupil~. It.· acc~racy,. neatne~s :and even elegance atte:;t their skill. The all gangs hired out, and it i::; believed that the pupils now have the opportunity of acquiring convicts of Texas are better cared for than 'kill in an art that \Vlll al\vays afford then1 those of n1ost other States. The old peniten lucrHtive e1nploymtnt. This is an application tiary at I-Iuntsville having beco1ne in ufficent 46 TEXAS: IIER RESOURCES AND C.A.P ABILITIES. to accommodate the greatly incrertsing popu frozen to death in a very short time. In lation another has been constructed in Rusk, late '' Manual of Geography '' the children a Cheroi{ee county. That loention. 'vas ~elec.ted taught that '' rrexas is famous for its nor with a vie'v to utilize the labor of the convicts \Vinds. These con1e on aL tin1es so suddenl upon the iron rnines in the n0ighborhood. in winter, and are so cold and severe, tha rrhe Rnsk penitentiary has been con~tructed both n1an and beast have been known after the very best 1nociels. It contains 500 perish in thetn." cells intended each for t \VO pri~oner~. The Texas northers are sometitues undoubted] penitentiary at Huntsville, 'vbile upon an severe, sudden and violent, but by no mea older model, is an excellent institution. deserve their reputation for the severity of eold which accon1panies them; nor is CLIMATE, TEMPERATURE force of the \Yind ever sufficient to do an AND RAINF.ALL. darnage to trees, fences, or houses. THE area of Texas presents two distinct The people in Texas divide these wint climates 'vith an intermediate region, sharing stonns into '' wet northers " and ·'dry nort in a marked degree the peculiarities of both. ers." The ''wet northers" are those w hi These are bounded by J.ines or belts of longi bring rain or sleet, and usually last twelve o tude rather than of latitude, and are due fourteen hours. passing off with a moderat mainly to the influence of 1noisture derived north or northwest ,•,rind. 'fhese real I v d fron1 the Gulf of Mexico, which is our natural 1nore damage than the ''dry northers,'' fo reservoir. stock exposed to their influence become \V An examination of the reports of the Chief and suffer extremely from tne cold. Th Signal officer of the United States, will exhibit ''dry northers" are attended with pe a marked prevalence of E. S. E. and south pheno1nena, 'vitnessed now here else. winds, not only along the eoast of Texas, but For several hours preceding the most viol at interior points. These southerly and south of these ''dry northers,'' there is almost ad easterly winds, starting fron1 the boundary of cabn, and the air is unusually warm an the regular trades, blow t~rough a gr~at sultry. A !ew low, sluggish clouds dri portion of the year, almost w1th the regularity about in the edllying atmosphere. A d of the monsoon. They come from the Gulf, n1uddy-looking cloud-wave next appears, lo charged with vapor almost to saturation, down, all across the northern horizon, which 'vhich is gradually deposited as they proceed the "precautionary signal'' of the near app inland. West of the 100th degree of longitude of this strange Texas storm. A. few nlinut they either cease to blow \vith the same more and the terrible roaring of the nortbe regularity, or they have, in a great measure, is distinctly heard. All hands out of doo lost their hun1idity-for in the travel of such are now running to the house for shelte wind as passes fro1n south to north, along y..r here the logs are piled upon the an1pl n1eridians west of 97°, i.t is obvious they have hearth. ...~t the same time, the live stock o no opportunity to hnbibe humidity after their the prairies have turned tail and axe fleeing t passage over the Cordillera range of Mexico, the friendly shelter of bottom, bluff. or ravin whilch having an average elevation of All thjs and more, too; but be not alarm more than 10,000 feet, effectually rob the for there is no danger, the colts on the prairi passing clouds of their moisture. All winds, and the children in the yard are kicking u then, ascending from the level of the Pacific, their heels, sporting amid the pranks of even if saturated at starting, n1ust be very whistling wind. But the dark cloud-wave dry when they rettch the \v·est side of the n0w ov~r, and no rain, except it may be mountains. Hence the prevalence of drouth very slight mist, followed by a dry, blu in that region of Texas \Vest of the 100th n1isty haze, with the peculiar smell which degree of longitude. developed by a flash of lightning, though 'fhis delightful trade wind serves in Texas other ti1nes it reminds one of fine stra\v s1no the double purpose of conveying n1oisture and in its odor. It is highly probable that th of tempering a heat in summer that \vould turbidness and odor are due to the ozone otherwise be severe-the nearer the sea coast free by the high electric excitation in a d the cooler and n1ore brisk the current, but norther. the entire area of prairie and a large portion Let thi~ l>c as it n1ay, there is evidently, i of the timbered country feel its benign influ these dry '' bl ne northers," (as they are ealle ences. So that, what in 1nany other countries a state of high eleetritnl condition of the of this latitude \vouhl be termed "the hot rnosphere, \vhich produces a thrilling· sense season," is he1e not only tolerable, but often exlularation in nuu1 and beast. pleasant through uearly the entire ~un1n1er. 'I'he northers contin e \Yithout aha,tenw Sunstrokes are unkno·wn. and exercise, even frotn t"\venty-fGur to forty-eight honrs, a under the blazing sun, i~ rendered agreeable then gradually SUUSidc in fr0111 t\VelYe tO CiC' by the constant fanning of the '· s~..veet t,outh." teen hour~ n1ore. The cold 'vhich atte11 THE :SOHTHEUS OF TEXAS. thenl is variable. often not freezing at all, a It is understood by rnany person~ at a then again :.--inldng the mercury do"~n distance, that the 'I' ex as '' northers" are drt... ad t \Yenty or e\Ten lO\\rcr. In one in~tance, ful \Vinter storms, \Vhich con1e on so suddenly, A u~tin, t!1c ten1pera.tu re :an k to ·ix (1C 11't'C and arc so severe aud extretnely colcl, that abo·re zero, but this 'Yonlcl hardly oc(·ur t \Vi man and beast, caught ont on the open prai in n lifetin1e. ries, a few tniles fron1 shelter, are liable to be 'l'hese dry northers are considered, and TEXA.. : HER RESOURCES AND CAPABII.JJTJFiS. 47 ubt are, very healthy winds. They free and drouth our crops were a failure. From air of every n1iasn1atic influence, (if such that tilne until the present we have not had an t) and produce a delightful exhilclration, entire failure. Some years our crops were pting to rtctive n1usculur exertion in both l~ght and others very good. In 1872 I made u aucl ben t. s1xty bushels of corn per acre on land that ()on "Unlption never originates in the area of had been in corn fiftee:-1 years in succession, e norther, and per~ons alrencly afflicted \vith without. an r fertiliziug \V hat ever. In 187o I at disease are al \vnys benefitted, nnd often made but thirty bushels per acre; the dHier1 clicully cured, by leading a \Vilcl, roving, ence \vas O\ving .to the season. Our soil is en-air life, in the country ..where they are very rich-capable of producing one hundred O'-t preYalent. ~ushels per a?re: }f~r first experience in rais- R..\.INFALL. 1ng small gra1n 1n tins country was in 1874, As \Yill readily appear fron1 a consid~ra~ion \vhen I made seventy bushels of oats per acre. the fnets stated in that portion of this In 1878 n1y sons n1acle over oue thousand bush rtic1 e relating to the Clilnate of Texas, the els of oats on ten acres of land. Our soil is a 'nfall dccrenscs in extent as you progress 1 black loam, over four feet deep. The wheat est of the 97th meridian, for the renson as crop o_f my neighbor, ~Ir. James H. Coker, erein stated, that the prevailing \Vinds, for the years fron1 1873 to 1878 yielded from lJich ·are soutl1erly beyond that parallel, t\venty to twenty-two bushels per acre. He gathered one bale 0,v o\'·er a Yast extent of elevated arid planted cotton one year and untry in ::\iexico, and are thereby robbed of per acre, but discontinued the cultivation of 11:ir moisture. But the prevailing opinion cotton, preferring to raise grain. In 1872 the t Texas, even ns far \vest as the 100th late Mr. Albert Stowe, twelve miles northeast erit1ian, is subject to drouths that unfit it of San Antonio, told me that he made sixty or an agricultural country, is not borne out one bushels of corn to the acre. In 1876 the v the facts. A ~w years ago the new-comer corn ctop of n1y neighbor. 1\'Ir. Anton Horn, a~ told that it never rained "'WeElt of the averaged forty-seven lJushels per acre, and the lorado River, and that farming \vould not ?nly plowing it received was but t\VO fuiTows y "e~t of the Brazos. N O\V, all the counties 1n the row when the corn was knee high. The tween the Colorado and San Antonio are pre.sent year crops ~n n1a?y localities are light, eYoted to agriculture, and the .dry belt is ow1ng to t!1e hard fros~ In ~Iarcll and partial 1oved west of the latter place. It "vill s0on showers s1nce. .I behcv~ that farming pays :n·e to be 1noved farther Y\7 PSt. The Castro- !Jetter here tba~ 1n my nat1ve State, and during ille colony, on the ~I edina and Hondo, and a d~cade we w1ll n1ake as much grain per acre, 11e pioneer settlen1ent at D'Hanis, have been \Yhlch commands a better price here than anning for the last thirty years, and a more there. "W. J. LocKE." rosperous community it would b-e difficult to M;. Locke i~ but ~ne ?f the 1nany,. a?d he nd in Texas or anv where else. The north- adn11ts that his cultivation of the soll1s not estern portion of "'Atascosa county is largely nearly as thorough .as is necessary in Illinois. evoted to farming; the Germans in Kendall ~~e. em_ployment of manures for general fer- ud Gillespie counties are successful fanners t~hz1ng IS ~nknown, and there are lands near nd now comes the report of fine crops in San Anto~10 that have been under cultivation immit county, bordering on the Rio Grande. for .over lnO y_ears. West Texas has a great hese locatities are not specially f~vorecl as to var1ety of soils, from the heavy black-waxy il or rain, but the people have son1e knowl- land~, that are fairly greasy with richness, to ge of agriculture, and are wHling to expend t.he hgbt ~an~s, so easy of cultivation that a little manual labor in its pursuit. There is forked stick IS often made to do tlle duty of a obably not an equal extent of country in ~low . rrh~re are very fe~ farm.s ~n this sec . e United States to that of vVest Texas, that ~1o~ where unproved machinery Is 1n use, and, :;; so large a per cent. of tillable lanct., In fact! the .only one that co1nes to the mind of The reason \vhy farming has not been cnr- tbe "Tr~ter IS .t?e Cap?te farm, on th~ Guad~- 'ed on to a greater extent is that stock-raising, lupe ~1ver, fifteen nules below Segu1~1. Tlns n easier occupation, has paid so well hereto- farm IS uud.er the 1nanagement of MaJOr Alex. ore that few could be found that would fol- Moore, and 1s 2. marvel to all the country round. ow the more arduous life of a tiller of the soil; rfhis is only the second year under the present lmt for the last fev~'" years farming has been ~na~ag.ement, b~t the success of ~.ode~n farm ]argely on the increase. 