The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1874-06-11
Letter nom Fror nsss,sr. s..,s e.srs-
Is cANr Elour 1Turs East o. BnruoSn. F,
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Is CAAIP EIaHr RItERs East o. Bnruoxn.
June !, 1874.
Editors D1mocyafic .Statcmaa- Fo-nors
row We start for Leon county. Here. where
We now are isa beautiful little prairie called
Herds, and about eight miles farther east.
is another called Heads, in both Of which
brown coal occurs in large beds. AIr. David
Barclay, near whose house We are cncamped.
has lately dug a well nincty-thrce feet deep.
At the depth Of thirty-six feet cod was
struck and a bed four and half feet thick
passed through. thence downward sixteen
feet through soft sand rock, which makes
good wali for the we'll, 4 compact
fire clay was met four feet thick at the
base Of which, and ai depth ct
about sixty feet from the surface q rcmaika-
bly, hard bed Of coal was found, through
which the DIGGING mas more difficult than
any OF the strata above This bed IS
thirteen and half feet thick. Still down,
ward into a soft sand rock, spoeked with
grains OF coal to the depth Of nincly-two
feet from the surface, water was obtained.
but in limited quantities, only sufficient lor
cooking purposes and for the family. Mr..
B. says he viii dig deeper. II so. he may
find another bed Of coal, which the strata
above indicates. Mr. Barclay informs me
that Mr.. Lombard. president Of a Chicago
caal company, lately visited him, and nr.,s
nounced the lower bed Of coal at his well
to be of excellent quality mitch superior
to what he expected to tind
This and other things which / hale al-
ready published in the STATESMAN and cise-
where prove conclusigely that the ter.
tIary Goals Of Texas, especially these
Of Robertson county, are very valua,
bic for all practicable purposes
allude to these because many are still
dishelievers in their practical utility.
and even af the State Fair at Houston ia
1873, a committed decided that the brown
Goals from Robertson county and clsow here
on exhibition were not Goals.
After the anthracite Goals Of pcnnsylvania
had been discovered and attempts to utilize
them had been first made, II took about
twenty years to cause them TO be used la
quantities sufficient for commercial puf,
poses, and it was not until 1912 that the
first anthracite ofstone coalwu successfully
burned to warm houses and propel nsachin.
cry in Philadelphia.
About mile from Mr.. Barclays, IA dig.
ging well, few years ago, at the depth
Of about twenty feet, a bed Of coal was
struck and dug into to the depth of fifteen
feet. when the we'll was abandoned. IN
various directions from Mr. BARCLAYS other
wells have been abandoned from the same
cause-generally, however, without az
tempting to pass through the coal for ceal
is truly considered as Indicating that I'M.
pure water win be obtained but ia some
instances, in sand, rocks OF sand strata be-
low the coal, good water occurs
Time and space will not admit ol a de-
tailed description of the different places at
which coal occurs in Robertson. This
must be done in a general report. Iron ore
of both the red and brown hemafite garie-
ties, and good quality is quito abundant on
Mr. Barclays place aud others IN that Vicin-
ity. Here is also fire or pottors clay Ia
large quantities.
This region is superior for fruit. Peaches.
grapes, pears, apples, plums, cherries and
the small fruits thrive we'll AT Mr.. Rnh
erts's place, in Bremond, whose-faruis 81
the edge of the town, saw ripe cherries
of the Morillo variety. There are few
farmers in the South who have rs good
buildings and Improvements as he The
southern farmer does not Iced the large
barns and out-buildings required az the
North to store feed and give shelter %
stock. At Mr. Roberts place, also, was
fne display Of roses aud other flowers
among which first saw Mrs. R.-slo owns
Mr. 1anies Ealt7
Cultlfdtpu g 1Ntut mr. iilla tl'fIt iut more
than twenty years, states that he has never
failed TO make "a. cfop Of corn, that his
least crop has been fifteen bushels 70 tie
acre, and his average crop thirty bushels %
the acre, and OF cotton thrcofourths Of
bale. The cotton worm does not molost the
a.
crop is always made when the seed i8 properly
planted and the plant we'll titled. Tho
small post.oak land farms, or rather up.
lands, whose prevalent timber Is the post
oak, pay better per cent. on the capital "a.
vested than the plantations on the bottom
lands along the Brazos river. The upianesa afc
mostly cultivated by white labor; The bot.
tom lands by negroes. The owners Of theur.
land farms work, and their children work
besides, they generally raise thcif own sup
plies for family use, with the exception Of
sugar and coffee. Not SO with the Bfazos
river planter; cotton Is bis main crop to
grow corn for market is seldom attempted
Negro labor, unless well watchcd Is unrclI-
able. The negroes. for the support of
themselves and families, depend upon lit
1 planters, from whom supplies ia advance
are often drawn This system. last year.
was disastrous to many Of the planters 81
Robertson county. Money Wns lost instead
of made. Some assert that the upland
farmer, with his own fruits, vegetables
meat, bread, butter, milk, etc., has more ol
the comforts Of life than many Of the largo
planters
At Squire Moore's place at Hfemond Il
large field Of the finest oats have seen 81
Texas. He and others estimate ihal i
will yield about fifty bushels 20 tho
Having had some experience iu oai CULTURE
think forty bushels 70 tho acre VIII n1I 81
at least too high an estimate. a large rcf'
tion Of them are five feet high ond YcI
thick on the ground. This oat ie|f, w
Others promising large yields nDar BIcuona
prove that oats viii do well here
Moore has fine hogs Of the Befk shire tIc.
Improved stock of every description IS 4
ing introduced into the county FIeE
siyc improvements Of cgcr3 Kind are lInl
rapidly made.
Hero, IN the midst Of q ihickly rcItIta
giOn, five years ago locations were made b,
the first settlers who now haze large Hel
in cotton, corn, etc. Amuch larger af1 81
corn Than last season has been planted f
tins county, and the late rains ainlos'
an abundant crop.
Prof Burleson viii join as to-day. W
tomorrow We start for Leon county
s. b. BctEff
State otoIcrI