The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-08-07
The ola =asarsna cstton Region
4n;cacEu cyan.


n representative q the STATESMAN.
who has lRtelY spent several days In
Fort Bend, Wharton and Matago-ds
counties, repaits the crop of cotton
there the best tina. h been made since
1862, when there were unparalleled
crops of all kinds. Cotton in Fort
Bend and Maiagnri2 might be regard
Ell es ell that cau'i be desired uatll
the plantations on on Ctaey, in
Wharton county, are seen. Here the
growth and production is unsurpassed
in all the history OF that remarkably
productive region. There has been
but little rain to make such crop; in
fact in April, when hesyy rains fell all
over Texas, in some places making
great floods, not more than one and q
half TO two inches of rain fell on O d
Csney. There have been only few
light showers since then, such as have
fallen elsewhere over the S;ste, but
STRENGTH OF SOIL,
with the abundant uews, with only
ordinary cultivation. have resulted
in. a growth that would produce
an ecstsey of delight in the mind of
any farmer in Travis county. The COT
ton in this remarkable section, once 4
vast and luXuTiaut canehrake, will
mske from one to 10 bales TO the acre.
This reporter was presented with two
stslks OF cotton gr~wE near Wharton,
which are now somewhere on the way
to Austin, one OF which contained
when tskea from the earth over
80 perfect bOlls with prospect
tor the Immediate formation OF at least
100 more; the other containing over
l4O bolls, with even better prospect
than the other. Thesetwo stalks were
fully seven feet high, and there are
many fields on Caney where the aver
age Is as good rs ihese specimens. The
fruit is large and heavy, and the staple
unsurpassed. No worms are in the
cotton and exemption from this de-
stroying pest is all that is needed to in.
sure similar crops on Caney or Oyster
creek or the lower BrsZOs any wear.
The corn crop is not comparatively so
good as the cotton crop. Some fields
that have been we'll cultivated have
made from so to 20 bushels 10 the acre,
while others fall far short of this. The
pastulsge in the bottoms of the Colo
RADIO, Bernard and Brsz7s rivers is very
fine, and on Bay and Mound prsirles
there is enough fine grass now growing
to winter, if saved,
EVERY ANIMAL IN THE STATE.
Many herds of cattle are ue,ng driven
from the sc0rchgd regions to these
beautiful green prair!es, where they
will be saved from death and
become fatted cattle fitted for
the choicest meat markets. Il
would not he proper to dispose of this
subject without telling of what this
sccuon has done in the past. Our
Oldest inhabitants remember the terri
bly, dry periods OF years long gone by.
Stock died throughout Western Texas
for lack Of fcoi and water. In 1851
and 1852 no corn WAS made in vast
region of Texss, and yet on Old
Ctney, with dry weather too, album
dant crops were male. Tire people
came there from I'll sections
TO GET BREAD,
and it was called Egypt, and one
section OF Wharton county still bears
this name. AS stated before, nothing
but the cotton worm has stopped the
advance of this country. Before the
war wild land was sold as high as $50
per acre. Failure in any crop had
never been known, but dcmoralzed
labor induced the abandonment of
many rich plantations that have now
gone to decay. These old plantations
are growing richer every year, and
fhara 10 q f,,tura for fb;o
GRAND FARMING REGION
that is not dreamed of. Cane pro-
duces as much as three hogsheads of
sugar on these lands, corn often yields
more than 100 bushels per acre, and
oats, millet, clover and many of the
grasses yield as much to the acre as
anywhere else IN the wide world. Fort
Bend county lstely came in competI-
ton with the other counties of Texas
at the genealogical exhibition in Hous-
ton and took the
PRIZE OF 800
for the best and most comprehensive
display of farm products, fruits. veg
etables, etc. In this Fort Bend ex-
hibit there were shown to he forty
seven varieties of timber growing in
the county. As a grass region, the
"Four Counties" as called, are unsur-
passed in any land, and in pssturage
alone these lands may be as valuable as
they were before the war for the pre-
duction of sugar and cotton. Already
it is attracting much notice. and a rail-
road is all that is required to open its
way once more to a grand future.