Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-09-22
[From the Hartford Evening rre,s. |


Texas The Climate--The "Norther''- Pro.
ductions Fruits and Tree Politics FL
nancial Products Social Life, &C., &c.
In the middle of January, under dry leaden
sky, we left the steamer at the h ,ad of naviga-
tion on the Buffalo Bayou, to penetrate the in
terror of Texas. The darkness of the morning ;
the thick frost bristling on the crispcd earth,
and the still arid atmosphere combined to en-
hance the funereal gloom so often noticed by
travellers, which the desolate waste of the prai-
ries and the willowy drapery of the wooded
Businesses presents in winter 1t was not the
most ia, ,orablc time of year for receiving agree
able impressions of country. Yet must con-
fcss myself in a good degree charmed by the
novelty of those scenes, as realized a beauty,
somewhat wicrd and fantastic, in the unbroken
grey, and in the spectral shapes Of the old moss
clad trunks-grim suggestions of ghosts with
eyeless sockets and countcnances wan. parched,
and adorned with grave-grown boards, startled
the imagination at every glance. The silence
OF the thick woods is oppressive there seems
TO be neither life nor motion in any thing save
in the still parasite that sucks at its bough, in
thrifty security.
AT that time there had been no rain for many
weeks; the creek beds were all dry, and the
surface of the country was literally strewn with
the perishing carcasses of sheep and cattle that
had died for want Of water. The frost of the
previous night was an exception, for in general
there is neither frost moisture at night. We
found all these peculiaritics to increase percep-
| tlhly as we approached the high lands of the
vicinity of the capital. Just after reaching that
city, brisk "Norther" sprung up, "chilng and
killing every unprotected thing. Hundreds of
cattle, sheep and swine perished during the pc
Rod OF this wind. 1t may give you some idea
of the blightng power of these Grades" TO
state that during the first hour of their blowing
the mercury fell at the rate of a degree min
ute. There are several hypotheses to account
for the origin, but it is generally thought that
they arise from the icy capes Of the arctic re-
glon, and are lifted up and set in motion by the
warm currents that sweep over the two paral
lcls OF latitude just under them. These winds
have southern direction by about three points
west, and strike the earth's surface at an angle
of % degrees 10 30 degrees, and are so rarled.
dry and penetrating, that they feel more like
electric than atmospheric currents During the
prevalence of the "Norther" the inhabitants
and more particularly strangers, are liable to
indammatiuns of the mucous membranes of the
lungs, throat and nose, aud sudden, and some
times Violent attacks of pneumonia. was
told by a resident physician in Austin. that the
di gnoSs of disease in that locality was directed
almost exclusively to examinations of the path
illogical condition OF these membranes. At
Austin. the duration OF these winds is about
three days; further down the coast they con-
tiuuc longer. At Vera Cruz they last from
eight to ten days, but in greatly modified tenn
pcra,urc.
The "Northers' are a serious objection to the
climate of Texas. for they are liable to bring
frost at any time, even in midsummer. When
ever they are not SO cold. they sponge up the
moisture of the earth at such marvellous rate
that vegetation wthcrs beneath their touch
The cultivation of the soil, under circumstances
so uutavorable, cannot afford very great slim
ulus 10 industry and still the farmers pcrsevere
III putting in their seeds-usually twice. and not
uniTcquently three times in Il season. | have
never before met such hopeful set. About
once in three years, on the average they make
crop; but their potatoes will not keep; and
the weeNils get into their wheat and destroy
that; and the parsnips, beetS and turnips grow
50 monstrousy large that they are worthless +;
and so the people continue on in their diet Of
corn and meat hopeful as ever and Just as re-
dolent of Texas self-comp placcncy. Doctor -
informed me that he had lived in the State six
years and had only succeeded in raising one
crop, in his garden. 81 planted my vegetables
at the usual time" said the Doctor, "and they
came up well, but owing to the drought they
dill nothing until long in June there fell rain
d
think, about six inches all over. The parsnips
and carrots, and some other fall vegetables, be-
gan to grow and soon presented very thrifty
appearance above ground; paid, however. no
attention to them, thinking of course they
would come TO nothing But long in October
went out one morning and thought | would
pull some parsnips. gathered up the top of
one and found could make no impression up
on it, then called my son, and the boy Tom,
and we got a spade and hoe, and a small
crowbar, and set ourselves about digging up the
root After working at it faithfully for over
an hour we succeeded in taking out three feet
and nine inches in length of ii but we had
broken it off and probably left another foot
standing in the earth The parsnips were, how
ever, worthless, and we delivered them over to
the hogs" This story, which had from very
sincere and truthful gentleman, sufficiently es-
tablishes the capabilities of the SOIL If the eli
mate and meteorological conditions We're favor
able to agriculture. Indeed, the soil is sensi-
tive and ineXhaustible; Notwithstanding, cat
tie raising is the only reliable source of thrift
and owing to the scarcity of feed Uhere being
no turf on the prairies) thousands of acres of
land are needed to make this branch of hus-
bandry profitable. ! cannot well see how stock
raising can be depended upon after the State
becomes settled and fenced. 1t seems to me n
bullStlOuo III pOutlCul tNpHUlUN-lhc
gold in country, and like slavery, herding
breeds habits of Incidence, and disregard of
the true value Of money and thus tends to de-
grade rather than elevate a people In many
parts of Texas beef is worth only dollar a
hundred, while apples are ten cents apiece, and
potatoes % cents quart With the exception
of the native grapes, it is very certain that the
climate will not admit fruit and vegeta bic cul-
ture to any great extent. | am now speaking
of the interior On the coast, where the north
winds are less severe, and the atmosphere more
humid, the spring vegetables are produced but
not in very great quantities.
The physical aspect of the Texas country in
the early Spring-time, while there is yet in the
earth sufficient moisture to sustain vegetable
life, presents to the stranger an effective COM
bination of attractive characteristics. The i'm
agination yields itself willing captive to its
seductive beauty, as the eye glances over the
long and graceful lines of the undulating prai-
ries, covered with verdure and beautifully stud
ded with groves of oak-as it were-an island
! ed-sea of interminable green, whose waves,
though hushed and petriied, still hold the pre-
adamic races in their original beds. 1t requires
but weak exercise of fancy to give to these
waves the powers of motion, and sound tidal
pulsations, and fathomless depths. But on
thpir an1 1uripr ehanoe Nnols Dl