The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1877-09-14

Wo we eks ago. there was no Gro,
growing except cotton and sugar cane
the wheat had been harvested S.,
weeks before and the corn was as ripe
and dry as ours is in December, the1
let it stand and do not husk it unit
cold weather. The cotton crop is man
aged similar to our corn crop; the
ground is plowed and narrowed, ther
marked in rows two feet apart one
way, the seed is then planted in con.
tlnuous string along these rows, one
seed in place, when it is up thew
so through it with a hoe, and chin i;
out to one vine every six or eight
inches, they then work init with a cul.
tvator the same as we do corn; these
vines grow from three to five feet hieh
according to quality of soil and care
and attention which it receives; it
does not require any more attention
than corn does until picking time,
which commences about the middle Of
August and continues until frost sets
IN. 1t blossoms and ripens until along
towards December; they go through It
and pick the ripe pods every week or
as often as they can get around. Co..
ton IS the boss crop Of Texas. The
two principal objections to Texas are,
too mnch hot weather and terrible
poor water. 4 did not have a good
drink of wats kwhile in the state, and
suffered terKiely with thirst; YOU
may drink as m6cA,of the warm, insip.
id stuff as you can holdsand it will not
que1ch your thirst. I went out to the
San Pedro springs, a short distance
from San Antonio, expecting to find
some nice wa ver-everybody said. 20,
the wafer there is cold''- and actual
y it was milk warm; I never was 50
disguised in lly life; suppose it does
seem cold to the natives.
l was at San Antonio along from the 9Th
20 tbe 10th of August, aud this is the kind
OF weather we had: O'Clock a.. m. mer.
Guy 80 IN shade, 2 o'clock p. m. go
. o'clock p. m. 90o, III was the same day
a Ter day; if there was breeze il was hot
there was nothing ezhi1irating or re-
es1iog about il. Itelly you they have too
much Of that kind Of weather FOR me. I
cld not complain so much of the heat as
Ire peop1e who lived there did-.;hey had
had so much Of It That they were all worn
out. San Aotonio has a populat ion OF
about 10000; it is The oldest civ I ever
saw. or ever e. )ect 10 see-i; is over 200
yea ole; it looks lise the picture OF some
3{the cis4es in Spain. Tue Alamo, where
be ollaot Crockett end his brave death
defyioy comrades were slaughtered bv
6alta Anna aod bis Mexicaa hirel:ngs,
was bai't in 1720-l57 years ago; il is a
queer looking cd si.uc.ure. The build
'n5s are built OF some Kind OF stone and
p'as'eGed on The outside; tley re Only one
story h:ea1; tue streets are regular COW
patbs, IN }5son,e places they are not mora
.Don 20 feet wide, then the same streets
Will widen out 10 The width Of SO or SO
aod in some places 100 feet, then narrow
up again, Two-tbilds of the Inhabitants
axe MeSicaos, and TIE civ derives its main
suppo:tfsom Mexico. People do not go
10 bed at al, / guess, in that city; they
axe riding and walking all night; there are
leo t'mes as many on the streets at IL
o'clock at night as there are at noon; you
40 not see amy women on the streets in
lbe day time, k)ut The sidewalks are lined
with them all njght-(ho,nest women too,
Tor all know to the contrary Most of
lhe MexicaDs clio not have any floor in
her houses, they seem to prefer the bare
clay. :
Tue whole Of southern Texas is The
mosi dilapidate0 country I ever saw, and
yhe farm houses and buildings are 1ickety
worthless looking things; I did not see a
house outside OF the tow MS that I would
axe my family il ito 70 live, and The own
ers OF these samte places are rich. The
southern cites der ANY, of them present
ne same appear aDce tllat our northern
cities do. You will see any quantity of
houses that must have ce,st from 5000 to
3d. 600, without any shlnbs, trees, grass
Or anything 10 ma lie thena attractive: their
'front.' yards will bte as la re as the middle
u the stleet-lOok more like brick yards
han anyJbi ing else !. Thes northern portion
d the state is ia r different, it is settled
with people from the n fo1th and they dis
play the northel u Mercy, have their
places fixed up nix e and look Thrifty. Dali
as, Sherman, Fori Worth and Denison are
all OF them thrivir lg lies, have splendid
MI sd ox1l oil rs