New-York tribune., 1872-08-12
sFOCK-RAISING IN TEXAS.

|
| SAND MOUNDS on THE LAGUNA MADRE-sliEEF-
| RAISING AND ITS PROFITS.
| CARRICITos, Texas, July 22.-The surface OF
the land along the western shore OF the Laguha mao'
and for 30 or 100 miles back level and not more thah
10 or 70 feet above low tide mark There are soo sns
undulaons but these are caused by the shifting SANDS
These shifting sands OF the great features Vi %
country They extend for distance OF % ni'cs no.n
and south along the coast and so or more back INTO ne
country The sand is very fine, ana, urlhH INC P'o'
aence OF strong winds from either the horlh UT ho
SOUTH il is blown about furiousy ana promscuousS'
The whole surface of the earth is covered more or less
with it, In some places II Is only TWO OF three inches
deon and here the grass grows wel even rankly ana
| r,atcs fine pasturage Immediately underneatlAthe
sand there is "a Deep black loamy soil, when Is very
rich and which, when the seasons are favorable yeIus
| good crops of corn, cotton, vegetables, DC.
| There are ridges and mounds, or BANKS OF sahu
scattered all over the country of various Sizes lengths
! nights and ages. The sand is driven before 'he "iuu
mill II meets some obstacle that breaks its force when
the sand falls TO the ground thus beginning deposit
There are ridges Of sand two OF three miles long, anu
from i've TO twenty-five feet high, that nave apparehy
been undsturbed for many years The grass beginning
TO grow over them and young live oak rees 10 spring
M In fact on some ridges there live oak trees ap
narently a hundred years old The course OF these
ridges is east and west at right angles to the drecoh o
the winds and the coast The larger ones do not exceed
in width at the base than 200 feet On each sde'
the rich black soil is generally clear of sand In some
Of these formations are mbedded large live oak trees
with only their top limbs out while in other places the
trees have formerly been in the sand; hut from some
cause after remaining in that condition for long
! time perhaps 200 years, the winds nave down
| away the sand, and thus left the roofs
that had grown out from the body OF lhe
| tree naked and exposed. noticed one uce'
near the road leading from Brownsville TO Corpus Christi
1 ,f md rid
was about ten feet high. After the tree was0f some
size the ridge seems have increased six feet more IN
altitude and remained so for many years-say 100 JudS-
ing by the and appearance OF the trees lAt nave
grown on il since its second elevation Then the "lhd
made a break through the ridge at this particular place
and soon denuded the tree trunk, and roots, ana II now
stands supported by the bare roots that man can
walk under the main body of the tree by passing between
these uncovered pillars This is the oldest instance but
there are hundreds Of others in the same predcament
There many banks OF sand that are vet moving ana
new ones are forming, which move across the country
slowly westward. The fOrmatiOnsa entirely bare
Of vegetation and strong wind present the appear
ance of drifting snow, with the difference that on clear
dav they are rather warmer than a snow-drift Stock
ranches have to be frequently removed on account Of
the sand The and cattle in the cOrrals break the
light turf and loosen the SOIL that the wind takes up
the and carries it the fence, where it is lodged
and IN few years the sand piled up the fence,
that the stock walk in and out the top Of fence
ten or twelve feet high. As the fence rots away the
sand is blown away til 1t meets another resistance
perhaps mat OF live oak trees, which in their turn
! buried alive.
With the exception OF this disagreeabe feature Of tho
country is good range and thousands and
OF thousands Of fine horses cattle mules, and sheep
range the plains and keep fat during the whole
year. And it notorious fact that during the last
Winter, whenmOre than half the cattle between Guada
loupe and Nechcs Rivers died during cold slect storm
.f Mo-
lost. In this county Cameron, and in Hidago
Starr Zapata. Webb, Encnal, and Duval Counties the
mortality during the Winter il usually small as there Is
| a great deal Of mesquit timber, which forms good
shelter stock against the northers. There
kinds grass herethe mesquit grass which is the better
Of the aud Is grass common 10 prairie
tries and the Bermuda grass, which does wel spreads
rapidly and kills out weeds and the other grasses
The being Of porous nature the roots run down to
the depth Of four and five feet search of moisture
thus the drouh very WE'LL and furnishes food for
stock when there is other fresh grass when raised
in fields moving ii yields two and three crops OF hay
during the sumner There some sheep raised IN this
part OF the country which yield profitable returns
the OF money invested aud the time employed
in taking care of them. The dryness Of this climate IL
very favorable sheepraisng and the sandy nature Of
the soil is equally There is no danger OF the foot rot
other diseases, which caused by the feeding Of
sheep land that is soft muddy. The shepherd
easily keep Of the pools Of water that found
during the rainy The disease known as the
lombriz which kills many young lambs, has heretofore
proved very unfavorable 10 sheepraisng This disease
is described by successful sheepgrOwer as follows
The seat OF the Ombrz is in the NAV, which. In the
| last stage is filed with myTads OF hairlike reddish
| brown worms. From being In good condition, the
lamb gradually drOops and dies III a few weeks. This
decadence Is sometimes more RAPID, the nose
| meanwhile being white. the eyes dull, and
, | the ears droopmg." Many theories have been
, | advanced TO account for the lOmbriz. The
most intelligent opinion however seems 20 be that the
worm is parasite and that, like other varieties OF
worms infestng living animals il IS the product OF an
the lambs IL has been the means OF nearly destroying
ocks and has also deferred others frOm engaging In the
business. An ecent remedy has been found consisting
OF coppefas, salt and sulphur In equal parts, well
puverBed The dose for LAMB from threefourths TO
a full teaspoon One doses sufficient the A..
cOnd should be at an interval Of two three days
W. d. Parrish OF Boerne Texas is believe dis
eOverer of the remedy The people In this section a
majority Of whom are MeXicans, 10 labor
| 0nire more attention and labor than horses or cattle
though the profits here sheepIaisng much larger
than other stock The business be counted az
paying fully 80 per cent on the capital invested This
the estimate made by successful WOOlgr0wers Western
Texas Another great advantage here that the the
raising has over OF other stock H. that the
soldiers and citizens do not the Rio Grande, and
steal them as they do horses and cattle The mesquit
timber forms very good protection 20 Ocks during cold
storms OF seet rain storms, which, however, are un
| frequent here
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