1\'Iany tnen have fol- 1ng IS fully admitted by al.l "rho v1s1t th1s place, owed farming for years,and have made n1oney. and .the¥ are r_nany. MaJor Moore has und~r Appended is a letter from ~ir. W. J. Locke, culttvatton th1s year nearly 2, 000 acres. His hich explains itself and goes far to explode crops of oats, wheat, rye, barley and several the iclea that farming will not pay in West other cereals, and grasses and corn. have been 1'exas: fully up to his expectat-ions. He plo~·s deep and is corre~poud '~ OL!t:Os CREEK, BEXAR CouNTY, l and cultivat·es thoroughly, TEXAS, July 19, 1880. f inly rewarded. The Capote farm has been in '·In accordance \vith your request I gjve cultivation for n1any years, but heretofore has :you a few items with regard to farming in usually been an elephant on the hands of its West Texas. I am a native of Illinois, and O\vners. 'fhe failures in a series of fartnino telligeuce and industry that is necessary to RAINFALL IN 'f:EXAS DURING YEAR ENDING n1ake lJot h ends tnect in any of the Northern JUNE 00, 1880. Htates, n. n1an can \Vin fro1n the soil a conl Locality. Inches. petency in this. San Antonio. . • .. . • • . . . . . • • • . • • • . . . . . , .••. 38 33 Brownsville...... •• : • ...... •..••.... 27.37 Brackett ...... •••...... 26. 18· The recuperative powers in this country Coleman City ...... 39:38 are 1nost \VOnderful, and its power of endur Concho ...... 23.83 Deniso11 ...... ••.....••...... •••.... 50. 19 an.ce equally astonishing. The soil is so por Eagle Pa88 ...... ••..•••.... 25,43 ous that. once saturated \Vith a good rain in Corsicana .....•••.....•••.••...... •..••.. 48.53 the early spring, it will 1nature small grain. Fort Griffin...... • • ...... • ••. 37 96 Laredo.. . • ...... ••...... 20 88 One good rnin in May and June assures a corn MaBon ...... 2~.98 crop, and cotton will languish \Vlth litnp and Galveston . . • • ...... •••..... 67.47 shrivelled leaves for 1nonths, and, on a good Indianola. . . . .•...... •••.. 50.7'9 rain, 1nake a good crop. Son1etimcs there is AT OTHER POINTS IN THE UNITED STATES not a good frost to freeze ice for several years, D URING SA~IE PERIOD. and seltlon1 Inter than the 1st February, or Locality. Inches. earlier than the 1st J)t'cernlH~r. Many crops Breckenridge, Minnesota...... • ••. 18.37 Dul nth, :Minnesota...... ••..••..... 33.67 that are gro\vn in the K orthern States in the St. Paul, Minnesota ...... •••...... •.... 23.44 sun1mer gro\v best here in the winter. No Cincinnati, Ohio .•••...... ••. 38.16 hay need be put up for general stock cattle, ".Poledo, Ohio . . • • . . . . . • • . . • • • ...... 34.66 C 'eve}and, .Ohio ...... ••••... 37.13 ns there is always enough grazing for the1n the Sandnt:ky, Ohio ..••.....••...... 39.80 year round, and but little is needed for Vlork Davenport, Iowa ...... 33.86 stock; ::tnd, in fact, nulny of our so-called Du buq ne, Iowa ...... •..•••.... 37.05 far1ners feed nothing to Grand IIaven, :Michigan ...... 34.~9- their \Vork stock from Detroit• .l\1 icbigan ...... • ...... • . . . . . 36.71 one year's end to another, obliging it to hnnt Port II nron, :Michigan .••...... •••.....•••. 31.20 its O\vn living. Denver, Colorado ...... ••...... ••.... 12 81 Cheyenne. Wyoming...... •••.. 13.5() It is a V\rell-known fact, which has been de Salt Lake, Utah...... ••...•..•••.....•.. 18.3(} Omaha. Nebraska ...... 38.r8 monstrated in tlus and the north,vesteru States, North Platte, Nebraska...... •.. 28.77 that, as the country becomes settled, the ground LoR Angelos, Cal...... 21.26 broken up and trees gro\ving. the rainfall is Sacramento. Cal ...... ' ..•...••... 24.86 San Francbco. Cal. .••...... ••.••....35.18- more frequent and n1ore evenly distributed. San Diego, Cal ...... •..••.. 16.10 That has been especially the case in Kansas Philadelphia, Penn ...... 39.39 and this State. In 1866 little or no fanning Pittsburg. Penn...... 32 .53 New London, Conn ...... 36.14 was done west of the Neosho River, but now, Indianapolis, Ind ...... 36.38 some of the finest and most prosperous farm La Crosse, \Vjs.... .• • . . . . .•...... •..••. 33.29 ing comn1 unities in that State are located \Vest Albany, New York ...... 44.59 Chicago, Ill ...... • ...... 45.03 of that River, and the rainfall is becoming St. Louis, Mis~ouri...... 41.68 more regular every year. The same is true Buffalo, New York...... •.•••...... ••. 42.27 here. Thirty years ago that section of country Bismarck, Dakota...... 18.31 Dodge C1ty. l{ansas ...... • •. 24.87 bet~Teen the Colorado and San Antonio was Leavenworth. Kansas ...... ••••.... .41.W7 considered worthless for farming purposes, on Boise City, Idaho. . . . . • • • . • • ...... •••• 11.57 account ef the uncertainty of rain; now it is one of the 111ost prosperous By comparison you will see that the average in Texas. In this rainfall in Texas country particularly there has been a great is fully up to that of many change going of the great grain-growing States of the Union. on in regard to vegetation and There the relative humidity. Thirty years ago all were only seven points in the United that country lying between the Colorado and States " rbere the rainfall was greater than at San Antonio, and Galveston had 67.47 inches the Rio Grande V\7 as a bare, open prairie, like that of vV estern Kansas, and but little tilnlJer -the greatest of all the points na1ned. Be1o\v is a table giving the mean tempera was found skirting the streams; no\v the v-.T hole ture and rainfall face of the country is covered \\rith the rapid for each month of this year, up to the 14th of August, during \vhich there growing mesquite tree, \V hich not only fur is a heavy rain-storm in progres~: nishes fire\vood, but a n1ore durable fencing material than the red cedar, while the gro\vth of timber has great h~fiuence on the rainfall, :MoNTHS. HA1NF.ALL :MEAN making it 1nore .....copious and frequent. Thus L·cnEs. 'l'E.IH. nature, in its incon1prehensible econo1ny, is preparing the \vay for the increased popula January ...... 3.4S 62.4 tion that is destined for this country. February ...... 4 ()] 56 7 l\Tarch...... ~ -1~ 61.6 April...... 3 94 71 9 The following table of the rainfall in J\J ay...... 3 04 77 8 several of the principal points in this Statt~ June ...... 2 ~0 83 5 and the United States, will prove that Texas July ...... 0 30 8:3 0 'l'o Au~n8t 14 .. . is not the dry country that its enemies \YOn1d =l. 'i 8 have you believe, and it must be borne in ------mind, that the greater portion of the period 1'ota1...... 7o.n of time that this represents we wtre suffering from an almost unprecedented drouth, which Thus you will see that the rainfall for tb~ )asted till into fl'he early spring of 1880. first seven moDL... . s of this year has l>een great- TEXAS: HER RESOURCES AND C.A.PABlLITIE8. 1 er than the rainfall for a ""'hole year in eight sho-wer \Vas in August, 1860, when seven of the States quoted in the first table, and if inches fell in four hour~. he same rate continues to the eud of the year, Eighteen hundred and seventy-nine was he rainfall \Yill be oYer forty-eig-ht inches. probably the driest year ever kno,vn in Texas The. richness of So n1uch for the charge that Western Texas ~ I ~ 1C <::'.) C'l ~ 0) c co l:- C'l:l ~ :0 I ~ on .Z i! Ia::~~~~ ....: 1.":> ~ ~ 00 ~ ~ ~ I""'" is not suitable for an agricultural country, 00 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~co ~ i.... 0) drouths. It. is not d' ...-< ~ account of the excessive 0 1 c-1 ~~~ o ~ -.ioo~ ~O)o- co denied by any one, t.hat there is an ample rain- t ~10000~~~~~~~~~~ ~ 00 ~-1C~COOO"':t'1"'"'1"1:t'~~~ "':t' 1I~ fa1l nll over that portion of the State east of -o ~ • • 00 co 00 C') 1:- ~ co !{"; 00 00 lC 1C ll:- the meridian of .A.. ustin, and, as finally dis- ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~CO~lC CO 00 ~~~l:-l:-'=0 Y"1 lClC"':t' co po ing of this articlei \Ve append here1vith the S ~ 1-.::r • I O"'='l~O~O~~~t-"':t'~ I 0 following· tables. V\ e reQTet that the n1eans ~ ~ · ~"':t'~oco~~co~cot.... ~ I oo '-' 1:-' ~ are not at hand to bring both of these tables ~ ..=:: ~jco~~~~~ ·~ ·~~ ·,~ do,rn to date, but th .):r \Yill at least convjnce 8 ~ I 0: co i.- 00 ~ -..:to c ~ 0 0 ~ 0) I ~.- ~ I o: r: ~ ~ o ~ 1!:: a:: ex: t--: <:? ~ nnv one that Western Texa is not the ·'rain- ~ ~ :X) ~ ~~~~~C't l.Q~~ ...-< I~ le s~s region'' that some haYe pictured it. 8 '"2 • I C'l:l C't ~ lQ C'~ ~ ~ 1"'"'1 ~ 0 .c ~ I lQ 1.'1 .....:> "L ~~~~~lC~O~~oo~o:~~~...,..· ~ ~ ~~~~~~~lC~O ~ ~ ~ . UAIX AND TEl'UPERATURE. ~ ~ .- 1 ~ ....,....., of I YEARS. Inrhe~ Year~...... ?' • 0 . .,;+=' c..., Rain. -~.c~ ow ~~ HQ.) H 185~ ...... •••...... 20 00 1857-58 98 22 185 ... ' ...... ••..... 36.37 1858-59 101 10 1859 ...... 30.24 1859-60 107 18 1Soo ...... 29 61 1860-61 100 23 1 61 ...... -...... 29.69 1801-6~ 101 23 1852 ...... •••• 23.17 1862-63 99 17 186:3 ...... 33.85 1863-64 99 6 1864 ...... • ..••.. 25.16 1864-6) I 106 18 1865 ...... 38.40 1365-66 96 21 186.,u ..•••••...... 41.95 1866-61 9R 17 1867.• .. ...•••..••••. 27.19 1867-68 96 15 1&68 ...... 40 09 1868-69 97 19 ] 869 .....•.•. , : : : ~ : : : 38.54 1869-70 96 11 1870...... 41.2a 1870-11 JO~ 22 1871 ....•••••••..•••. 29.21 1871-72 9~ 15 ] ""'·) ( v •••• ...... 29 .81 ~872-73 96 13 1873 .....••••..•..•.. 44.94 187:3-74 104 38 ] & 10 74 .. ... •••••••• 48.79 1874-75 99 30.70 1875-76 ]113 28 39.96 1876-77 97 20 18"",-. ,..8 9ti 1~ 77 .. • •••••••••••• 0 42.12 It-t 23 1 '"'R' lJ .• •• . • . •.•••••••• 21.56 187 -79 100 16 J~;g . 0 ...... 18.34 1879-80 94 32 11.)80, ... ..•••...... 26.21 ...... I LENGTH OF SEASONS. Totn 1 for 2:3 ~·ears . .. I 774.83 There is no apprecia hle difference between A \' t·r~lge annnal rainfall. 33.69 inches. this country and the Southern States of the. :\OTE.-Ten1peratnre is for years beginning Angust 1. Union generally in the lengtl~ of seasons_ ..-\Yerage tt·mperatn e at Austin, the past twenty-three Spring con11nen~es ~bout the. nuddle of Feb years, has been 67 .84. ruary, and planting IS begun 1n February and RE~IARI\:8. l\Iarch. The \Yarm \Yeatber sets in about the· There has "Been a ~teady increase in the first of June, and continues till about the first annual rainfall at Auc;;tin. as is shown by of October. Scptetnber, October, Novetnber taking periods of five years. viz. : and December are the great "cotton-picking': Inches. Average annual fall 5 years, beginning August 1, '57 ..... 31.4.9 nlonths and it is hard to find more delightful " " ' .• .• .• '62 .... 