Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-03-25
S0HE PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.
Letter from 8 Texas Farmer to q Pacific
Coast Paper

Letter from 8 Texas Farmer to q Pacific
Coast Paper.
Pacific Rural Press.
EDITORS PREss-It has always been my
desire to visit your state, but as circum-
stances would not admit, have content
ed myself with subscribing for your paper
AS there is 9 great similarity between the
climates, your paper is especially valuable
here, for every one that can IrrigAte does
SO. l only have small piece of ground
that can irrIgste, but your paper has
been chesp investment, because have
to learn from the experience OF others
whose whole interest depends on it.
HARDY VINES.
l have tried thirty-two different kinds
OF foreign grapes, and SO far have found
but two that will stsnd our late frost
with impunity. One is called the White
Calabre. Il may be of interest to some
one to know what IL will stand here. ODe
year IL put oUt and fruit the middle of
March. Tlere came q freeze (uot a
trost) and killed cut al l had but this
had the Mi4sioDl yinesa five years old,
doing well, and the main stems being
two riches in diameter. The White
Calabre it only killed off the green wood
and the vine put out again ap.
porently as pretty as ever. In April there
came frost and killed of this crop, but
to my astonishment it and the plsck
Spanish put out again. 1t seemed to ms
that the crop that set again metured bet
Ter fruit than ever, for some punches
weighed over two pounds, the oest ever
got While the Black Spanish ID just IS
hardy, the fruit won't stand much wet
weather. I irrigate with limestone
wafer, hence my land gets so heavily
charged W tn lime that some varieties
won't grow at all.
CACTUS FODDER.
In your issus OF November 26 read
the piece headed "Cactus Fodder" with
much interest. You ask tor experience
from some one that has fed it to stock.
1 have been feeding the prick!y pear ten
years and can tell you IN any region
that is subj cite I'tvete drought like this,
IL is hard to beat for milk coWs-it II ls
weather and build up fire and
them up where they are handy to get at
would recommend screening them thor
oughly, as it checks that tendency they
have to relax the bowels too much. In
feeding my COWS give each = washpan
full of cottOrseed; ditto bran; and then
L cut up with butcher knife FIVE gal
ion bucket full of prickly pear. L give
this night and morning. Sprinkle little
salt over the green pear. lfanyon ne reads
this who mas nothing green to
feed to his milk stock, Just try
1t and STE for yourself IL the difference in
he yield CT milk. think enough Of the
cactus 10 plant them out in ell Of the
tuJ-Cf-tns-wsv places. [ throw q leaf
down q shGv, lful of dirt on one end aud
it takes root. This feed Is not good alone. !
Double the quantity Of bran is Just as
good as the cottonseed. l have a COW |
that has acquired such taste for the |
cactus that she will 60 of AID eat them |
fresh with the strikers on. She gets her |
mouth so full OF ssjckers that she can't |
shut it; she has done this for three win
,ers. don't see that she looks any Che |
worse for it.
TEXAS.
From the way people are pouring late |
,our state 1t does seem to me that thsY
will have to swarm, and, IS Texas is the
lnly state where they can get good cheap
:nds, think We may socn look fcs
loom here, for 1t is raining sgain here,
nd when We do make crop We mako 1t
Ill. like 10 read in your paper of the
,rest yields of your soil, and 1t
nay be Of interest to some Of your
eafers to know what we can
10 here, for this drouth has besn
realty exaggerated. My neighbor, WHO
ever fails to raise small graiD, raissd
me year flfty-two bushels Of wheat to tae !
ere, and some OF them on choice laad
make ninety bushels Of corn to the sclss'.
There was one year that my bees did 20
veil that though. would put the beat
tand had on tte scales to see how mush
hey were bringing in each day. Thst
tand increased until 1t brought In fifteen
pounds Of honey in one day. The beds
we're working on horse-mint mostly, ARD
he honey after getting fully ripe
g good enough. Horse mint is tie
'est money plant we have here, but this
ear it was 80 unusually dry that 1 don't
hink l got anything but Mesquit honey,
which only comes In these extreme
roughts. When used TO attend veg
table garden, have sold many cab
age for so cents each. l never could
apply the demand for strawberries at 10
ents 8 quart and other things in propC5-
ion. nave raised the Sharpiess straw
erry that measured over five inches
round.
As you are all ahead In most every
hing, l sent some pecans on to man 70
our state, who had 10000 pscan trees
hat he planted. / sent him some samples
I nine, asking him If he had anything
etter to return the compliment. BE
1rote me he did not have ANYTHING rs
GOD, but II would send him soma CRAFTS
# that tree to send the bill with 1t.
San Saba, Tex. E. Z. RIs1EN.s