Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-24
TEX&S.
Some Idea OF Its LimItI'Ss Resources, Pos.
s'biut'eP, PrObsbilItteS and CtrtAIpttes
From the st. Louis Daily "Ameriks," trans
lated for The GsZgt:e

IatsO Tor The gazette.
Texas Is the greatest state IN our Union
aud bu' few persons seen 70 form & cor
rect conception If Its immense extent
From east to west the state measures s2i
miles, ard from north to south go miles
rs superficial area is much greater in ex
t. It than that If the entire G rman EN-
piIe, and fqusls Inst OF France aud
Spain taken toge.her. Texas conIsios,
according to The last census, 262, 29C
square miles, or I67 1865. 600 acres, wnile
Missouri embraces only 68 7S5 square
miles, or 10 .99y, 400 acres In 1850 the
Sggregste POPULATION of TeXis Was but
l 1891, 749 .Weile Missouri hAd 2. l68 $50 in.
hsD,tanI5. At that ratio the latter state
supports thiIty-one Inhabitants on each
square N lie OF her area, while Texas hiss
only six inhabitants on each square mile
of her vast rTitory. MsssSchus It's, q
densely settled community, contains 222
Inhabitants on evsrS square nile, and
Crest Bcitain even go on the fame area
Were Texas, therefore, as thicEly settled
ss the lstter country it would support
nearly 70 600 600 peGp.e The super fcies
Of lh9 State Of fexls is greater thAa fh4t
u Nav York, Penrsylvanis, Ohio, Vir-
gina, Maryland, Delaware and the SIX
New K Gland s;Giss combined. Accord
ing 10 The csUsus Of 1880 its population
then consisted OF I,477, 1873 natives Of the
United States and ia, SIS oO.n In other
countries.
Within it's wIde-spresdIng domain, the
state Of Texas possesses all known vArie-
ties q soil, CLAY, lime Stone, ssLGY grAV-
Ill r 1T Ill 4
fnsas various geological formations of
the state. Each of these varieties Of soil
produces an abundance Of timber or OF
the native grasses. The alluvial lands Of
the wide bJttOms which skirt the water
courses, are covered with dense growth
OF timber, especially In the eastern por-
ton OF the state, and these river bottoms
have been endowed by nature with
fertility which is truly astounding. But,
on that account they are at Tine, some
what inclined to generate malaria IN some
places. CLINT forest trees of nearly eV-
ely variety common TO North Americs,
among them in great IFeQueuce the VAL
u Bile pgcan Dus tree, dot the ground 10
immense multitudes, ard many species Of
wild grape vines, Towering and climbing
SHRUBS, ana Spanish moss hang down IN
iestoons from the tall tops of The giants
If he forest, and cover the ground OF the
virgin woods with Al almost impenetrs-
bic underground, enVslCping the rich
block pliuVial soil in never-ending shade.
The boundless prairieS OF The West
and Southwest are coated with many sps-
cies OF wild, native grssssF, forming val
uabls pasture grounds, on which number
less herds Of cattle, horses and sheep
srsZe all the year round, the temperature
being go mild during Ihe short winters
that The grass remains almost constantly
green, and feeding By hand L. scarcely
ever required.
Ga account Of the fertile and ysriessted
rslure Of its lands Texas offers an inyit
ing and profitable h5id for every branch
Of agricultural production. C.ttou,
sussr, corr, tobacco aud various semi
tropical fruits, such as nys, and even
oranges grow successful ly aud in such
vast abundance In the southern tier Of
counties, the so-cAlled cotton belt; while
wheat, oSts, barley and all the MOI them
cereals, + geiher with corn, succeed ad-
miraoly without srti15iGi irrigation in the
northe nsteTn and eastern parts of the
state. Pears, rescbe5, Gpples, spricots,
plans, almonds, and nearly all Europe an
Of fruit thrive surprisingly wen
especially when jadiciouslJ irrigated
10 the extensive Rio Grsnde aad Psc2e
valleys, and IN many other sections of the
state, although their culture is still Il is
infancy so to speak
Grape cultDEe, although bat In rs In
clpient stage, IL, Ia the future. and NithiS
bat Short time, destined 10 rival HAT Of
CAhfernla. It's Introduction iato Texas
,s dHe 20 the Spanish Ro2ks, who csus
en- old Mexico and esis6l az d tbs frsi
and ssttlf nsns by Htlte mon In
tao terri ory now conorIsiDg II Q .sate Of
l. Kiss, at n Psse, in The year 1882 Tn
2od fathers Imported grape viors iren
old Spain, ard since tnag tine sad zatil
shs present day, Craps culture has cesD
carrise on IN snail way In vAriC u place
sieng the R.o Grande. The ju:cs pressed
from these grapes, which are still called
mission srspes, is, wien properly made
and treated, fully quail to an excellent
quality CT sherry vine. As all The Varie-
Ties OF the European wire grape succeed
IN Gil resGec IS well IN that portion u
Texas IS they do In Californie, il is only
lestion Of time when Texas shall sue
cessfully compete win California in that
pisassn, and profitable branch of sgricul-
lure.
In many portions OF Texas, tfe temper
siure OF winter Is extremely mild, ever
tempered and sslubri0us; while the cli-
ns In summer, on accounted the moun-
lain and prairie Dreexss, aod the nigh
elevation above the sea level, Is rot IN.
pleasantly rot. La certain sections he
weather is, Outing few wn er months,
SUBJECT to sudden changes, although not
more so than in Missouri, and everywhere
IN the state, the farmer can work in the
open air near.y the year round Occa-
the so called "northers" offer q
variety 10 the usual tempera ure. They
are, In fact simply . continuation of our
own "olizzards," which originate some
Shsre In The region Of the north pole,
and sometimes make themselves felt
through portions Of Texas and across the
gulf, as far es Havana.
The rain fail is amply sufficient In the
southern, eastern and central parts of the
state, the tables Of me Signal Buresa at
Washington giving an average annual
rain fall Of from twenty-eighs 70 thirty
-ix infnes in numerous sections, while in
place 4 St is even greater. Yet there are
certain localities, like the SO called
sSsaked Palms." the Llsno Estacado,