32.1~ weathe; any,vhere in the world than an aver " ,, ,, " " '67 ..... 37.49 ,, " " " " :72 ..... 38.31 age November or Dece1nber day in Texas. The greatest amount of rain "Thich has The air is cool and balmy, and all nature fallen in anv one n1on th duriug above period "~ears a peculiar aspect of cahnness and rest~ of t\vcnty-three years, "\vas in Septetnber, "\Yhich is n1ost delightful to the senses. The 1874, inehes 13. 84. 'fhe greatest. in any one ad vent of 'vintry \veather rarely occurs before 50 TEX1\.S: HER RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES. the last week in December, but at no tin1e i~ Texas however, notably of Central and West~ it cold enough to discontinue work out of ern Texas, are as free from malarial influences doors. With the exception of an occasional a~ any part of the ·world. rainy day or "norther," the industrious farm Bilious and intermittent fevers, and fever er can find no reasonable excuse during the and H river and creek bottoms in the hot months entire year to keep his hands frorn the ' })lo,v," or some other useful in1plement. The but these can be easily avoided by proper pre- ?'e~ting tilne is "\V hen the corn and cotton are cautions, and the danger of them need not be laid by, the 'vheat, oats and other small grain encountered at all. · harvested, and the s'veet south breezes breath Consun1ption, that dreaded and fatal dis ing over a sea of grassy pru.irie, invite to a ease of northern climates, never originates in siesta and day dreams under the shadow of Texas, and many 'vho have come here pre the 'vide piazza. di po~ed to, or suffering 'vith incipient con 'Y..\ TER SUPPLY AND QUALITY. ditions of consumption, are entirely restored The 'vatercourses of Texas are numerous, to hev lth, and Jive out their natural lives. but 'v bile the principal streams are of great Diphtheria, another scourge of northern cli length, they are not navigable to any consid Inates, is, we beHeve, unknown in Texas. erable extent. But the supply of water for Winter and typhoiJ fevers are very rnre, all domestic and farm purposes is quite suffi and never prevail as epidemics, and the cases cient for .the wants of any incre&se of popula that do occasionally occur do not prove of the tion. In all the eastern, northern, middle and stubborn and protracted character that at southern portions of the State, good wells are tends them in the older States. Endemical obtainable at very n1oderate depths, and the diseases are few, and in general they are 0asily "YVtlter is 'vholeso1ne and pure. Springs and and quickly subdued. .rivulPts of bright, clear sparkling '\\.. ater are Yell~': fever has not prevailed, even in the especially noticeable in the cretaceous region coast Cities for many years, and it 1s believed "\Yest of the Brazos River. After passing the that the rigid systen1 of quarantine uovv 100th degree of longitude, going west, sur adopted will effectually exclude that disease face water becomes scarce, but even here a for all time to co1ne. good supply can be obtained by digging al MEDICAL OPINION. most any,vhere at moderate depths, and a The following extracts are made from a sufficiency for stock purposes is easily obtain paper read at the Ninth Annual Session of ed by constructing inexpensive "tanks" or the Texa~ State l\Iedical Association, by Dr. rese1;voirs to catch the winter rains. J. B. Robertson, one of the oldest and most Cistern water is used very extensi ,-ely in highly esteemed physicians of the State: the tovvns and cities of Western and Middle " That portion of West and South~'"est Texas, many persons preferring rain-water to Texas lying west of t.lle 98th meridian of lon the natural supply, which in the cretaceous gitude, and north of the 29th degree of lati Tegion is more or less impregnated with lime. tude, has an elevation above the se:l, begin Be~ides there is a common opinion that rain ning fifty n1iles south of San Antonio, of 500 \Yater is more healthy than any other kind. feet, and gradually rising, as the line is traced Thi~ may or may not be true, but certainly north, to 2, 000 feet. Thh; region is drained there are no healthier people in the world by the following rivers anrl their numerous than those inhabiting the rural districts of tribut~ries: Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe, San \V estern Texas, and these depend in the main Antonio, N ueces and Rio Grande, all of which upon the natural supply. find their outlets jnto the Gulf of ~Iexico. '['he rapidly decreasing elevation of the coun HEALTHFULNESS. try through which these streams pass in their It may be safely said that the people of no course to the sea. secures to the section named .country enjoy a higher standard of general t~'le most perfect and thorough drainage. In .health than Texas. We have not at hand any addition to this fact, this vast area of terri reliable vital statistics, but the United States tory is entirely free from ponds, n1arshes, census for 1880 will soon bg accessible, and lakes or stagnant bodies of water, to disturb, that may be consulted in verification of the with their contaminating effluvia, the pu.rity .above statement. of the atmosphere. Here are also found the It is true that in the timbered portions of principal mountain ranges, of \Vhich the _Eastern and Southeastern ':rexas, along the Guadalupe is the largest and has the greatest river bottoms, malarial diseases of a mild type elevation. These mountains, with their inter are sometimes prevale~t in the latter part of vening valleys and plains, with their springs the sun1mer, and these are very distressing to of pure and limpid water, 'vhich for beaNty persons from a northern clitnate, especially the and picturesqueness, are rarely equalled and :hrst season; but these complaints yield readi never surpassed, are beginning to attract the ly to treatment, and they can be altogether attention of the professional man in search of avoirlPd by the judicious selection of a living a locality for the climatic treatment of dis locality unexposed to miasmatic influences. eases of the respiratory organs, especially The house of the immigrant should never bB phthisis. l~cated in a bottom, but on a hill, and if pos ·' It IS a source of much re.gret that I have sible, with any creek or river on the north not been able to get satisfactory reports of the side, as the prevailing winds in summer here ran~e of the thermometer and the barometer, .are from the south. The greater portions of w1th the humidity of the atrnosphere. I am TEX.A.S: HER IiESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES. . 51 -only- able to give tlte mean temperature for exercise in the open air, and the game with tlle seasons a nd year (means obtained from which they satisfy it. All physicians advise -.ix vears' observation at San Antonio ending invalids coming to Texas to take plenty of ;itii the year 1875, '\vhich is, Spring, 69.94°; out-door exercise. No evil consequences ummer, 85. 56°; .A.utumn, 68.95°; Winter, result from . leeping in the open air. The 52.94°: for the year, l18.85°. ~he mean aver more the invalid can live out of doors the aQ'e rainfall for the s an1e period. was 36.90 better the chance for his recovery. h'l ·hes. For thea~ figures I am Indebted to Dr. Fred. P eter on, of Snn Antonio. ADVICE TO IMMIGRANTS. ·' The pre s ure of vapor, its weight, the ah- ~ia:ny immigrants go astray, and suffer solute humidity, have, as far as I kno'Y · never much loss and many disheartening experiencs, l1een n1easured. but the observations of daily' for the want of intelligent thought and pru life, by all '\Yho have lived in .any part o~ this dent foresight, before starting out. section or trav-elled through It, concur 1n at- testing' the astonishing rapidity With which WHO SHOULD GO TO TEXAS. the roads dry after a fall of rain, and the per- 1· Those \Vho wish to engage in agricultu- fect preservation of meats for days, hanging ral pursuits. in t he open air, indicating unmistakably a 2· Those who wish to engage in manufac- ::: mall amount of moisture suspended in the air. turing enterprises. " That eminent English author. Dr. ,James . 3. Those who wish to engage in stock-rais- Henry Bennett, in the second edition of his Ing. raluable \York on the ' Treatment of Pulmon- 4. Those who seek a field for the profitable arv Consurnption by Hygiene, Clilnate and inv~stn1~nt of capital. . . \Iedicine. in its ~onnection \vith )fodern Doc- L nd~r the firs.t heading are Included those t rine~,., after demonstrating the error of send- "~ho ~.Ish to hire out as fartn hands, th?se lnQ' consumptive patients to all the points, I '\\ ho "Ish to rent lands, and those who WISh both in Europe and An1erica, that have been to become o~ners of farms. f'he deina~d for ::-elected, nnd are now being used for the eli- fa:Jn hands IS great, and the .wage~ paid ar~ mntic treatlnent of consu...,n1ption, concludes farr. For~ yo~n~ man wh? IS entirely desti t_Ims: ' We are always, ~ oweYe~, at a loss to · iu~e of capital,. It IS a ~ood 1~e! to wo:k on. a nncl a cool sununer res1dence 1n the States, arm for one ) e~r. B} so clo1n~, he w1ll ga1n where the n1ini n1um in JulY and }Lugust would a va~~a bl~ e~per1e~ce and make some mon~y, be l)Ct\Yeen 50° and 60° Fahr., and the n1axi- and If he l S Industriou.s and "\Vortby, can easily murn bet\Yeen 60° and 70°. I wish, therefor~ , rent or ~uy land ~or hin1self for t?e ~ext year. my ~\..1nerican colleagues 'vould try to find out The di~eren~e In favor of ~etthng In ~exa s, ,'ome such locality in their n1ountain ranges as c~nlpared \VIth the older :States, cons1~ts 1n nt an acce~sibl e distanee fron1 New York.' the ~ac~ that. the PC?Or man can .su?ceed In es- uWhile the range of the thermometer in the tabhshin~ lnmself In a home of lns O'Vll here Hgion here treated of, as far as record has more easily than. elsewhere. 