The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-08-29
TEXAS.
interesting Letter From Leonard z. Fer.
sythe, Esq, ah Old Citizen ofwhseIing,
for Many Years n Resident ofTexas.


for Many Years Resident ofTexas.
CHICAGO, August %, 1873.
Editors Of the Intelligeneer.
In compliance with your request to me
during my late visit to Wheeling, take
pleasure in furnishing you with some re-
liable information in regard 10 the great
State OF Texas, which for grandeur and ex-
tent Of territory surpasses any State inthe
Union, and is an empire in itself! 1t is
larger than Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and
New York and the six New England States
combined, having an erea Of 274,SG6
square miles, embracing more than l75,-
100000 acres OF US good land as can be
found in the world. In 1850 the popula-
ton was but 2l2, 500, in 1870 it had reached
sls,579, and in 1876 itapproximated 9,OoO,-
900, the annual emigration being about
one-quarter of a million, an increase Of
about 14l per cent!
K. CLIMATE.
The climate OF Texas Is varied from
semi-tropical to moderately temperate.
Snow and ice are seldom seen In the CEN
tral portion, and rarely, II ever, in the ex- |
IRENE South. In the northern part one
or two snow.falls during the winter, Of
from one to three inches in depth, Is usu-
ally expected; Occasionallya much heav-
ier fall OF snow is had, and ice from one to |
two inches in thickness is sometimes made.
The mercury rarely falls more than three
or four degrees below the freezing point,
and seldom continues that low more than
two or three days at time. Stock Craze
all the winter; field work can be done at
all seasons OF the year, and February is
regarded Us the proper time for planting
corn and other cereals. IN.
The extreme heat OF summer Is 90 TO 50 |
degrees, rarely rising to 100 degrees, while
in some OF the Nor them States, in the lat
itude Of st. Louis, it not unfrequently rises
to l04 degrees and even higher.
Our summers do not greatly differ from
those in the latitude mentioned, except in
that they commence earlier, generally in
May, and continue longer, generally until
the last OF September.
The summer heat Is so tempered by
cool and refreshing breezes from the sea-
coast, and the light winds which blow al
mVotSOutlluullN nun tiit huutll uilu Ncot1
as to render it far less oppressive than in
the Northern States. The nights are de-
lightfully cool and pleasant. Sunstroke,
SO frequent at the North and East, is al
most unknown here.
Texas possesses a large body OF rich soil,
which may properly be divided into three
grand divisions-the grazing, the timber and
the agricultural. Time will not permit me
to describe the divisions at present Il will
to do so in another letter.) One
great feature in the State Of Texas is the
fact that none OF the rivers are navigable
to any extent, and one Of the most objec-
tionable facts, in the settlement OF the
State, is the baneful effect OF the cold winds
or NortliTs which occur in the winter and
fall months. There are other considera-
tons too which obtain in all new countries,
such as the lack OF refined society, the alb
sence OF churches, schools, &C., but not
all these drawbacks, Texas Is
the best poor mans country in the world,
for there he can acquire home and make
a living with less laborthan any where else
on the face OF Mother earth. will take
pleasure on my return to Texas in furnish
Ing you with some additional facts in re-
gard to the Lone Star State, which, II you
think worthy Of publishing, you can make
known to your patrons through the me-
dunn OF your paper.
= Very Respectfully Yours,
2at y L. E. FoRsYTIrE.