The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-07-03
:
TEXAS.
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From an interesting lstterin tho St.
Paul Press, from the pen Of its editor,
Mr.. Wheelock, describing recent trip
through Texas, we make the following
extract: /
The wheat-winter wheat Of course
was already headed out in all this
section on May 10th, though the sea.
son Was very late. I noticed that the
straw was very short, hardly moro than
fifteen OF eighteen inches high, and
that the head Vas also dwarfsd by the
same cause, doubtless tho want of rain
in the Fall and Winter. The corn Vas
not more than fifteen inches high, ex-
oept few fields south of Dallas, whore
il had almost matured, the corn being
in the "silky ear" on stalks four OF Eve
feet high. It seemed somewhat ,singu.
lar that iu soil, 80 evidently stored
with all the elements of exuberaut fer
tility under the stimulating heat Of a
semi'tropical sun, and which they tell
us produces a bale of cotton to the acre
and corresponding results through the
whole range Of cereals, the display Of
vegetation should be on 50 compare
lively diminutive a scale. The same
dwsrfed and meagre growth was notice.
able in all the tress Of the country.
From this feound soil aud feryid sun
one might have expected to see repeat.
ed the colossal exuberanoe Of vegetable
and forest growth which is witnessed on
the Pacific slope. But the trees are
surpassed even BY those of Minnesota,
which are by no means prodigious, and
its wheat, corn and garden vegetables
certainly would not shine in an agri.
cultural fair by comparison with our
similar productions, either as respects
the stalk or fruit. This is said to be
owing to the long drouths which aflict
tho country. This, indeed, is one Of
the drawbacks of Texas, and another is
the freezing and desolating "Norther"
which Is liable at any season to inter.
zupt the afternoon slesta of tho Texan.
sweating in the sulsry Southern breeze,
to plunge him into = cold bath without
. moments notice, and to keep him
oscillating in round Of linen wrappers
and WOODEN overcoats, between a sweat
and q shlver.
For this reason Texas is not a healthy
climate. What between the long dry
season and the "Northsrs," Texas is by
no means so good q country for pastur-
ago for cattle as is popularity supposed.
OF the immense herds that Fill the
ranches Of Western Texas, tens of
thousands persisted last Winter from
these causes, especially from the want
of water. The cattle themselves are of
an inferior breed, whose substance runs
chiefly into horns. For they do not fat
ten on the Texas grasses-which serve
to keep them moderately alive in GER
tain seasons but are too thin and in
nutritious to fatten them. Texas, in
fact, supplies nothing but the skeletons
Of the cattle. They are driven north
to Missouri to acquire the supply Of
meat and fat necessary to fit them for
market. With all its vast herds of
cattle, Texas is absolutely destitute Of
dairy products. f'or the small.udaered
COWS give no milk except to their
calves, and the ranch system of wild
pasturage is such that good mich COWS
could not live under it. For the ranch
eros, who are generally q vagabond set,
are quite incapable of such methodical
industry as is involved in the regular
milking of cows, and as any good breed
would soon perish unless thus regularly
cared for, they prefer the degenerate
dried'up Spanish long-horns which need
no such care.
Nevertheless, these skeleton frame
works Of beef are so cheaply reared on
the immense plains of Texas, where
they multiply by tens OF thousands,
that they form an important source Of
supply for the cattle markets of tho
North. The standing prices of these
creatures at Shermaa or Dallas are at
the rate of "a for every year of their
ages up to FIVE or six. Thus q year.
ling is 81; two-year.old, 50; and
three-year.old, $12, and so on. The
little mustang ponies and horses of the
country are equally cheap. The prices
Of ponies range from SIS to $40, and
Of the lsrger.sized horses, weighing 800
or 900 pounds, $40 to $50. A good
many fine looking horses of the better
common American breeds were to seen.
On asking the average prices of these,
l was told that they could be generally
bought for $10O-or for $120 "if the
title was guaranteed,"f The explana.
ton of this phrase is to be found in tho
fact that the country is overrun with
and it is very far from
certain that the possessor of horse is
tia 1avfr,l ovnn,