12en kept . is higher than that indicated by WHEN TO GO TO TEXAS. this experienced author, the known dryness Going early in the year \\.. ill give the immi- C': the air, together " .,.ith the cool and refresh- grant time to look about and locate himself iilg breeze, which is universally prevalent, advantageously, to buy or rent land, and in may more than compensate the consumptive case of purchase, to clear and fence his land, patient f or the difference in the range of the build his house, break his laQd, and be in readi lhermometer. The beneficial effects of the ness to plant in time to make a crop. Ar elimate, in the area treated of, is not simply a rangements for renting land are usually made mntter of opinion on the part of the writer in December, and renters generally take pos on p urely theoretical grounds. During a session of their land by or before Christmas, practice of over thirty years in Central Texas, but lands can be rented as late as April. lle has seen many patients sent there with Immigrants from theNorthern States should c:learly marked indications of consumption, not forget that they are going South, not and at a time in the history of the country West, and that the climate and seasons for when such patients had to rely almost entirely sowing and reaping are much sooner than upon the climate for the benefit they received. they have been accustomed to, therefore they I ~ all cases the change gave marked relief, should start in the late summer or early With, he believes, a, prolongation of life for autumn. The preparation of lands for seed years \\rith some, and a perfect cure with ing of wheat, and the harvesting the cotton ethers.'' crop always causes an active demand for Those invalids coming to Texas, who have labor, when immigrants can obtain immediate ~u ffi c i en t vitality to endure an active life, employment at remunerative prices, and at :vould do well to prepare themselves for camp- the same time secure suitable etnployment for mg out, r rovide ample means for fishing and the coming year. The best places are most ~hooting, and start for the rarer ana drier frequently engaged in the fall, both in the atmo phere of the mountainous regions of renting of lands or as laborers. So great, \Ye ., tern Tex~s. however, is the demand for good and reliable ~ r o those \vho have a taste for these sports labor, there is no season "\vhen employment h1g .'vill be very pleasant; and for invalids cannot be obtained. not11ng js more condtlcive to their health and The constant development in all depart goal! digestion, than. the appetite born of tnents of life "~hich are. going on in the State, 52 TEXJ.t\.8: HER RESOURCES AND C.A.PABILITlES. assures the patient and industrious immigrant to travel with ease and con1fort 1nany hundred a certainty of remunerat-ive employment, ex- miles; bring with them as much of the hon1e tending the season for immigration to the stock, including the work horses and mules, ,vhole year. as they see proper; purchase on the way "".HERE TO GO IN TEXAS. forage and subsistence at a very ~mall outlay in money, and by this course can reach their This is a question each immigrant will de- new home with these ready for use. If they cide for himself. The pursuit he chooses to have, after getting here, a surplus horse. follow and his individual taste, will direct mule, wagon, carriagev or ambulance, jt can him to select that place for a home which readily be sold in any neighborhood for a fair offers the best prospects of success, and would price. A pair of horses or mules will bring be most agreeable to himself and family. It , 1 f · · k · I·~ best to.__ seek information from reliable and a years supp Y 0 provisions, or rna e an Im v riortq.nt payment on a tract of land. should trust,vorthy sources, by specific inquiries in they conclude to buy. Brood mares and colts, relation to the business in "\Vhich you propose as well as half or full bred cattle, command a. to engage. The Southwestern Immigration good price in all parts of Texas. While this Company has no other interest to serve than would be a slow way to travel, its advantages to people the country, by exhibiti~g its :e- over that of con1ing quicker by rail, after sources and advantages, and will be Impartial arrival of the family here, would be in having as to localities. It will advocate no special the necessary stock for farming or other pur se~ti?nsd, but fits B:~hents will be instructed and poses, as required, instead of having them to enJOine . to urn1~ truthful ~nfo~mation of purchase. all locations of which they are Inquired. Hav- RENTING LANDS. ing obtained correct information from them, I There is a laro-e amount of land for rent and such othe~ sources as. are at command, each year on the most favorable terms. pr.oper and suit!lble selections can be made Where the landlord furnishes the land and without much drfficulty. improvements only, and the tenant the team, HOW. TO GO .To TEXAS. • . tools and provisions, the landlord receives This wil1 be determined from the Imm1- from one-fourth to one-third of the crop, and grant's location and circumstances. Rates of the tenant has the remainder. \Vhere the land passage over the routes of travel vary so fre- lord furnishes everything necessary to the quP-ntly, that .a list of rates given .now would making of the crop, except the pro':isions for be incorrect In a few weeks. Th1s company the family of the tenant, the crop IS usually contemplates making arrangements, an~ the divided equally between the parties. The work is now under pro~ress, of perfectu~g a two systems of leasing offer ~ndustri~us poor system of rates over the Important trunk l!nes men, and especially those :v~th considerable of railroads and water routes, both by river families golden opportunities to become and ocean, which it hopes will be uniform independent and the owners of farms at an and cheap. An effort W:ill be made t? estab- early day. Thousands of men in Texas, who lish low rates from all Important points on are to-day independent and the owners of raHroads in the lJnited States, and from the fine farms made the first step towards sue principal shipping cities of Great Britain and cess by rex{ting land in the 1nanner described, Continental Europe ~ire~tly to the Southwest. and many of .them pur~hased farms with th.e For the present, the np.migrant can learn f_rom profits of a single year s lease. Of course It 1he nearest station-agent, the rates to an~ given is more profitable for a man to b~y land point in Texas as now charged. It IS also and improve and work his own farm, If he bas contemplated to make arrangements for the the means to do so, but for those who are desti transportation of the. ho1~sehold effects, tools, tute of capital, and are posses.sed of industry and implements of Jmmigrants at the lowest and some knowledge of farm1ng, the system class freight rates. ~s to .routes of travel, t~e of renting land for a share of the crop cannot Southwestern Irnm1~rat1on. Comp~ny Will be too highly recommended. trive to be "\\~holly Impartial, see~1ng at all When the im1nigrant has got to Texas, he times to secure the most accomodating terms will, of course, first seek to erect a shelter for for the immigrants. himself and family. The climate is such that In advising immigrants how to ~orne t.o a very cheap structure will be found perfectly Texas, the plan of coming by la~d, with the1r comfortable, until tilne and me.ans afford the wagons, teams, and som~ of their best ~tock, opportunity for greater convenience and ele is recommended for their careful ?on~1dera- gance. tion. It is true, as a rule, that a family 1n sell- THE COST OF MAKING A. HOliESTEA.D. ing off everything, preparatory to moving to We assume, as an average, that the immi- a new country by rail or water transpo~ta- o-rant's family consists of hin1self, "\Vife, and tion sacrifices much in the low rate at w h1ch three children two of "\Vhonl are oYer 11 vc the property sells. This is esp~cially true of years of age, ~nd one und~r; and that .the horses and cattle, both of which they must railroad fare is $32, and while to some pc1n ts have in their new home. . it is less than this, to others it is more. This The autumns in Texas, from September to would call for- December, are generally mild and pleas~nt, Three tickets .at ~32...... $96 oo nnd a family properly equipped f~r travell~ng Lunches and 1nc1dentals...... 25 00 with wagon, ambulance, or carriage, wh1ch Total cost of taking a ffin1ily of two can be purchased at slight cost, will be enabled adults and three children toTexas .. $121 00 TEXAS: HER RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES. 53 HousE.-Cost of constructing a house of two Texas :flo.ur sells at $3.00 to $4.50 per hundred pounds, according to grade. rooms and shed: Sweet potatoes, 30 to 50 cents; in winter and spring 50 Lumber ...... •...... ••...... $100 00 cents to $1.00 per bushel. ' Nails ...... • . •• • • ...... • • • . . . 5 00 Irish potatoes .....•••...... 75 cts. to $1.50 per bushel. Sash . . . . . • • • ...... • ...... • • 10 oo Pork ...... 3 to 6 cts. per pound. :Doors ...... • • • • . . . . • • • • ...... 6 00 Lard ..•...••.....••...... •••.. 9 to 12~ cts. •• Extra labor.. • ...... • • . • • • • • • • • • . . . 50 00 Butter ...... 15 to 80 cts. " Stock Hogs.. . . .•...... : ....•.•.••. $1.50 to $3.00 each. Total cost of house...... $171 00 Sheep...... 2.00 to $3.00 " Oxen .. :. . . : ...... $40.00 to $50.00 per yoke. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS: Fa:~1ng Implements and machinery, groceries and Plough...... • ...... $10 00 proVIsions, are as cheap as in any Southern State. Hoes and other implements...... 10 00 ~n dry goods there is but very little variation from the prices in Northern cities. Total cost of implements ...... $20 00 Brick delivered, $6.00 to $10.00 per 1,000 . LUMBER.-CAR LOAD RATE8 AT THE MILLS, .ANL'-IALS, ETC. : ON CARS. One yoke of oxen ...... $40 00 DELIVERED One horse ...... ••....•••.. . . 25 00 Boxing, all lengths and breadths $ 8.00 to $10.00 per M. Saddle, etc . . . . . • • ...... ••..••• .... 10 00 Fencing. 6 inch, 16 feet . . . . . • . . 8.00 to 10.00 •' Six chickens ...... •.•...... 1 25 Framing, special order...... 10.00 to 12 00 " Pair of swine...... •. 5 00 La~hing and rough edge...... 6.00 to s:oo " 12 00 Shingles, cypres5...... 4.00 '~ One cow ...... ••...... ••...... " pine ...... 3.00 to 3.50 " NoTE.-West of Brazos River there is no pine timber Total cost of aniinals ...... • • • . $93 25 from $16.00 to $19.00 per ' FENCING, say 40 acres...... • . . $200 00 and lun1ber sells there at ~1. PROVISIONS, for one year...... $150 00 WHAT CAN AN IMMIGRANT RECAPITULATION, showing the cost of moving to Texas, establishing a homestead there, DO IN TEXAS? and living until the first year's crop is made: This is the first question that he will ask Passage.. • • ...... • . • • . . • • . • • . . • • . $121 00 when contemplating removal from one coun Building house...... 171 00 try to another. Texas, and especially West Agricultural implements...... 20 00 Animals...... • • • ...... 93 25 Texas, is as yet in its infancy, as far as devel Fencing...... • ...... • . • . . . . 200 00 opment of its natural resources is concerned. Provisions for one year...... 150 00 Although many sections of it have been Total cost...... • • . . . . . • • • . . • • • . . $755 25 inhabited by the Spaniards and their descend Of course, a man with pluck and energy can ants for nearly two hundred years, and the but this, Americans for some forty or more years, there r.ltart life in Texas on a smaller sum, but little done to develop 1ts natural with ordinary prudence and industry, will has been resources. make success cert~in. that It is estimated that Texas, as a whole, is This calculation is on the supposition capable of supporting a population equally ~he chosen location is on the prairie. Of course empire, which, his dense as that of the German in the timber, ""'here the immigrant cuts according to our area, would be over 35,000,- •{}"Wll the logs .and buys no lumber for fencing, 000 people. We have not yet 2,000,000, and ~xpenditure is much less. of ready money Western Texas, in area greater than that of GENERAL INFORMATION, England, Scotland, Ireland, and several little INTERESTING TO ALL WHO MAY THINK kingdoms thrown in for good measure, has OF GOING TO TEXAS OR BUYING yet less than 250,000 people, cities and all. LANDS THERE. If an immigrant can make a bare living in WAGES AVERAGE ABOUT AS FOLLOWS : the North, where it is winter from four to seven months, and where the cost of fuel j3lacksmiths, per day ...... $2 00 to $3 00 .Bricklayers, '' • . . • ...... • ...... 