The Washington union., 1858-02-27
AGRICULTURAL LETTER FROM TEXAS.
uoszALks CoUsrr, TExAs,
December 5. 1851

wing omitted any extended notice OF this part of
l,r State permit me 10 offer you few remarks upon
He OF the pecdlisres of tho climate, soil and pro
Icions of this county, suggested by my oserva
IOl
Por two wears In succession Southwestern Texas has
Iuaered from droughtof greater severity and longer con
Nouance thai, had occurred within the memory OF any
Nlercan settler indeed, there indications conoiu
Live to my mind that it is subject to droughts perod
ally TO such degree to preclude confident reliance
IipOn full and regular crops. ..
now refer 10 the country between the waters oi inc
1Gaulalupe and San Antonio rivers
These indications consist of what are here called 'hog
Iolams On level ground they take the form OF de-
ed surfaces and on our rolling prairics that OF the
ayes Of lake gently aeitated by the wind They some
Zines run irreeularIy sometimes directly down, but
never across hill After long interval without ram,
e earth between these hilocks ON the topcon
N,ncts leaving d deep issue. The rst heavy shower
sbs in the surrounding earth until the assure is filled;
and repetition ior ages OF this process has undoubtedly
suited In the formation Of the undulatng surface which
baactezes all that portion OF the wilderness known as
l mss.,ut prairie The soil is Of deep black color,
mpregnatcd with lime and gypsum and in favorable
il little inferior in producvones to the best lands
Louisiana and Mississippi But its liability to crack
and pach in the absence rain renders less desirable
Iof post and live oaks
These lands are of sandy formation, and though
much less rich than tho former their MISUNDERSTANDING
powers much superior that they are generally pre-
cd for cultivation In fact SO great are these retentlve
mowers that with the aid OF the usual winter rains, when
The ,arth becomes well saturated only two show
srs between the months Of May and August, neccs-
ary TO mature a crop. They are cultivated with less
than one half the labor required those OF Louisiana
and Mississippi and produce in favorable seasons, from
thirty to forty five bushels of corn, and from three to
four hundred bushels of sweet potatoes to the
Wheat has ato been lately introduced to very limited
extent aud with degree Of twenty bushels
i have been grown to the
There Is a third class Of lands those Immediately
bordering either side of the before mentioned rivers
which, point Of richness and fertility not surpassed
by any In the Union. They arc OF alluvia formation;
and in their natural state covered with dense growth
of heavy timber consisting Of black walnut pecan ash,
cottonwood blackberry, and elm They also less la
BILE to the dectcrous influence of drought than either of
those pre- yiousy mentioned and produce, in good
from sixty five to ninety bushels OF corn per acre
Two Thousand pounds Of cotton--in the seeds the
usual yield for the The size and height of
the stalk of the Sea island species is almost fabulous
And when assert that they sometimes grow five inches
in diameter, aud high to conceal man on horse
back am apprehensive that may draw too heavily
on public creduty to he believed The great OBJ
ace to regular and almost unbounded productiveness in
most lands Of this section IL want of rain. At some u
period when population shall have become
dense and when capital shall he available this
evil may perhaps be partially removed by the excavation
of artesan wells There thousands of situations
rolling prairies where they could be made to rgate
large tracts of land. But with their aid, not more
than one half the superficial Of this region without
change of climate, could be made susceptible Of
producing regularly successive crops.
The evil influence Of these periodical droughts does not
terminate with the destruction of crop. 1t facilitates
the production Of injurious insects, which, in
favorable seasons and nnoxous to the pro-
ducts Of the cutvator The principal of these pests is
tho cutting ant They usually select for their headuar
ters some KNOLL rising ground not likely 10 he over
flowed by Transportation water There they propagate by
millions and send forth colonies the surrounding
country. | have known them to attack young
grass, hut with these exceptions, nothing green
amiss gentleman in my ncighborhood had
planted and carefully cultivated about one half of the
Sorgho Chinese sugar-cane it had grown about six
inches in height and fourishng finely when 1t
attacked by the cutting ant and in one night, between
the setting and rising of the every blade had disap
peared They affect vegetables to such extent that
between the Of drought and their ravages it
small difficulty to raise them. But of all avorite pro
Visions their weakness towards the leaves OF fruit trees
more especially the pcach--is most papablc In one
night they will completely strip small peach tree Of
every vestigc of it's foliage that in the morning it will
exhibit that 1t had borne single leaf And
their muscular strength is astonishing 1t will hardly be
credited by those not familiar with the habits and strength
of this tiny insect that there individuals who
ando carry entire kernel Of corn several hundred
feet to their provision depots. Yet it's nevertheless,
TACT Nor is their instinct III detecting POISONOUS sud-
stances less amazing They excessively fond of
meal and to destroy them strychnne dissolved n water
has been mixc herewith and placed contiguous to their
holes Some six eight would seize the particles in their
nppcrs and carry them in. Presently, many dead
bodies would be brought out and laid outside their
thoroughfare and the cornmcal would afterwards be
sedulously avoided careful observer of their habits
and movements hardly resist the conclusion that
they are regularly organized int classes like the
ernites white ants of Africa. They TO be
divided into three classes the aristoc:acy rulers,
the cutters, and packers. Like African belle the
former to claim their position by virtue of their
superior size Atany rate, they than twice
large the plebian packers cutters forming in
teunedate size. The arstocracy appear above
ground unless the safety of the commity is endanger
ed, the garrison is stracncd for want of provis-
ions. IN this latter event they sometimes turn out and
labor for the general welfare But with this exception
all the work is done by the two other classes.
The cutters mount the tree, and, with their sharp in
csors, separate the leaves from the branches The for
then seized y the packers who stationed at
the foot Of the tree cut into suitable sizes for tpnporta
ton and carried off their provision dcpos which
located from fifteen to twenty feet beneath the surface OF
the earth Human ingenuity has yet failed Of devils
Ing any method for the ccctua cxiirpaton of this tire
mendous pest
annoyance called by Of our people golfers by
others ''ss,atnandcrs " 10 il small rat-likc animal OF
great pugnacious propcnsiiies and carries little sack
beneath each side Of the lower jaw II burrows in the
earth and will attack end Of of sweet Irish
potatoes other vegetable it affects and if not arrest
ed In Its career will destroy the whole row. when 1t will
commence the same operation another
The foregoing, with very small sprnkling of snakes
and rabbits together with occasional irruption OF
grasshoppers numbering somewhere among the octil-
lionswhich destroy fall gardens form the sum to-
tall and enough, too Of the pests with which liza
IL. A.. - fNls.k.f Yl.A..