The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-07-29
THE Ell PAsO VALLEY.

A fine description of the FL Paso
valley. its climate and its products
is given in letter from DIR. E. Alex
ander TO Judge Crosby, of Houston.
The letter was printed in the Post.
1t says:
The soil is loose. dry and warm
sandy loan, and being formed from
the foundations of the stream
through ages past, is of great depth
and inexhaustible fertility. Portions
of il occupied by communities of
Pueblo Indians have been cultivated
for centuries without the use of any
fertiliZing material, and have appar-
emily lost none of their fertility.
The process of irrigating with the
muddy water of the stream acts a a
cheap and constant fertilizer. while
at the same time securing the crops
against the contingency of drOuth
so common i'll other countries.
The farmer is not annoyed by the
fear of lOng-continued dry seasons.
He commands the water for his
crops just at the time needed, and
never loses his labor for lack of rain.
The climate is semi-tropical. and
fruits and vegetables. what it is i'm
possible to produce farther north of
here, grow to perfection and i'll the
greatest abundance. The summers
are long, and two crops Of the ce-
reals can generally be grown upon
the same land each season.
Wheat, barley and corn are adapt
ed TO the soil and grow well; while
of fruits there is an endless variety.
The finest of apples. peaches, pears,
plums, apricots and figs are the lead
ing varieties; pecans can be profita-
bly, grown.
Grama grass on the adjacent plains
is abundant, and furnishes good pas
turage for herds, free of expense,
while on the bottom land the alfalfa,
or Chilian clover, grows in the most
prOfuse abundance, and is cut five
or six times year, affording a cheap
and excellent hay. Many work ami
mails are never given any other food,
and upon it they work hard and
keep fat. 1t is estimated that sin
gle acre of alfalfa will keep fat three
horses the year round.
By far the most important product
of the valley is the grape. 1t is the
Old Mission variety, introduced by
the Spaniards, and will, in the future,
be q source of great wealth. 1t is,
without eXaggeration. the best table
grape in the world, finely favored
and very sweet. The wine made
from it is already famous under the
name of FL Paso wine. This indus
try is yet in its infancy. With the
experience of a few years more the
quality will be greatly improved.
The wine will shortly take its place
along with the Spanish, French, Ger
man and other celebrated wines of
the world
The brandy distilled from the
grape is of superior quality, and
commands good price, though, as
in the case of the wine, the proper
manufacture is not vet thoroughly
understood. From some twelve
thousand vines, four thousand gal
Ions of wine and one thousand gal
Ions of brandy can be made.
The vines are planted in rows
about seven to eight feet apart each
way, an acre accommodating about
nine hundred vines.
Each vine, after arriving at matur-
ity (from three to four years., will
yield from half a gallon to gallon
of wine; and from the pulp left from
the wine press, brandy is afterward
distilled. No trellis or other sup
port is used, the vine being trimmed
every year and then allowed to
spread at will. In this way g strong
trunk is soon formed, which supports
the shoots and keeps the clusters off
the ground.
Besides the productions already
mentioned, we can also grow the
finest vegetables. Most of our vege-
tables grow larger and better than
elsewhere, and our onion cannot be
excelled.
Every acre of land bought now
and put in vines will be worth five
hundred dollars in five or ten years.
There are vineyards in the valley
from five to ten years old, which
cannot be bought at the latter figure,
and they would be cheap at the
price, as they pay as handsome in
terest on capital of twice that
amount per acre. Labor can be pro-
cured for fifty cents per day and
board. Taxes are extremely light.