2 00 to 3 00 would feed him in this section, can he not make Stone 11asons, " ...... • • . . . 2 00 to 3 00 a little better than a living here, where there Carpenters, ~' ...... • ...... 2 00 to 3 00 is no winter, and it takes much less clothing Plasterer~, '~ ...... 2 00 to 3 00 Painters, ~' • • • • . . . • ...... 2 00 to 3 00 and food, and allows a man more " .. orking ~hoemakers , '~ . . . . . • • . . • • • . . • • . . . . 2 00 to 3 00 days than in the North? The advice of one Printers. H • • • • • • • • • • • .. • • • • • • 2 00 to 3 00 who has been in almost severy county and \Y agon Makers, '' . . . • • • • ...... 2 00 to 3 00 1'a.ilors, '' ...... • • . . . 2 00 to 3 00 town of West Texas is :-If you want to work Harness Ylakers, '' ...••..••...... • ~ 2 00 to 3 00 this is the place for you to come; but if you Farm Hands, per month, wrth board.. . . 10 00 to 15 00 wish to make your living by your wits, you Laborers in town, finding themselves, per aay...... • ...... • • • 1 00 to 1 25 had better stay where they can be better appre Laborers at saw mills, per month ..••.... 20 00 to 35 00 ciated. PRICES OF STOCK, TOOLS, PROVISIONS, ETC. There never was a country where labor is :Spanish ponies, broken and unbroken, better remunerated, taking in the cost of 8ell at...... $10 00 to S 30 00 living, than in '"\Vest Texas. For illustration, Good,largeAmerican hor~es are worth. 75 00 to 100 00 we take a carpenter " .. ho is master of hi5 Mules, well broken .••...... •••.. _ 75 00 to 125 00 $2.50 to $3.50 per day. Beef cattle, 3 to 5 years old, sell at.. . . 15 00 to 20 00 trade; he gets from Fat cows, for beef.. • ...... • • 15 00 to 18 00 There are very few days in a year that he Milch cow and calf (young)...... 12 00 to 20 00 cannot work in and out of doors, without fire •Choice beef is had in most Texas mar- or shelter; his house-rent costs him from $8 kets at...... • ...... • • • . . 4 to 8 cents per pound. ·Good clear bacon sides ...... 9 to 15 " " to $12 per month, and his fuel not more than A vera ge price for corn, about ...... 40 cents per bushel. $20 per year; his clothing ·and that of his H H oats, " . . . . . 30 ·' '' family fifty per cent. less than it does North; \Yheat sells according to quality, locality and facility for shipping, at 75 cents to $1.15 per bushel. and if he is sober he can not only n1ake a 54 TEXAS: HER RESOUT' 1 JJS .A.ND CAPABILITIES. ------good living, but. lay son1ething aside for the forces, may be comprehended the ·whole body hour of si(!knes~ and old age. of the material sphere, but> as the hon1e or At the present. thne there is great need for cradle of n1an and the scene of human efforts~. far1n labor, anu a large amount of cotton will the lin1it must be circumscribed by the bonn go to wa te if labor cannot be had from (}aries of those portions that offer to the human abroad. Farm labor is always in demand, fa1nily, by reason of natural resources, soil, and land can al,vays be ·had ~or rent, either climate, at1nosphere, vegetable and anilnallife, on shares or money rent at very reasonable the lJest opportunities for rapid and continual Tates. .:\..s yet there is more land than labor advancement in power, in wealth, 'in civiliza in this country. You will be told, and by tion, In a ceRseless development of his po,ver ruen here_, that this is no place for a poor man, of thought. ~ian by his very nature turns and the very men 'Who tell you so, and who away from. the glistening icebergs, the chilling are now the possessors of thousands of dollars blasts and rigorous seasons of a polar zone, in lands and stock, came to this country so where two-thirds of his life must be spent • poor that they were glad to accept a dry cruRt within the narrow limits of closely-built walls, from the table of a poor 1\iexican peon (slave). and sustained by artificial means. He does They were men of stern stuff, and stayed. not care to dwell under the burning rays of a ·Are .. you not equally brave in facing fickle tropical sun, and however rich the soil or fortune and winning from her a fortune and a exuberant the vegetation, he will not make poRition in society? Gold lies not loose upon his home where disease-engendering malaria the ground, but we have a rich soil that will is the burden of every breeze, where listless. produce abundant crops with less labor than torpidity seizes upon all his intellectual pow any other portion of the Union. We have ers. Nor will he rest upon the barren sands. fine natural grapes; we have a climate the of a Sahara, though its sunlight be the bright equal, if not the superior, to any in the world; est, its atmosphere the purest. None of these \Ve have a n1arket for all the produce that can portions of the globe offer a home to tbe be raised, and we have a hearty welcome for Caucasian. But vvithin the confines of th1s. all who wish to make this their home, and great State of Texas) with its incomparable become one of us; then, why ask what will an climate and soil, adapted to the production of ilnmigrant find to do in this country? If he everything den1anded by the necessities of the wishes to work he need not be idle a day. hu1nan race, with its 1nountains and hill ~, lf he is a la1vyer he had b~tter stay a~ay, we I ready to .Yield ~1~t~ld \Yeal~h to th_e industry have too many already; If a doctor, ne had of the 1n1ner~ \VItn 1ts streams and rrvers offer hetter go to a coun~ry where people get sick, ing hiln food and easy transportation to an. this is too healthy, and we have to import extensive coast, with its valleys and almost invalids to keep alive the milk of human boundless prairies of unsUI]Jassed fertility and kindness; but if he is a mechanic, a farmer, beauty, the very inspiration of health and or any other man with manual labor as his energy-have we not all that any country can stock-in-trade, this is the place for him-his J offer as a home to the human family? commodity is in demand and will bring a There are in Texas no glistening icebergs,. fair price. nor dreary winters holding the earth for TEXAS A WORKSHOP R months in their icy embrace-no season of FO cold and inclement weather, during which the; MAN. farmer must consu1ne in feeding and shelter From the overcrowded mills of New Eng- ing his perishing anin1als, all that food and all ]and; fron1 the sturdy tillers of high-priced that profit for w hirh he bas toiled under 1he ·western lands; from the dark and dreary burning suns of July and August. The eli mines of Pennsylvania; from the farmers, mate of Texas is jndeed jncon1parable. There· rr1echanics, n1iners and artioons of this coun- is no extre1ne of cold to freeze and consume, try, and from the overworked and poorly feel nor of heat to enervate and destroy. The millions of the old world, the cry is daily re- glorious configuration of her surface tempers. peated, "Where can we find relief? What the rigors of a northern winter, and the scorch country offers us a home with better oppor- ing heat of a torrid surnmer to a variety of tunities for an independent living?" This weather conducive to health and vigor. Her· question, so pertinent and full of feeling, was so1l is rich and fruitful, repaying the husband ans,vered by the Ron. Wm. W. Lang, in his man for his toil with great liberality in a series eloquent oration before the .A.gricultural and I of crops whose diversity is without a parallel: Mechanical College of Texas. and in this diversity there is a security, an in · An eminent writer has said, "The earth is surance, so to speak, which no other portion the ground floor, so to speak, of nature; the of the world can offer. For if the falling home, or rather the cradle of man and of na- rains hurt the wheat harvest, they also give tions-the dwelling place of our race. It is vigor and growth to the young cotton plant. not merely a region of immense space-a vast That which injures one crop, but makes the· superficies; it is the theatre where all the other more fruitful. Nature's great law of forces of nature and. the la\VS of nature are compensation is exemplified. The diversified displayed in their variety and independencies. landscape contains valleys fit for a world's,. Besides this, it is the field of all human eff0rt, granary, and mountains like those of which and the scene of a divine revelation !" In the the prophet spoke when he said, ' ' Out of view that it is the great workshop of nature, whose hills thou may est dig brass." Hidden. and the home of all natural elements and beneath the fruitful soil J.S untold mineral • T .EX-\.8: HER REROlJRCES AND CAP .AB1LIT1E~. 5G ------~------wealth. The husbandman and miner alike it was grown on 53,08t>.401 acres. Tf \Ve take left after producing all b•1re their reward. Turn ·where we may up- this fro1n the acreage 0~ the bro.ad dotnuin of T e xa~. \ve !J~d the the cotton and aU the wheat of the country, clements of wealth and prosperi·ty waiting the we shall have left 77,361,030 acres- so that band of industry to subdue and apply them to Texas could produce all the cotton, aU the the uses of man. Tbe means of co1nfort and wheat, and all the corn, tbe principal articles competency are to b~ found ev~rywhere. I~ of bread and rain1ent nsecl in the United States, dnstry 1V}llnever fall to place Its possessor In and have more than 77 ,000.000 acres of htncl the honorable position of an independent and left. · elf-supporting 1na1t hood. "'\Vben the resources But little more than half the area of Texas ~f Texas and her rapid increase in population woulcf produce all the cotton, wheat and corn are ~et before the thoughtful n1ind, an answer of the United States, while that which re i.:: sornetimes returned, that '' this is all well main:; has timber to an incalculable amount, f~r the present generation, but that the next and pastoral ranges upon \Vhich millions of or at most the next following that, vvill find sheep could feed, and wool enougli be pro itself. suffering from the same evils of ex duced for a nation's clothing. Beneath the hausted soil and over-crowded territory that soil lies hid coal, iron, cop-per, and other oppress so many of the present generation." minerals, enough to supply the whole United There are n1any fartners in the Eastern States States. Should there be a famine in all the pouring expensive fertilizers upon exhaustive rest of the country, Texas could take upon lands that their grandfathers bought because herself the task of supplying the whole United of their great productiveness, in the hope that States \Vith bread and corn for food, and cot they ·would descend in undin1inished vigor to ton and wool for raiment. their seed forever. The fathers \\rho in early But we may take a step farther, and we life emigrated to the prairies of Indiana and shaH see that tbe world's consumption of cot Illinois, no\Y fi nd cant opportunity for their ton is about 12,000,000 bales, and that Texas .ons among the high-priced lands of those has the capacity to produce ten times as much States. 