The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-05-24
From Texas.
Big SPRINGS, Tex, May 12.

Big SPRINGS, Tex, May l2.
Probably no state in the Union is under
going more rapid transformation thar
Texas. Farms are being successfully cul
tiyated where not more than five years age
II was thought that nothing but grass
would grow, and the cowmen who former
" were veritable lords of this part of crea
ton, are moving on, going farther west
even into Old and New Mexico-anywhere
to get out of the way of the new corners
and where they can find good range and
plenty of water. If these immigrants were
only cowmen like themselves the case
would be materially different, as they
would know how to meet competition IN
their own line, but when it comes to seeing
man sit down on small patch of sec.
ton of land, and worse than all to see him
cultivate few acres more or less, they are
fairly bewildered, and there Is nothing In
order but TO yamose the ranch and go west
or north, anywhere to get out of sight OF
the detested pillow.
One of the COW men said to me last
week "Weve had to get out of the way OF
the Methodist parsons with their psalm
books and dicipline how the grangers are
coming down upon us, destroying the best
grass God ever made and are going to
crowd us out | reckon I'll cut the draw
and 90 to Mexico" and yet this man had
not neighbor within 20 miles.
The traditional Texan and cowboy that
%e' read Of are fast disappearing, and are
becoming so changed as to present no
marked peculiarities or characteristics ma
terially different from our own stockmen'
They have sort of free, easy, "devllmay-
care" style about them that to me is rather
attractive than otherwise, and ! have rare
" met one that was not intelligent, social,
quick witted and decidedly companiona.
bic. Occasionally, however, when in town
they get FULL" and then they are "bad
medicine" sure. They will ride furiously
all over town, whoop and yell like an In
dian, pull their revolvers on the slightest
provocation, and raise the devil generally
/ have seen none of these displays myself
so far, except some samples of their riding
and have heard some of their yelling, but
am told that these free exhibitions are oc-
casienally given to undelighted audiences
BY cowboys is meant, of course, the EN-
n1oyes or herders. The owners are COW
men. and these, as well as the sheep men
are SO far as have met them, uniformly
keen, shrewd, often well educated and cul
tivnted gentlemen, Accustomed as they
are TO owning stock by the thousand head
to handling and expanding large sums OF
money, to consider ten thousand acres Il
small pasture, to riding long distances
across wide unbroken prairies their ideas
are naturally on large and liberal scale
and of course there Is nothing small ol
mean about them. Ordinarily they make
sharp bargains, but if they do get left there
is no whining Theirs is surely manly
occupation, Invested of everything effemin
ate and though when on the rancho o.
drive, away from the amenities of socia
life, they may wear coarse clothing and
acquire rudeness and roughness of speech
when In town and especially in the pres
ence of ladies, they look and act the gen
tleman.
In former letter said something about
farming out here Since then, on the I'll
of May, procured samples of wheat, rye
and oats from different fields at Marienfeld
which are now on my table and measure
as follows Oats, 10 inches; wheat Is to 81
inches rye, 30 to AZ inches. This surely
is encouraging, and goes far towards veri
flying the opinion of Father Peters anc
others that crops do not need as much rair
here as In other localities as the ground ].
said TO retain moisture longer In this thar
In other soils Rains have been super
abundant In the eastern half OF the state
while here there has less fallen than usua
Father Peters told me he had no doub
whatever as to their success in farming
and has now gone to St. Louis to procure |
.hresher and to make arrangements for the
erection of Touring mill at Marienfelt
this fall.