The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-09-01
OUR STATE.
Her Soils, Tinbsrs, Climate and
Resources.
A Suooinct Statement of her Various Sec
tions, and the Adaptabilities of Each,
with Remarks More Particu-
arly In the Farming
Interest.
Homes Unsurpassed by any offered In any
Section of this Country or il,e World.

In the necessarily limited space Of news
paper article we can scarcely do oven pass
ing Justice to theme so grand, state SO
wonderful in its resources and its capaci-
ties, as Texas, OF any area of territory
greater than many of the richest and proud
est Kingdoms of Europe, and with a diver
sity of soil variety of climate, richness
and multiplicity of productions, and with
mineral and timbercd resources ineXhuusti-
bic, We can truly say that Texas is marvel
ously endowed with all the gifts that go to
make a country great and prosperous
Texas is situated between latitude y de-
grees so minutes and 80 degrees 30 minutes
north, and longitude 03 degrees 30 minutes
and LOG degrees ~ minutes west; the great
est length of the state being something over
800 miles, and the greatest width about 100
miles. The area amounts to 274,356 square
miles, or l15,5S7 $40 acres of land. When
we consider that the state has "a 900 square
miles of territory more than the Austrian
empire 700 more than the German en-
pire; 10000 more tkan France is twice as
large as Great Britain and Ireland to-
gether: is 100000 square miles greater
than all the eastern and middle states in
Guiding Maryland and Delaware is six
times larger than New York seven times
larger than Ohio four times larger than all
the New England states, and contains 49,
900 square miles more than Ohio, Indiana
Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin-wlen
we consider this, we can form something
like an adequate idea of the size of the state
Texas is cut up into 226 counties, the most
Of them of the constitutional dimensions of
thirty miles square, though some are much
larger-as large indeed as some of the states,
,,t H., .,,,..l
Pecos counties, each of which is more extern
sive than the state of Maryland, twice rs
large as Massachusetts and nearly three
times the dimensions of Connecticut.
In an article of the nature of this one it is
unnecessary to speak of the history of the
state moro than in u general way
More different flags have waved
over it, and it has known more
varied governments, than any other state in
at first, and then, coming under the rule of
the Aztecs, it passed under Spanish sway to
60 thence under Mexican rule. There were
no Americans in Texas to amount to any
thing until Stephen Il. Austin
colonized it under grants from
the Mexican government. Without
entering into the details of the sufIerings
and privations of the Austin colonists, suf-
flee 1t to say that impositions by the Mexi-
can government became so frequent and so
unbearable that they appealed to arms and
achieved their independence at San Jacinto,
but not until after the gallant Fannin and
his men had been betrayed and butchered
Mt Goliad, and the Alamo, with its intrepid
defenders had fallen, drenched with the
blood of patriots, and given to time such
such immortal names as Travis Bowie and
Crockett, As an independent republic Texas
remained rising young star on the horizon
of nations until 1915, when she was annexed
to the United States and became state in
the Union. The battle of San ,Iacinto was
insignificant in the matter of Plumbers, and
can rank as little more than a skirmish in
the number of men killedand wounded, but
in importance of results il stands side by
side with the decisive battles of the world
and Waterloo itself did not achieve more.
il gave to the United States government
Texas, ard all that territory em-
braced in California, Oregon, New
Mexico, and Arizona, but in
Texas alone he grandeur of the acquisition
to the American Union is beyopd estimate.
GENERAL FEATURES.
The state may be designated as an in
Clined plane. Commencing at its northern
boundary, it gradually descends to the
gulf. What is known as north Texas, EN-
braces, we may say, that tier of counties OK
tending along the northern boundary from
east TO west, and about four deep This is
mostly a prairie country, though il is tim
bered sufficiently for fuel and fencing pur-
poses This is the famed wheat region
the, great granary of the state. The soil is
black .waSy or back-sandy ON the prairies,
rich alluyial along the rivers and creeks,
and occasionally light-sandy in the timber
belts. phis land is easy of cultivation when
once it has been taken in, and yields most
abundantly of wheat and the other small
grains, corn and cotton. The yield of wheat
for all this region is estimated at twenty
bushels per acre. though with proper pre-
paration 1t will yield much more bounti-
fully. The other small grains reward the
husbandman most generously, oats produc-
ing as high as 10 bushels per
acre, though we should say that eighty
bushels per acre was an average
yield one year with another. Corn is cSti-
mated at an average of forty bushels to the
acre, but this is based upon the loose and
negligent manner of cultivation that pre-
walls az q rule The farmer here has no
great want for corn. His wheat breads him
aud but little is required for his farm ami
mails and what other stock he has finds u
generous living on the open prairie around
him throughout the year, There isvery little
market for corn II he has a surplus, so he
givesth bulk OF his labor TO his cotton
crop. In view of these facts We believe that
with proper cultivation corn would average
sixty bushels TO the acre throughout north
Texas. Cotton produces more than the
planter can pick out each year, the amount
being saved varying from half u bale to a
bale and half per acre, rs the weather may
be prosperous for picking or surplus labor
communicable. Besides corn and the other
cereals and cotton, all the vegetables
b and fruits are raised In abundance in north
Texas. Apples are produced with less sat
iisfaction than the othor species OF fruits, but
by experimenting and constant effort some
varieties have become acclimatcd to u de-
gree to grow very well. There is one gem
tleman In Dallas county who by grating on
the wild rod haw bush hus succeeded IN pro-
ducing apples not only abundantly,
but of Nnl most excellent quail
ity. 1T Is not our design, however, in
speaking Of the general features of the state,
itaking d section ut u time, to enter into de-
tails Of climate, soil ind productions, con-
tenting ourselves with simply cursory out
EASTERN TEXAS
1--we have our tirhbercd lands When we say
eastern Texas we do not use the words In a
specific sense, but TO Indicate that portion
OF the country from north to south that lies
along the eastern boundary line, UP TO the
prairie region. This portion of the state Is
heavily timbercd with all the varieties
known to the temperate zone. There we
find the long.loaf and short leaf pines, all
The oaks, hickory, the varieties of ash, black
walnut elm the gins--ct Id omno genus