1\'Iay not they ask, and vvise]y ask, cotton as the whole world con~umes. ''Will not the san1e result follow the spring Competent statisticians state that the a1nount lide of hnmigratio:1 which is no\v flowing over of land used in growing the nine principal Texas ?" '\V e t hink not. For Texas, situated crops of the United States, cotton, wheat, ,ts she is, 80 to speak, at the foot of the North corn, oats, barley, hay, rye, potatoes. and American continent, is e nriched with the buckwheat, is 223,763 square miles- so that washings of countless ages until her soil has Texas has land enough to raise all the nitle a depth to which no other soil nn the con1i principal crops of the United States, and ha \ ' e llent extends. But the size of Texas precludes a garden plot of 50,000 square miles to spare. :tll fear of her b eing crowded for generations These simple calculations indicate the part ~·et to come. The mere mention of square which Texas is destined to take in the \vorld 's miles by the hu~Jdrecl thousand, and of acres production. Her soil, enriched as \Ve have hy the hundred million. conveys but little idea seen, by the washings of a con_tinent, cannot uf the magnitude of Texas, and her capacity be exhausted, Y~tT hile generations must elapse for affording homes and profitable employ before her boundless territory can be even ment to millions of people. On page five of moderately filled with people. 'Vithin her this pamphlet, an effort was made to realize boundaries almost every production required the vastness of Texas, by a comparison with for the use of man can be grown, The min other States and other countries. We will eral resources of the State are boundless in endeavor to m ak e some comparison between extent and wonderful in richness. All that her capacity to produce and the world's con tends to the comfort and happiness of man sumption. kind, is found in abundance within her borders. For the cotton year ending Septen1ber. A country with so many capabilities and 1879, the cotton erop of Texas was 951,093 such a variety of resources, will always afford bales, and it \Vas produced on 1,808,386 acres a great multiplicity of occupations. No mili or 2,~25 square miles of land, being a little tary servitude, taking the best years of youth }(>S than the o ne-ninety-seventh part of the ful vigor and early 1nanhood for the service entire area of the State. of the State is exacted here, as is done in so . The entire cotton crop of the United States many countries on the other side of the broad for the same year was 5,020,387 bales; it was Atlantic. The government is managed on the producecl on 12,595,510 acres of land. If we economical principles of "pay as you go," ana !leduet. this from the entire area of Texas we the State this year calls for no more than for "~all find that Texas after producing th~ en ty-five cents qn the hundred dollars, while the tire cotton crop of the United States, would county levy is but half that amount. Sixty have 162,992,330 acres left. seven cents on the hundred dollars, all told, The wheat crop of the United States was will surely satisfy the most clamorous advo 448,755, 118 bushels, and it was produced on cate of cheap government. B2,545,899 acres. If we assume that Texas These are a few of the 1nanifold attraction~ has produced all this wheat, besides the cot and advantages which makes "Texas th ~ ton of the "\vhole country, we shall have 130, home and cradle of man," affording such •l4G,431 acres left. splendid opportunities for rapid and continual . The amount of corn produced in the whole advancement in po"rer, in 'Yenlth, in civiliza United States was 1~ 544 , 899 , 193 bushels, and tion, in a ceaseless deve1oprnent of the po,ver 56 TEXAS: HER RESOURCES AND C.A.PABILITIES. of thought, and \'Vhich to the peoples of all go to make up an agrieultural 'State. Your ect· climes and all nations, she offers in the lan tain rainfall, timber and coni are all in all to a guage of the eloquent speaker before quoted, new State. Strange as it may appeat-, the A~ri saying: ''Con1e, take your places in the front cult nr!ll J?epartm~nt Report for 1~78, places \Vho, inspired by the heroic tra Nebraska 1n the front rank as n. corn-producin Texas the fnrmers were ploughing their lauds of great lines of railway, as Texas. The eyes and planting their seeds; and tbeir flocl-.s were of the financial \VOrld are turned upon her, making a good l1viug upon the wild grasses of the and schetnes of gigantic magnitude are lJeiug prajrie . At thlb wridng tlle crops are planted, COllSUJnmated within her borders. \Vhat is aud all ftlrming operations are titr u d vanced popularly kno \Vn as the ''Gould Combina althou~h this has beeu tue S•.!vertst winter kuo,vn t~on," now controls the l\Iissouri Pacific, the iu Texas, stock men assert that the losse~ tor the vear endiug :firt5t of March, lSbl, will not ..;xceed 10 ~Iissouri ICansas & Texas, the Texas & Pa })er cent., and that their flocks have gone through cific, the St. Louis Iron }lountain (_\; ~outhern, tile winter iu good condition and healthy. and the International ancl (ireu.t Northern Railroads, with th€ir various branches and acl RAILROADS IN TEXAS. j uncts. ·The Missouri Pacific, fron1 its terminal N otlling connected \Vith the material growth point on ;rexas soil, at Dennison, has extended and pro~perity of Texas presents so striking a i!s arn1s, one on the East, through the coun pictnre as the history of the various railway ties of Grayson, J.1"'annin, Hunt and l{aines, to enterprises constructed or projected \Yithin a connection with the Texas & Pacific and her borders. the International & Great N ort.hern l{oads at Each year leaves a record of still further nlineola, in \Vood county; the other on the de,·elopn1ent in internal ilnproYement, the \Vest. through.... Denton and .B~ort Worth fni th and energy displayed b~y both home and (where it crosses the ,.rexas & Pacific), thence foreign capital sho\viug the importance of nearly clue south, through J obnson and Hill Texas an1ong her progreRsive sister States, counties, to Waco, in l\IcLennan county; and arguing \Yell for the future. The large thence to Tetnple, near Belton, in Bell county, increase in our population during the past ten \Vhere it crosses the Gulf Colorado (.\) Santa years, the numbers being nearly doubled, is Fe Railroad, thence the line will be run to fl. to be accounted for in great degree by the connection \Yith the International ~\J Great completion of railroads through all eligil>le Northern Railvvay, at Taylorsville, in Wil- ections of the State. Thus we have Leen liatnson county. brought in connection \Vith the outside world I The Internatjonal & Great Northern Rail- and h'--'a Ye had the produ.cts of the n1anufactur- \Yay, already completed and in running order ing centres placed \vi thin easy grasp. The I some eighty 1niles South-West of San An iertility of our soil and attractions of climate · tonio, is pushing to Laredo, on the ~Iexican be~am e kno,vn to capitalists and enterprising frontier, with great rapidity. T'he Texas & men looking for fresh and safe fields of in- Pacific ha reached the Pecos River, and. is ,·estment, and c,o shrewd \Vere the calculations proceeding Westward to\vards El Paso at the of these moneyed elements that imn1igration rate of n1ore than a mile a day. The Houston seemed to begin sirnultaneously with tbe la.y- & Texas Central R<1ilroad has completed it~ ing of the first rail. To\vns sprang up as if Waco Branch, to a connection with the TexHs by 1nagic as roads were extended, and daily 1 ~~ Pacific Railroad at Cisco, in Eastland gre,v· under the support of fast settling rural ! county. districts surrounding then1. The Texas & St. Louis Narrow Guage, is At the close of the \VHI' in 1865, there were running trains froin rrexarkana to Waco, and but six railroads in Texas that had track laid , will be pushed \Vest,vard, to the Rio Grande in running order, viz: the Buffalo Bayou, frontier. Tlle East Line & Red River Narrow Brazos & Colorado Railroad, from Harris bur~ Guage, is \YOr king on steadily "\Vest, has to Alleyton, eighty miles; the Houston & reached Greenville, Hunt county, and will go Texas Central l{··dl road, from Houston to thence prol>ably to Dallas. The East & Millican, eighty mjlfls; the Washington Coun- ' \Vest Texas Narrow Guage, is finished frou1 ty Railroad (now the Austin division of the Houston to ~Ioscow, in Polk county, and Ueutral), from He1npstead to Brenham, thirty vvill be pushed thence to }larshall, and witK miles; the Galveston, Houston (_~ Henderson its various proposed connections, wiU consti Hailroad, from Galveston to Houston, fifty tnte a complete narro'v guage system. TLe mil e ~; the Texas and N e\V Orleans Railroad, Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe l{ailroad, already from Ilouston to Liberty, forty miles; and completed some fifty miles North of Belton, the Uolun1bia & Brazos River Railroad, from 1 is pushing forward in two directions, its Houston to Columbia, fifty miles-making a 1 braach on the East, running North from total of 330 miles of railroad in actual opera- I Temple Station, in Bell county, to Dallas or tion fifteen years ago. The Southern Pacific Fort \Vorth. \vhere it will connect \Vith the Hailroacl (nO\\'" the Texas &~ Pacific) \vas under Texas & Pacific. Its main line on the ''rest, operation from Shreveport, La., to the Texas 1 projected through the counties of I~ampasas, line, but at that period had not penetrated the Brown, Coleman and Taylor, \\There at Abi- . ~tate. lene, it \Vill cross the Texas (_\) Pacific. on ~ow there are t\venty-nine different lines of through the Panhandle, to·ward ~anta Fe, railroad in actual operation \Vi thin the State, New ~lexico. its ult ilnate destination. \Vlth a total mileage in running order of about The Texas Trunk is running fron1 Dalla~ to fo rty-five hundred 1niles, sho,ving that since Kaufman and beyond, and \vill push its line the year 1865 no le s than forty -one hundred ! rapidly to Sabine Pass, on the uulf of lVIexieo, rnilcs of railroad have been constructed and · thror1gh the counties of Henderson, 1\nde1 · placed in running order. I son. Cherokee, Angelina, Tyler, Hardin and No other part of the \vorld now witnesses I ,Jefferson. The Chicago, Texa~ ~~ lVIexicnn such vro.n oun(·('rl :1'< · \· i: y in the constructiou Ccntrn1 nrP gr, ding bet \\~ een l.