The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-11-29
TEXAS WOODS.
The Mesquite as n Paving Material-The
Forests of Texas.

'Attempts are being made in New Orleans
to make new street pavement Of Texas mes
quite, which is said to grow in Texas in great
quantity and is very durable. We prophecy
failure. This wood neither exists in large
quantities nor is it barely sufficient for heating
purposes, or durable, for, hardly dry it is de-
stroyed by worms and as brittle as glass.
Anyway. Texas should be economical with its
scan,y wood supply. "[-New York Volks-
Zeitung, End inst.
Whether New Orleans really wishes to make
an experiment with a pavement of mesquite
wood we do not know, but il the writer of the
foregoing announces the same as failure, and
when he says mesquite wood is unfit for paw
ing he pronounces an untruth. In Mexico
streets have been paved for over a CEN
fury with mesquite blocks and have
proved as extraordinary solid and durable,
and this it is supposed has induced the New
Orleans people to do likewise. Regarding
the qualities of the mesquit wood, of which
the writer says it is barely in sufficient guam
titles for frewood nor durable, he is decidedly
wrong; it is the best frewood and makes more
heat than the best oak, and hence is sought
after for that purpose, it is as hard as flint
when dry and as durable as any useful wood
if treated alike but is subject to the same laws
of decay if left to the sun, wind and weather.
If the self-constituted depreciation Of mesqut
wood will come to Texas we will give him an
idea of our ''poor" (?) supplies of wood.
Probably he has been here, come across the
prairies to San Antonio or some other city of
the west, then went back home and told what
he knew of Texas. These people generally
originate the wrong ideas of Texas and
and form the cause Of all wrong impressions
with which strangers are filled before coming
to this state. 1t is true there are parts of this
state where the wood supply is very scant, but
in what large country is it otherwise. Germany
has her Lueneburger heather plains, her sand
flats and her marshes, Russia her steppes,
Spain her Llano's, like Texas her praires.
With all these she has some very large for
rests of pine and oak that extend for hundreds
Of miles in all directions, from the Colorado to
the Sabine they can be seen. The live oak
reaches in impenetrable forests as far as five
miles from the coast, while an immense part
is covered by belt of red and black post
oak, and many other species of oaks. Hills
and valleys are covered with cypress, pecan,
walnut, elm, cottonwood and gigantic bur oak
Holly, ash, ceder, 'ligumu vitae" sweet gum
and Magnolias, the later only more an orna-
mental than useful in wood, though whole for
ests of it can be found. Mesquite covers
large area beginning Immediately in the Red
river counties and appears wherever the So
called crosstimbris, consisting of fine large
oaks in the northern part or wild oranges fur
Their south ceases to exist, in the west, the
mesquite grows in whole forests, but it is use
less to look for them near large citris where
it has been cut and only an aftergrowth en-
lists.
1t has once more become fashionable to
say all matter Of unkind detrimental and pre-
judicial falsehoods about Texas, but the time
is ill chosen, for Texas enjoys an extraordin-
airy prosperity and concerning its wood sup
plies can stand with any state in the union and
even is in condition to supply, Kansas, Ne
braska, parts Of Missouri, Iowa and illinois,
with wood Of all kinds.
ED. NorE.-As to the mesquite the Freie
Presse could have cited the fact that in early
days the cart wheels were made of mesquite,
and the pillow shares that cultivated this beau
tful valley. The writer quoted by the Freie
Presse notes fact about the mesquite wood
being eaten by worms, but this is only the case
when the wood is cut and allowed to remain
with the bark on. If stripped of the bark it
will last century and is proof against expo
sure and moisture. Ii is the most desirable of
woods, and the best pavement material now
in use.