The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-04-28
A GLIMPSE or TnE WEST.
The soil ana ProductIveness Of Some
or the Extreme western Counties

GLIMPSE or TnEwEsr.
The soil and PrOduetlveness Of Som,
OF the Extreme western Counties
In an interview yesterday with Mr.. Georg,
Lower, ofTyler, Texas, land commissioner o
the Texas & 81. Louis railway company
who 10 on his return from the western par
of the state, Pecos, Preside and othel
counties, where he has been for the past two
months making explorations and inspecting
land for his company, HERALD reporter
cleaned some interesting dats
concerning this almost terra incognita of oul
great state. these counties, this entire sec
ton indeed, is but sparsely settled and
awsits the developing influences and
processes of railroads rapidly approaching
Without giving the interviews in the stereo-
type form of interviews with questions end
answers, we will give Mr.. Lowers statements
as he made them. He said that during mis-
explorations he was the guest of Messrs.
Powell & Gage, live real estate firm of
Dallas, and general land lccators and con-
tractors for the locating the land grant of
the Texas & st. Louis railway. Mr.. Powell,
the gentlemanly and efficient land surveyor
for the firm, and who is now in charge of
two "outfts," with Mr.. S. A. Thompson,
chief assistant surveyor, were chaperones for
Mr.. Lower, who was privil eyed to ride on
horseback, in either of the wagons or to walk
when tired.
Mr.. Lower:is we'll pleased with Western
Texas, and says he found it much better than
he expected. Pecos and Preside counties
are excellent for stock, and with seasonable
rains the soil in the valleyr, bottoms and
even on some of the uplpnds is rich enough
to produce anything that will grow in that
latitude, and in the absence of rains irriga-
ton is made easy by means of ditches, which
are constructed ut very small expense.
PEcos COUNTY-ITs IRRIGATION.
Pecos county is irrigable and has the
facilities for it. Pecos Station is ITO miles
above Fort Concho. 1t has light sandy
soil, two to five feet deep which is very
productive for corn. Sixty miles above
Pecos Station comes Rooney's farm of about
20, 900 acres, very highly productive for corn,
yielding from fifty to sixty bushels per acre
in favorable seasons. Small grain, such as
oats barley and wheat, do exceedingly we'll,
but corn is the principal pro 1uct, command
ing an ave age price throughout the year of
$3.50. Irrigation is very easy as the land
has very uniform slope toward the river.
Comanche ere ok is q very fine stream of
Fort Stockton, arising from numerous
springs, several of which iun thousands of
gallons of water per minute. The lands
along this stream are very productive, the
soil is from three to six feet deep, being of
yellow, heavy loan; the subsoil is clay
with gravel, finding in some place blue clay
at depth of from four 10 six feet. On this
stream you will find the large and highly
productive farms of Me2srs. NJ. f. Corbitt
Frank Rorney,M. FORTS, F. w. Young and
many others.
The farmers along this stream raise corn,
wheat. barley and oats, and in the line of
vegetables this soil has no superior, raising
onions watermelons and beets Of an enor-
NOUS size. -Four to six beets often make one
bushel in weight and sometimes one beet
weighs from fifteen to eighteen pounds.
No cattle branches" are Immediately on this
stream, it being exclusively devoted 10 agri-
culture, although the county in general is
very excellent for grazing purposes, and
numerous herds of thousands may be seen
quietly grazing on its plains and hills.
PREsIDIo COUNTY IRRIGATION.
Preside, the county adjoining Pecos on
the west, is very rich and fertile for agricul-
ture and grazing, aud said to be rich in min
erals, but being a newer county and not so
much developed, i; yct in its infancy as per-
tains to irrigation, there being only two
streams, viz: "Ssn Salmon" and olympia"
creeks, on which irrigation has been intro
duced. Or San Salmon creek may be seen
the fine farm of Mr.. David
Murphy, as large Gf not the
larges,) as any in the state. This large and
highly productive farm is under an excellent
system ofirrigation, go that during the dry
months it can be irrigated at trifiing ex-
pense.
Adjoining Mr.. Murpby's is the farm o.
Mr.. Samuel Miller, which, although not SO
large, is fully as productive. There are
several other farms on this stream OF like
| character.
olympia" is a small stream of pure, cold
water, arising in and about Fort Davis.
There are several farms on this stream which,
although much less in acreage, are equally
as GOOD in production and fertilities.
Or the lands in the long and wide valleys
too distan. ifoul The streams, OK whelo there
are no streams for irrigation, il 10 the general
opinion OF scientists that an abundance. of
water can be had by digging at a depth of
from ~ 10 100 feet In these valleys can
be found the finest of all native grasses, viz:
white and black grsmms, and in some the
black mesquite, said TO be one Of the finest
grasses for cattle, also the 'prairie grass"
often growing from 2 to 6 feat high.
And The uplsnds, hills and sides Of
the mountains are covered with fine, short
grass, especially adapted to sheep as well as
for cattle.
The soil in the valleys and bottoms is
usually very rich, varying from q light grey
or chocolate 10 a heavy black loan. Or The
uplsnds and bills the soil is of light yellow
color, though much Of the soil on the up
lands is Of a light grey color.
The timber in Peces county is mostly
mesquite, and grows everywhere and found
in sufficient qusnti.ies for fuel. II Is equal
TO hickory for that purpose.
Considerable cedar and pine grows on the
hills and sides of the mountains snd is u ID
for roofing OF buildings; the walls IS q rule,
beiOg adobe. Timber in Preside Is much
more plentiful, there being mesquite, pine,
cedar and oak, the latter predominaiing. As