Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1867-08-31
from Tho llnuslun Telssmrh
The ToxnA Whant ReRi0n.

From tho lluu.,on relssmrh
The Texas Wheat Region.
A writer In the Texas Almanac for 1867,
defining the limits Of the wheat region Of
Texas, says II is contained In the following
beginning al the north east
corner Of Red River county, thence south
west TO Navarro county, thence Ia wesler'
ly direction 10 the limits ~ the new coun-
Ties, thence north to Red River, aud down
said river to the beginning" This would
embrace about forty counties, with an area
Of at least ihiriy.siK thousand square miles,
But, as large an area MS this Is, the almanac
writer has fallen far shol Of the real limits
Of the wheat region Of Texas, a line run
ming westward from the southern border OF
Navarro, would leave out the counties OF
McLennan, Coryell, Bell, Lampasas, Will
hanson, Travis, Burnet, Hays, Blaneo, Gil
lespic, Bandera, Kerr, San Saba, aud many
other counties, as we'll Ms all that vast scope
country on the Concho-'he most OF which
II quito as well adapted to the cultivation
Of wheat, as amy Of tho counties included
in the boundaries described by the aiorc-
said writer. Indeed, the largest yield OF
wheat per acre ever produced In Texas,
was grown in San Saba county and We are
satisfied from an intimate knowledge OF the
lands on the Concho, obtained by close per-
sonal inspection, that region is as well suit
ed for the production of this cereal as any
other portion OF the State. The real limit,
therefore, to the wheat region Of Texas,
would include n scope Of territory twice as
large as that given by the almanac writer,
or an area Of at least sevonty-two thousand
square miles, or forty-six millions and
eighty thousand spare acres.
Has the reader ever reflected what an i'm
mense source of wealth our State las in
these lands? If not, let him follow us
little into the realm Of speculation and
figures. Grant that fourth Of these lands
are not fit for cultivation Of any sort and
that only half of what remains will ever at
one time be cultivated in wheat, we still
have about eighteen millions Of acres pro-
lands would average near twenty bushels
per acre; but estimate the average at the
very lowest figures, say ten bushels, and
we have an annual product Of one hundred
and eighty million bushels, or moro wheat
than was ever produced in the entire Uni
ted States in one year. This crop, estimat-
ing its value OF dollar per bushel, would
produce larger sum of money than the
aggregate of oil the cotton crops ever rails
ed in the Slate.
This may look like utopian speculation
an estimate Of things too far in the future
to be of much interest to tho present gene
ration; but little reflection will dispel
this view. One able-bodied laborer can
easily cultivate thirty acres Of wheat with
ten acres to be applied to other crops, and
with the assistance of his little boys and
girls, can gather and save it. Now divide
our eighteen millions of acres of lands by
the quantity that one man can cultivate,
and we find that six hundred thousand men
are sufficient to manage every foot of it
Without taking into consideration the
quantity already under cultivat ion, an ad-
.dition of two millions and a half Of people
to our present population would occupy and
till the whole eighteen million acres. AS
Stunning that our legislators shall continue
to be affected with loggerheadism-that
nothing shall be done to promote immigra-
ton, and that our population shall increase
henceforward with no greater ratio than it
has hitherto done, it will take but little
more than two decades to secure Ais addi.
| IlOu 6O tHuJ Illc hOW INV
puking in his nurses arms" will hardly
have attained his majority before witness
ing the fulfIlment of what might be called
by some mere utopian dream, and many
who are now gray-headed will see the same
thing
Did ever q State have such good future
be fore her? A hundred and fifty million
dollars, at least, poured annually into hel
lap by the production of single staple
article, without mentioning cotton and
sugar!
What will this immense yield of whca
do for Houston?
Our Texas wheat comes into market from
six weeks to two months earlier than the
Northern wheat. Besides the advantage
which this gives us, it is also well known
fact that there is no flour in the world SO
we'll adapted for transportation by sea as
Texas flour. This is the reason why South
ern -four always commands larger price
in the Northern markets than flour raised
in that latitude. 1t may be rocked on the
pillows for months, and never, like North
ern -four, become sour. Our Texas foul
will, therefore, be particularly sought after
for expectation, and the effect of this will
\ DC THU WILL III tiuiSI pSSo"S WV
of the greatest Touring markets Of the
world. It's position as the railroad center
of the State, and its great advantages fol
manufacturing, will 50 make it. Let the
Central Railroad BIO extended into the
wheat region and Touring mills will al
most instantly cover the banks Of Buffalo
Bayou; and, then, let the Ship Channel be
completed and our wharves will be line
with shipping, to bear the product to the
West Indies, South America, and Europe
This cannot be avoided. The Memphis
& Ell Paso, or the Vicksburg and Ell Past
railroad may penetrate the wheat region al
we'll as the Central but the termini Of thu
two former are too far from the sea to en-
able them to compete with Houston in thu
-four business.
In less than two years the Central Rail
road will have pierced deep into the whea
region; in that time let us also have thu
Ship Channel completed and the greatness
of our city is secured. When Houston shall
manufacture and export one-tenth of tn
wheat crop Of Texas, as great as we hav
shown that it may become, we may sure n
der to Galveston every bale Of cotton rails
cd in the State, and her profits will be in
significant compared with ours.
Much more that we have to say on thi
interesting subject, we must defer to an
other day.