The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-09-11
NORTHWEST TEXAS.
Actual Explorations of a Statesman Cor
respOndent-HighlyI Interesting
Ohsarvafions

Actual Explorations of a Statesman Cor
respOndent-HighIy Interesting
Observations,
COLORADO, TEXAS, September, T.
Your correspondent is just home
from tour of counties northwest of
Colorado, including Scurry, Kent,
Cara, Dickens, Crosby, Lubbock, Ter
ry, Lynn and Borden counties. Four
days OF the trip was on the plains, and
few of your readers, perhaps will be
ready to accept the proposition here
laid down, that that portion of the
plains travelled oyer embraced by far
the finest land seen by US. 1t is not
better for grazing purposes when con-
sidered in its crude state because of
the lack of water on the surface; but
the grass is far superior and great
deal more of it to the acre, while
every experiment In boring for water
on the plains has so far as we know
been quite successful.
At the Quaker colony in Crosby
county we found a thrifty settlement
of we'll do and intelligent farmers,
relying, you might say, almost en-
tirely upon their profits in farming,
They have few stock which they
fields are uninclosed. They are so far
Yellow Horse, two nearest streams,
that cattle from ranches on these
streams donot reachthem. AS one Qua
ker lady informed us there are four
teen families and-a-half, one old bach
elor constituting the half, and Sun
day school of sixty-six in number. A
good day school is in progress, presid-
ed over by Miss Lewis, graduate of
an eastern college. These people are
as happy and contented little band
as one would wish to see, so far
made up of good moral and relig-
ious families. This class
they cordially invite to come
and live among them Without regard
to their religious belief. They are not
sticklers even on the point of religion
so that the applicant for admission is
moral and well beloved. My friend
and witnessed their hospitality in the
family of Mr.. Paris Cox, the first set
tier there, and the founder of the col
ony five years ago. Every place has a
well of water, and none OF them run
deeper that eight feet, affording the
| purest quality of water. We saw
i growing and doing well Indian corn
rice, corn, sugar cane, millet, sweet
potatoes and vegetables of all kinds
| Water melons do well. One farmer
has set out five thousand trees of diff.
ferent varieties, ash, oak, pecan, cotton
wood and others. We saw some cot
tonwoods that had grown six feet
within the past IL months.
We passed over world of under.
sloped country, similar to this where
the colony is situated; but, of course
we did not appreciate its worth in the
wild crude state.
| Indians were reported to be in The
country. AS we were driving a pail
of lazy mules we felt secure from theil
depredations-they would not have
gone far after having stolen thos'
mules. Being in the country Of ante
lope and prairie chickens, we faret
well in camp. The buffalo had gone
north on account OF surface Watel
| drying up, SO we did not sight any.
Take this tour gentle reader, an(
especially visit the colony properly
| called Estacado, and my word for it
unless your ideas are in advance o.
the average man your eyes will b.
opened as to the resources of that vast
region, the plains popularly regarded
as the Great American Sahara, bu
destined to be, in cur opinion, tn
granary of the future