The Hickman courier., 1877-06-29
TEXAS AND ITS CATTLE.
That the mn,issioner Sent omt 5y a
Leading Scotch, Journal says 1bOut
Them,

am now in Texas, and must do JUS
tieeto it. Few people in Great Britain,
when they talk or read of Texas, have an
idea that they are talking and reading of
a country about five times the size of
England, or of an area of over one hun
dred and seventy-fv millions of acres
to be exact, 175, ,5S7, $40. This wonder
full country" forms the southwestern
point of the United States, lies between
twenty degrees and thirty-six degrees
northern latitude, ard returns the roll of
the genial gulf of Mexico for about 400
miles. From east to west it measures 500
miles, from north to south 700. A
very large extent is rolling" prairie
and woodland lying n an elevation Of
under thousand feet, hnt.st.tl47es'-s-e.
an izs-z--@t5fe lana 2 COO TO
5000 feet above sea level, the highest
point being 1896 feet. Its climate has
been the subject Of much diversity of
statement Some say they would not
change it for any other climate in the
world others hold that it is unfit for
the habitation of white men. As far as
| can learn, the "mean OF these two
extremes would come pretty near the
truth. In a country lying between the
frozen and tropical regions it is certain
that the climate will be characterized
by rapid changes of heat and cold, and
probably these rapid changes are the
worst features Of the climate of Texas, IS
well as the northern states of the Union.
The middle states have more equability.
Both in summer and winter it IS. warm
in Texas, except when a norther"
sweeps down upon it (the Texans have
little love for anything hailing from the
north), and then the atmosphere is chilly
as long as the north wind lasts. Some
times, in the space of five or six hours,
the thermometer will fall from 50 or $50
when 6 norther springs up suddenly.
In this beautiful little town of about
thirty thousand inhabitants, and all
along the coast, the heat is tempered by
a constant breeze from the gulf, and the
thermometer seldom exceeds ST de-
grees in the shade; but in the in
terror the heat is often very intense
much too intense for white men to labor
in the height of the day. Snow falls oc-
casionally, but never lies more than q
few hours, while winter often passes with
out the pools ever being coated with
ice. Vegetation begins very early and
several varieties of fruit and other gar
den produce have been in use fora couple
of weeks. On the whole, it must be ad-
mitted that the climate of Texas in
spring and summer is. notconducive to
health, as may be imagined from the
fact, that with the view of checking the
spread of fever and such contagious dis
eases, Texan cattle are prohibited from
crossing the Red river into the northern
states during these seasons.
The population of Texas in 1860 was
not much over 100000, in 1870 it was
little under 500, 900 and since then the
increase must have been very great.
Long after several of the eastern states
were settled by Europeans the wild
ranges that now form Texas were the
Joint domain of numerous races of In
dians, the wild horse, the buffalo and all
kinds of prairie game. A colony of Span
iards planted in Mexico three and half
centuries ago by Cortez gradually
spread eastward, embracing Texas shortly /
The first European settle
ment, however, (by body of English
men, composed mostly of men who had |
been already located in the eastern
states for some years), dates back only |
about one hundred and fifty years, the |
chosen spot having been San Antonio, |
one of the richest parts of the state.
Other white men gradually followed,
and soon wild wars arose with the Mexi- |
cans for possession, which ended in the
state being wrested from the lattcrin
1896, the ferty-frst anniversary of the |
surrender OF the last Mexican leader |
having been celebrated with great re-
ioicing in Houston the other week. |
Texas was annexed to the United States
in 1845, and is by far the largest state in
the Union.
Early in its existence Texas found nu-
merous writer's ready to bring its claims
before the immigrant, and,
of course, most of these authors (like the
of every other state in
America) went the length of declaring
that their subject of notice " possessed
" more advantages and offered greater
inducements 70 the industrious settler
than any other state in the Union"
Among the facts adduced by one writer
to prove this were these two-(1) "That
a COW can be raised in Texas at less cost
than chicken in any other place in the
United States; and (2) that more chill
dren are born in Texas in proportion to
the population than elsewhere, and more
in proportion raised to adolescence !"
But, after all it would seem that the
rich resources of Texas are only now be-
coming properly known, thanks to the
energies of those railway companies and
private individuals who have procured
possession of large portions of its land,
and advertised it or sale on favorable
terms. Probably "mean " may have to
be struck in this also.
The total area under the various kinds
of farm crops-Indian corn, wheat, rye,
oats, barley, potatoes and hay-in 1875
was about 1, 100000 acres; the area un-
der Indian corn being about 100000;
under wheat, 100000, and hay, 10000
acres. Indian corn yields an average of
40 bushels per acre, which, according to
the market rates of 1875, were worth
e3 As; wheat averaged Is bushels, worth
"a IS; rye, IS bushels, worth e3 los;
oats, 80 bushels, worth 94 12s; barley,
80 bushels, worth e5 12s; potatoes, 100
bushels, worth e24 IS, and hay, about
one ton, worth e3.
On the 1st of January, 1876, the num-
Der of cows in the state was 500, 100, and
their estimated value about e3 a head
oxen and other cattle, more than
., 2,343, 700, but were worth only e1 l8s.
on an average; sheep numbered ,691, 400,
4 o. Il