San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1885-02-05

not as an owner or renter OF barren,
snow. covered plains strewn with dead
and dying brutes, selling his four or
five-year when they do well totlp
the balance at 1000. The future star
mer" will sell at three for SGO-the
present sell at four for $50.
A few days ago i heard man de-
clare that il no had the power he
would make it II penitentiary offense
TO put pillow into the sod; but every
day now demonstrates the need oil
more plows in the sod, guided by in
dustrious and intelligent plowmen
and not by indolent and ignorant
mossbacks. Millions Of cattle and
sheep lie drifted about in their barbed
prisons, perishing and freezing, and
thousands lie dead on the bleak
plains because there were no plows
put into the soil. Ride along the rail
road and on every side the gaunt,
skinny carcasses remind us that we
have not had the pillow put into the
soil. Checked by the herder or wire
in their pitiable search for protection
and food, they tramp each other in
their madness, and every moan tells us
that the pillow has not been put into the
soil. Every bleat from the helpless
hocks tells us we wear their winter
coats but have not put the pillow into
tho soil. Every moan and every bleat
and every dead brute upbraids us for
our Incidence an inhumanity, and re-
minds Us that brutality is not yet ex'
tinct in man or he would not force
freezing and starvation upon a help
less creature designed for better ends
by n wise creation. A change is inev-
table. And it is pure nonsense for
the cattlemen to try to keep the far.
mer off the rich valleys and prairies OF
this fair congenial domain. They say
farming does not pay and citea few iso'
lated instances.of failures, and 1 re-
ply: The average indolent, careless,
wasteful, ignorant Texas farmer is
no criterion by which to arrive ut n
conclusion. Cotton, corn, oats, wheat
and millet, if faithfully and intelligent
ly cultivated, are reasonably certain
Besides these, fruits and vegetables
mostly flourish. If this is not a fact
how can we expect an increase ofpop.
ulation and wealth. Suppose man
owns county and employs ten her
ders, will the county ever grow rich
through cattle. raising alone? OF
course not. There will be no towns;
no roads, no stores-for what the
need of stores if there are no custom
ers7-no neutrality-suspicious. what
the need of farming implements if
there is to be no cultivation of the
soil? II it requires ten acres to steer,
and he sells at four years old for
thirty dollars. the yield per acre per
annum will be about seventy-fve cents
The proceeds of an average oat crop
of ten acres for one year would ex-
coed the proceeds of the grass for
twelve years. The same is true of
millet, corn, cotton, wheat, potatoes,
etc, etc. Suppose every second year
should be a failure, why then the yield
for one year of grain would equal the
yield of SIX years of grazing. When
we have more railroads, when we
have more cultivation of the soil,
when the valleys and rich prairies
yield up their treasure, when there are
ten thousand people in the county
instead of ten, then we shall have a
great and wealthy state.
What is the need of more people in
Texas if not to cultivate the soil? The
}prairies are covered with stock, and
there arc enough horses and railroads
to carry all people, stock and merchan
disc If the soil is not to be cultiva-
ted then weat are the end of our popu-
lation and wealth. But be not I'M
easy, there is industry, intelligence
and enterprise, and this glorious,
congenial and fertile domain will not
escape the eye of progress and civil
cation. p.