Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-18

season of 1888 was really the first year
that anything like an effort was made
to farm in this and adjoining counties.
Previous to that time the stock interest
was made a speciality and very little farm
ing was done, but now it is different.
Farming and stOck-raising go together,
and the result is that much better grade
of stock is to be seen, and the people and
country is benefited by the change.
For the benefit of the readers of THE
GAZETTE who are not familiar with this
section of the country, and may have in
view change of location, / will
herewith attach a copy of a letter
which was written by a gentle
man who visited this county
with the view of locating; (the letter was
written to d friend who lives in Indiana,
after the writer had spent ten days in
looking over this and adjoining counties
and talking with the farmers of same y
Asking the gentleman what he thought
Of this section of country he replied to
my question by handing me his letter just
written to his friend. The gentleman
being DISTINGUISHED, and having desire
to ''see ourselves as others see US, L
proposed to the guest from Indiana to
give his letter space III THE GAZETTE,
IIlaI ne UllSub 10 dDi6 W S6uu d copy
of the same to hiss Hoosier' friends.
He readily consented, saying "his writ
ing looked much better in type and would
be more easily read and it would save
HIM the trouble of writing SO many let
tiers, as he could mail each of his friends
copy Of THE GAZETTE This being my
first trip to Texas he continued,
''they VIII all expect to hear from me
and know what l think of Texas, and L
really haven't the time to write to all.
You will do me a great favor by doing
so. -
THE LETTER.
w1cH1TB FALLS, TEX, Aug. Is, 1882
James De. Armand, Esq, Greensburg, Ind:
DEAR SIR AND FRIEND Il find this
(Wichlta) county is situated in
the heart of the wheat coun-
try of Texas. The county is beau
tiful rolling prairie, with dark, sandy
loan soil 1t is watered by the Red, Big
and Little Wichita rivers, making it one
of the best watered counties in the state.
The valleys of these streams are from two
TO five miles wide and very productive
The principal products of the county are
wheat. corn, oats, rye, barley, millet,
sorghum and alfalfa, together with all
kinds of fruits and vegetables. The
yield of wheat is from twenty-five to
thirty-five bushels per acre; oats, fifty to
seventy-fiv bushels per acre; corn, from
thirty to sixty bushels per acre; from two
to three crops of millet are cut per year.
am told that at the Dallas state fair last
/ year stalks of sorghum from Wichita
county were exhibited which
MEASURED SIXTEEN FEET HIGH.
Alfalfa and all kinds of grass are
grown here very successfully.
For stockraising this county has supe-
rior advantages. The land is cheap,
plenty of water, and native grass in
abundance The country rests on red
clay foundation, with soil from two to
eight feet deep. Some herds OF blooded
cattle have been brought into
the county and are doing remark
ably well. Stock here only have
to be fed about six weeks during
the winter. Wichita county claims to
be the best wheat country in the United
States, and that one man can cultivate
as much of the land here as two men can
of the 'black waxy, q pillow scours in
this soil. From estimates made on the
most reliable basis, the wheat crop Of
this county for 1889 viii
AVERAGE TWENTY-FIVE BUSHELS PER
ACRE
which is the best average ever made by