The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-05-23
ON THE STAKED PLAINS.
PROSPEROUS NEW WEST TEXAS.
Magnificent Crops of Growing Grain, Or.
chard and Vineyard Loaded with
Luscious Fruits, Happy and
Prosperous COlOnists.

MABIENFELDi May ~. - Editor
HERALD. knowing that the HERALD
takes great interest in the agricultural
development of the Staked Plains, |
send herewith ecord of recent visit
to that part Of the state. Grass is now
in most excellent condition and cattle
and sheep are fat and healthy.
The wool clip from Abilene TO Mid
land will amount to about 5000, 900
pounds and the greater part of it is now
stored at the different towns on the
Texas ~ Pacific railway. don't know
how tie stockmen may like 1t, but the
friend Of flowers will now find his para
disc on The Staked Plains. / counted
over 500 varieties in less than q miles
walk.
AT Abilene, Merkel and Sweetwater
found wheat, oats and Germ in prime
condition, and believe that the crop will
be larger this year than it ever has been
in the history OF West Texas. 1t is said
that In the counties Of Callahan, Taylor
Nolan, Coleman, Runnells, Stephens
and Jones there axe now over 25OOOO
acres in cultivation. FIGURING mills are
in operation at Baird and at Abilene,
Fruits and grasses are doing very well,
and pretty fair crop OF peaches may be
expected this year, At Lorraine, lOmiles
east OF Colorado City, q German colony
Is to be located during this month, and
it is expected that crop reports from
Mitchell county VIII be in order in q
year or two.
AT Big Spring | examined the little
farm OF MIR. Ben Boydstein. His corn
and oats were doing Well but his iruit
trees are in most promising condition,
and believe that he will get several
bushels of peaches from Une-y ear-old
trees.
Two colonization companies have pur-
chased some l,520,00 acres south of Big
Springs, and will begin TO bring in their
people 10 once.
A Sea- dinavian colony has located g
few miles north OF Big Springs. My
visit TO
MARlENFELD
was A most interesting one. Here I
found some 800 Germans who had built
up a snug little town aud farmed the
great Staked Plan in earnest. The col.
onists own about $4,000 acres, and have
in cultivation at the present time some
$500 acres in wheat, 500 IN corn, 500 i'm
oats, 800 in barley, 100 ia rye, 100 in cot
ton, 800 In potatoes and about au equal
quantity in sorghum, broom corn, mil
let, alfalfa, doHro, fruit trees and
grapes Some 1000 oI 5000 acres are und0r
fence. The livestock Of the colony con
slstS OF some 700 head Of cattle, most inn
proved mich COWS, some 800
horses, mules aud work oxen, ana
about 10000 sheep. visited
about 20 different farms. On the fields
OF Mr.. Fritz Sumner, Mic Schaffer ana
Ferdinand Hass, found the wheat in
most excellent condition, and am GER
tam the yield viii average 20 TO 80 bush
els per acre, and some parts of the field
will make more than that. AllJhe other
wheat will average Is to 20 bushels per
acre. Illinois swamp wheat and Georgia
red seem % DO the best varieties for this
section OF country. On The fields Of Rev.
Y, ii. Refers, august GOldkamp, II.
Haas, August Zonti and othors, found
the corn two feet high and growing
hnely. Rye, barley and oats look very
well, New potatoes and vegetables OF
every kind nave been on the table Tor
the last 10 days. a cotton patch of 70
acres, beluughgUo Mi matchbox, looked
as healthy as any / MAD Soon
further east. Some Of the farmers will
have grapes and peaches this year,
though none o. The plants are older
than two years. Ii may be said right
here THAI the only county in the state
that made anything like complete
agricultural exhibit At the New Orleans
exposition was Martin county, on the
Staked Plains, in which Marienfeld is
situated.
NARlENFELD, THE COUNTY SEAT,
has about 800 inhabitants, a Cgrnelita
convent Of 20 men, church, school, post
office, express Office, wool warehouse,
now holding some 900 sacks OF wool; a
good hotel with 40 rooms, q dry goods
store, lumber yard, three groceries, one
arug store, one restaurant and bakery,
gun store, tailor suop, shoemaker, blaoG
smith, etc, A Touring mill and 4 large
hospital for the cure of lung
and throat diseases are t0
be built during the coming
summer. Last, ana not least by any
means, Marienfeld Is tho railroad termi-
nus of
\ RAILROAD WITHOUT RAILS,
running LO,tb iuto the Panhandle l25
miles 10 EstdcaoO, the Quaker iarmer
settlement IN CROSBY cOuntV. The Ma
rienfeld, Estacado & West Texas Steam
transportation company ia a home en-
terprise and was organized by the citi-
cons and cOlrnists OF Marienfold. The
rolling stock consists Of several pecu-
narly constructed engines and cars, both
freight ana passenger, intended % run
over the ground without the uso OF rails.
An Ordinary train of engine and three
relghts and one passenger car will pull
$1,000 pounds of freight. The line
Of this company passes through
the counties of Martin, Dawson, Lynn,
Lubbock and Crosby 10 the Cox colony,
and extends south Of Marienfeld TO Cen
tralia station IA Tom Green county and
thence to San Angola. At present trips
are made only twice week 10 Estacado.
Therate of speed is from six 10 eight
miles per hour until the road bed Is In
brst-class condition, when swiltor en-
gines will be used for passenger traffic.
MIDLAND
Is booming right along and tho sur.
rounding country is settling upWith the
greatest rSpidity. Those who want 10
locate on school land in this locality had
better hump themselves, for Ia less than
~ days there win not he
an acre left Farmers have
gone TO work in earnest
here, and Messrs. Pruitt & Thomas
can show as fine s0d'farms as can be
seen in any part OF the state. New DO.
tatoes and garden "sass" arc on The
tables now, and corn two feet high.
Some parties from the Quaker colony,
IN Crosby county, HON | met at Marien.
field, report the crops in most splendid
condition and everybody in the best OF
spirits, since steam communication has
been opened TO the outor world.
Yours, B.w.