>allas and Cle- 58 burne, in Johnson couuty, and surveying a year 1880. Since that tin1e to the present continuance of their line northeast to Paris, (August. 1881) there have been added about in Lc1mar county, and south,,,.cst to\vard twelve hundred mile· of constructed road, ~iexico. and building i no\v progres ing on the vari l\Iany other important lines are projected, ous lines at an approximate rate of tY\ro n1iles and some of then1 under construction. hut so per de1y. It may be safely estimated that by rapidly are these various enterprises being the close of the vear 1881 there will be in constructed that it i::s difficult to keep up 'vith operation in Texas not le ·s than six thou ,~and then1, and our design is only to indicate, in a n1iles of railrortd, t,\.. enty-se-ven hundred miles general \Yay. . their tnn.gnitude and extent, and of \\'hich will have been built in 1881. .A. very the bearing they necessarily have upon the simnle... calculation \YHl show "~hnt an enol~- uenr future of our State...... ~lready ",.e feel the 1nous amount of money bas been pent in the effect of the vast sums of n1oney "expended in State from this ource alone: their prosecution. Labor i in dctnand at R_-\ILROA.DS IN 'l'EXAS, 1880. hig·h "\vages, trade in every depart1nent is . tin1ulnted. and the State see1ns to have en • I . C~ c- "0 tered upon all era of unexan1plecl prosperity. t,...:_j ;;~o Gu aGE. l RoAD. ::::.::::~ 7isgg The imtnigrant can now con1e to 1"'exas \Vith ;s 8 :l..~..-, ~ ~-= the certainty that remunerative occupation 0 ~~ a"raits hiln. Lands are chenp, \Yage ... are high, StlL.~dard. IHou:::.ton & Texas Central & ,---- crops, the pn:-.t ... eason. have been abundant, ,, Texas Central...... 618 4:; Texas and l'acific...... 608 .81 160 and bread and n1ent are plentiful. lnt.ernation<\1 ~ Great North- ern...... 609.60 80.:30 The enormous extent of railroad building Galveston, Harrhburg & San nO\\'" going on in Texas has but one dra"rback. Antonio...... 233 18 '· Gulf, Colorado and ~anta Fe.. 226 115 The scarcity of labor i~ being seriously felt in X arrow. Texas and St. Louis...... 203 123 '· East Line and He d River...... 123.50 30.50 the interior of the State, and it is anticipated Standard. Xew Texas and Orleans ...... 1 108 None. that great trouble \vill be experienced in work ~arrO\"'· Texas ~Iexit:an...... 58 .50 5 Hou:::ton, Ea8t and "'est Texas 64: 15 ing and securing the present year's cotton Standard. Gulf, \Vestern Texa.:; & Pacific. 66.80 ~on.e . crop. This condition grows out of the fact . · · Denison J-'acitlc (\V e::;t Branch )li~~ouli Pac..:ific) ...... 41.50 ~ ' that the activity in railroad building no\Y go- • •• Denison & Southea~tern (East Branch .)Io. Pacific.) ...... 52 31 ing on in rrexas draws labor from the fields, ! Galve::;ton, Houston and Hen- the price paid for labor by tbe railroads being I derson...... 50 None. ,,'· Riu Grande...... 22 '' highly remunerative. In many instances, Dallas and 'Yitchita...... 39 20 farms are being deserted altogether, the labor " Montgomery and Central...... 2.5 ~one . I Narrow. Texas W e::;tern...... 41 " thereon taking to railroad building. "G nless Standard. Henderson and Overton...... 16 Narrow. Galveston. Brazos & Colorado. 15.50 ·' an influx of labor can be obtained from some Standard. \Vaxahachie Tap...... 12 •• source, the present year's cropb will be light Narrow. Longviev.r and Sabine Valley.. 12 " Sabine Pass and X orthweste.1·n 11 ened. A a "'-hole, the prosperity of the State Standard. Texas Transportation...... 7. 75 '· East Texas...... 25 6 nu1y not be injuriously affected by this scarcity •• Chicago, :Mexican Central and 1 of labor, as the 1noney paid out by the roads ,, Rio Grande...... Xone. None. \vin c0ver all deficiencies, although in the Texas Trunk...... 12 1 2 matter of a~ricultural productions the State · Totals ...... J3,30Q;6l 662.80 1nay not sho"r up as well as it did during the Texas is the tenth State in the Union i11 past year. Of course, after awhile, the rail respect to railroad mileage, and considered in roads will have to see to this matter of agri her relation to that gigantic scheme of rail cultural production. These roads must be road extension, which has for its object the made to pay. Ho\vever, the outlook for the control of the carrying trade of our neighbor present year is, that there i not labor in the ing RGputlic of niexico, is assun1ing a vast country to cultivate and gather a cotton crop ilnportance. Situated, a .. -- he js, in an inter any "There equal to that of last year. The mediate geographical pobition, across her face railroads are absorbing everything. n1ust nece-- ·a rilly pa '~ those great art erie of 'rhe first rail \Yay projected 1n Texas was the trade \Vhich will soon ;;,end the life blood of Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado (now ab con1merce from the east to the Gulf of Cali· sorbed by the Galveston, Harridburg & San fornia on the "\\rest, and the remotest region.·-, .A.. ntonio Raihvay). \)rork was con1n1encecl of l\Iexico on the south \Vest. }iueh of th[l t on this road in 1852. By Au o·ust the year va~t count-ry, grand in its resources, no le · follo\ving twenty rmiles to·w·ard Richmond than its extent, is undeYeloped, shut out front \Yere completed and in operation, but the \\·ar ilnmigration and capital, hitherto by the la,~k (;Oming on some years later, all railroad build of transportation. ing ceased, until 1865, \Vhen, as stated above. But t\vo lines of rail"yay are competing in only 330 miles \Vere in actual operation, and their race for l\'Iexico. The ....-\.tchison, Topeka these so \Vorn and dilapidated from rough and Santa Fe have reached El Paso, in the usage and the lack of n1eans and material to <~ xtren1e " yestern corner of Texas, connecting keep them in repair, that practically they had \Yith the Southern Pacific at that point. It is to be reconstructed, so that railroad building no\V pushing south,vard into l\lexico as fast. in Texas may ahnost truthfully he said to a.., po sible, for the rich traffic of that Yet undc· have bec-un only \vith the close of the civH veloped country L a prize great e1iough to \v~r in 1865. pro1npt the n1ost strenuou& exertion~. In The follo,ving table exhibited the extent of point of distance, ho"\Yevcr. \Yhnt is kno,vn < ~ s railrond onilding in r1 'exas at tbe close of the the "Gould syste111." by iL ncqui ~ ition of the TEXAS: HER RESOURCES ~ND CAPABILITIES. 59 International and Great Northern Railway of pendently to El Paso. No part of this line Texas, gains an important advantage. was built before the war, and only twenty- That road has already reached a point 80 two miles during that period by the Confede miles beyond San .~A.ntonio, Texas. Frotn rate government as a 1nilitary expedient. On that point the distance to Laredo, on the llexi- the 3d of l\Iarch, 1871 the congress of the can border. is about 70 miles, thence to the United States chartered the Texas Pacific City of ~fexico is .les-.:. than. 600 1nil~s on the I Rail\vay Company, the name of which was 1uap. But .the an· hne d1s.tance fron1 the changed to 'rexas and Pacific, granting the present terminus of the Atelnson roud to the right of way through !he territories. City of l\lexico is about 1,000 u1iles. If there The initial points of this road on the Atlan be an advantage possessed by either road in tic and Pacific slopes were respectively, 3'lar a,·oiding rough country, that advantage n1ust shall, Texas, and San Diego, California, be greatly in favor of the Texas route; bnt a with El Paso and Fort Yu1na as intermediate n1uch more in1portant point as to possible I points. 'I'exas approved this charter, so far rapidity of construction, i -- that the builders : as her own territory extended. In 1872 Col of the Southern line can co1nn1ence on the · onel Thomas A. Scott and his associates Rio Grande and build Loth ways, thence as purchased all the chartered rights and fran "\Vell as southwest\\rard fro1n Sctn .A_ntonio, chises of the three roads, viz.: the Southern while the Northern road can be pushed fron1 Pacifi~, the Trans-continental, and the Texas one point only. And again, as to cost of con- Pacific, uniting all under one and the sa1ne struc ion. the t'..dvantage willue very greatly in corporation, viz. : the Texas and Pacific Rail favor of the route \rhich can deliver its iron and way Con1pany. During the long time that heavy n1aterials on the Rio Grande by "\Vater, these con1panies had existed, they had built ·while the Atchison road will be compelled to only forty-four miles of road within the limits transport everything near]y 1,500 miles by of Texas. rail, from the banks of the I'llississippi to the ITS EXTENSION. tarting-point of its ~[exican movements. Its initial point is Texarkana, a growing These advantages ought to be decisive. The and prosperous city on the line between Ar Texas road will be cornpleted to the City of kansas and Texas, and the southwestern ter ~iexico years sooner than any other, and at minus of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and many millions of dollars le::;s cost. Southern Railway. From this point two lines of the Texas and THE TEXAS .AND PACIFIC RAILWAY AND THE Pacific Rail way penetrate the State of Texas. COUNTRY 'IHROUGH "\VHICH IT PASSES. The Trans-continental division completed at When it first becan1e apparent that the present westwardly across the northern tier necessities of the nation would soon require a of counties, through Clarksville, Paris, and raihvay to the Pacific Ocean, engineers study other growing towns, to the city of Sherman, ing the geographical features of the country a distance of 154~ miles. This division is and the comn1ercial necessities of the road, now completed from Sherman via Whitesboro, designated the 32d parallel of latitude as its Pilot Point and Denton to a junction with the proper location. ~lajor-General, then Cap Southern Division at both Fort Worth and tain Pope, an officer distinguished for his Dallas. The main line extends from Texar scientific attainments, was placed in charge of kana in a southerly direction through the city the survey. ....t\_fter a thorough study of all of Jefferson to }iarshall, seventy-four miles. the factors which entered into the proble1n, From }iarshall the Southern Division is he fixed upon the 32d parallel as the best for completed eastwardly to Hhreveport, in the proposed road, and it has ever since Louisiana, an old city of some 15,000 inhabi remained the favorite route. Although other tants, a place of extensive trade and one of routes have been built and operated for years, the largest cotton markets in the South. Fron1 ench recurring \Yinter detnonstrates anew that here the road is now being extended (under n ~ ar this parallel a road can be constructed the charter of the New Orleans Pacific Rail ·which shall be free fro1n ·the annually recur way) to the city of Ne\v Orleans, distant about ring vexation of sno\v blockade. 325 miles. Negotiations have just been And it is a well ascertained fact, that never effected which doubtJess will result in the ·will the American people possess a trans-con con1 pletion of this road \Yithin the next tinental road, open at all seasons of the year, eio-hteen months to the aforesaid city, tae and fully adapted to all the gruvving necessi m~tropolis of the South. ties of commerce, until the Texas and Pacific From 1\'Iarshall the 1nain line of the Texas <;;hall have been completed along the parallel and Pacific extends westwardly through the indicated. A glance at the history of this ilnportant to\vns of Longview, Mineola, Wills enterprise \\Till be interesting. Point, Terrell, the city of Dallas, Fort Worth. In 1852 the legislature grant~d a charter, Weatherford, and on West. amended in 1854 and 1858, to \V hat was kno\vn The road was completed to Fort Worth as the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, late in the year 1876. it" terminus remaining ·with a grant of sixteen sections of land to tbe here until 1\Iay 1880. Construction is pro n1ile. This road was to begin nt the State gressing rapidly-; grading on the fifth one line, t\venty miles east of ~Iarshall, and ext. PAGE PAGE Address of Cot Li\ng . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . . . . 5 Land Titles, Origin of...... • . • • • • . • • • . . . 15 .A.dvice to Immigrants. . • • . . • • • • • ...... 51 Land, School; How Purchased. . • • ...... _ 15 .A.gticulture . . . . . • • • . • . • . . . • • • • • • • • • . • • . . 51 Lawlessness, Is Texas a Land of...... 17 Area.... . • • . . . . . • • •• . . • • . . . • • • • • • • • • . . . 14 Laws...... • • • . • ...... • • • . • ...... 16 1\..sylums ...... ••••••••.•••••••.•• , . . . . 45 Live Stock .....•••.•••...... •.. , • ...... 29 Bees and Honey. . • • • • • • . . • • • • • • • • • . . • • • . 26 Missouri Pacific Railroad ...... • • • . . . . . 61 Cattle ...... • • . . . . . • • • • . . • • • • • . 6 and 30 Northers ...... • • . . . • • . . . . 4(5. Cane, ..Amber.... • • • • • • • • . . . • • • • . . • • • . . . 24 Northwest, Winters and Crops in. . . • . . . . . 56 Climate, Temperature and Rainfall •...... 46 Oats ...... 21 • Coal ...... 8 Pecans ...... Constitution, Provisions of. . • . . • • .. . . • • . . . 16 Penitentiaries ...... ••••.... ••••••••... 45 Corn...... • • • . • . . • • • • ...... • • ...... 21 Planting Season. . . . • • • • . • • . . . • • • • • • . . . . 20 Cotton . . • ...... • . . . • • • • • • • • • • . . • • • ...... 20 Population ...... • . . . . . • . • • • . . . •. . . • . . 5 Eclucation...... • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • . . . • . . . 16 Potatoes ...... • • • • • • • ...... 24. Features of State ....•••••••••••••••••... 14 Poul~ry ...... •.••.....•...... 42 Finances...... • . . . • . • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . . . 16 Products for 1878-Amount...... • • 5 and 6· Fish ...... • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . 42 and 44 Public Institutions . . . • . • • • ...... • . . . • • . 44 Flo,ver Culture . • • • . . • ...... • . • • • • • . . • • • 25 Railroads ...... • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ...... 57 · Fruits and Berries • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • ...... 8 Rainfall...... • • • . • • • ...... • . . • . . . . 4 7 Fruit Culture .••• , • • • • • • • . • • • . . • • • • • • . . . 25 Renting Lands...... • ...... • • . 52 Game Birds . . . . . • • . . • • • • • • . • . • • • • • . . • • . 43 Seasons, Length of . • . . . • . • ...... • • • . . 49 Game and Fish . . • • . . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • . . . . • 42 Sheep and Wool...... •.. , ...... 31 Garden Vegetables and Melons.... . • • • • . . 26 South-Western Imm. Co. , Purpose of. . . . . 12 General Features.... . • • • • • • • • . . • . • • • . . . . 14 Stock ...... ~. . • ...... 6 and 29 Goats...... • • • • • • • . . • . . • • ...... 41 Sugar...... 21 Grapes, Wild and Domestic...... • • • . . . . . 27 Taxes and Finances ...... •..... ~ ...... 16 Grasses, Wild...... • • • . • • ...... 25 Temperature ...... -...... 49 Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad...... 60 Texas a Workshop for Man...... • . . 54 Health ...... ••...... •... 10 and 50 Texas & Pacific Railroad ...... 59 Historical Sketch.... . • . • . • ...... 15 Timber...... • ...... • • . 7 Hogs ...... •....•..•...... •••.... 42 Tobacco Culture ...... •••...... 25 Homestead, Cost of making...... 52 W a tAr Power...... 9 Flomesteads, How to acquire...... 16 Water Supply and Quality...... 50 Horses and Mules...... 6 and 41 Wheat ...... 22 International & Great Northern R. R. . • . . 60 Wheat, Nicaragua-· a Bonanza...... 24 Introductory Statement...... 13 Wild Fruits, Nuts and Berries...... 26 l.I'<)n...... • ...... • . . . . 8 Wool ...... o •• • • ••••• 31 Labor; What it can do . . .. • • • . . . • • ...... 53 TEXAS: HER RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES. 61 rccted efforts, this road has added largely to to Greenville, in Hunt county, has re the population of the State, and now reaps the cently been completed to its connection benefit of its policy in a fine elass of farmers with the Texas & Pacific and the Interna along its line, and everal large to,v·ns. doing tional & Great Northern Railways at Mineo n he~r\.,.Y business. and nn1ong these 1nay be la, in Wood county. The Missouri Pacific ncU11Cd Palestine, the headquarter~ of the road. having leaRed the International & Great A.s to the ext en._ ion: Leaving Austin, the Northern, they 1nny now practically be con liue extends in a southerly direetion, ~ixtcen ~id ererl one and the same road, and t\YO daily miles in Tra \"·is county, pas~ing over an undu expr~'"'~ trains are now run from St. Louis to lating surface, \vith a black, cnlenreous soil, San Antonio, Texas, by this line. well tilnberecl, altnost all the \YaY, in1n1ediate By the-.,( 1 connections of the l\1issouri Pacific lY upon the line of the road, ,,,.ith 1ive-oak, \Vith the International and Great Northern, the l;in-onk, cedar and pecan. \Vhile broad rolling great sugar belt of Texas has an ont1et to the prairie.;;: spread out on either side of the tiln rnarkets of the East- The lun1 ber region of lJer; the valleys being rich and prod ncti ve, Ea8tcrn Texas, the sugar regions lying south west frotn Houston. and the tee1ning fields of <1ncl the broken and bi1ly portion afforcling ~ x cellent grass for pnsture. l..ihne~tone rock, Northern Texas are brought into juxtaposition. Df excellent quality for ·building purpo~es, ex The constant exchange of products arising i:-: ts in large quantitie~, and not only many from the tillage of the country tributary to dnruble fences, but sightly and co1nfortable this line of railroad, a country Ct-tpable of bUS· dwellings, are nlso constructed of this valu taining an hnn1ense population, and adrnitting able 111aterinl. Persons seeking a healthy an almost endless variety of productions, will C1)untry. "\Yhere stock-raising and farming may yield a tonnage wonderful in its immensity. lJe carried on succe sfully, either eparately Along this line every variety of staple crop, or in conjunction, and at the san1e tilne hav from th(l cereals of the temperate to the sug-ar ing the facilities and advantages of a railroad and fruits of the tropical zone, \Vill find a Mld organized society, should not neglect to genial home in the soil and a clilnate exactly ee this section. suited to its maturity. · MISSOURI PACIFIC RAIL""AY-THE COUNTRY But an equally important result is that there WHICH IT TRA. YERSES. will be a direct line and immediate connection bet"Teen the Red River and the Rio Grande. By the recent consolidation of the l\Tissouri, When this road is completed to the city of Kansas & 'fexas, and the Central Branch of which will be in the near future, this Pacific, Mexico, the L nion Pacific with the l\Iissouri will be the principal avenue for the rich pro this latter con1pany is one of the largest in the ducts of Mexico, and will pro1note a com Lnited States. It traverses Missouri frorn merce with the neighbor republic of great the east to the vvest, and fron1 the northeast value. It will be of in1mense importance to Kan to the south\vest, runs through Northern the stock-raisers of the great pastoral regions sas, through East Centre Kansas, and north of South western Texas, furnishing them with ~ncl south throug;h theN eosho Va11ey, through a direct through route to the markets of the bouth\vestern Kansas, and south through the East. It will bring to notice and development beautiful Indian Territory to Denison, Texas, a vast section of the State '-''"hich has hereto where it diverges, the Southwestern Branch fore been devoted to stock-raising, on account running to Whitesboro', Denton, Fort V\ orth ~ of its isolation and "rant of tran~portation. thence south through Johnson, Hill and l\1 cLen The country in Texas, traversed by these nnn counties to a second connection "\vith the two branches of the Mis8ouri Pacific, in con Railroad, at International and Great Northern nection ·with the International & Gr~at North Taylor, in \Villian1son county. It is already ern Railroad, is one of enorn1ous extent, and cnn1pletcd from Denison, in Grayson county, presents every peculiarity and advantage that to a connection \Yith the Texas & Pacific at Texas can offer, and every diversity of soil Fort \Vorth, and is under contract the whole and climate. The imn1igrant coming into the Belton, \Yay from Fort Worth to Ten1 ple, near State over this line, and traversing it through grading and bridging ]n Bell county; and out its extent, who cannot find an '' abiding rapidly progressing. place," would be, indeed, "hard to please." The Southeastern Branch, fron1 Denison "'. • , ,_ .. t .... • " .-· .. · ' -""""" ...... \ .. . ~ ,. W"as orgar..ized for the purpose of promoting Immigration, by reliable publications, makip.g known the Resources, Advantages. and Cap:1bilities of the .above named States. Th.e Compan_yr h:t<:.; now on hand for free distribution, Books, Pamphlet~ and Maps, descriptive ~nd statistical, giving detailed infor1nation of the· State of 1 exas, Ark-=tnsas, or .Western Louisiana, which will be sent, postage prepaid~ to all persons applying to I~ • D •r /r T T . A T ""'y B • L%. c j{ A~ .LJ ·' J) d c: .!'"\: l3 lJT J Austin, Texas. t/..... ~"1. VICTOR, Easrer.z1 J"'vfanager1 No. 243 Broadway, New York .. . FOREIG-~ OFFICE: P1/)es ..' a,e ~~t, W M. W_,.. LANG1 Leadenhall House, Leadenhall Street, London. E . C . Englan d ...