The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-10-22

March last and some as late as the
last week in April. l do not give the
above as my opinions, but as the
opinions of regular cotton farmers,
who have raised cotton in Texas all
their lives, such as j. G. Maxwell of
Austin and others. He was in my
field yesterday and said if frost held
off for a month q certain three-tourths
of a bale to the acre was there. Our
friend l., j. Ray has 2 small piece
of twenty acres that will do the
same. Altogether in this settlement
there are about 425 acres planted to
cotton. OF hay, the favorite is sor-
ghum cane and millett, and here you
can see the stacks standing all over
the field as fine as ever grew. There
being no machinery in here yet, / had
to cut my millet (about 20 acres of it,
with sickles.
We are going to see trouble here in
getting our cotton picked. There are
Mexicans enough to pick it, but they
are wanting to pick at so much per
day; they understand only the Mex
lean cotton, which has small bolls
and is hard to pick, and right here |
can suggest an opportunity for you to
help us. There are lots of cotton
pickers i'll and around Austin who
will shortly he through their work,
and who have been picking cotton
that yields a quarter of bale to the
acre. Now then, round up some forty
or fifty, or even less of them, and send
them on, there will be a good three
months work here for them in good
cotton; we will pay them so cents till
towards the close Of the season, when
it will be more. 1t will be good money
for them. and as many as twenty of
the best hands can get steady work
here for another year at good wages.
We shall be glad to have coloIed men
out here for they and cotton naturally
go together, and we must abandon
Mexican labor. If you hear of any
inquiries by good white men, with
or without families, represent us
to them as having lots Of work to do,
or needing good workers, the pay
here is higher than with you, but we
need only good men; right now L can
employ three men steadily and would
contract with them for a year. A par
ty NJ Californians have bought land
here, consider them valuable ac-
QUESTION as they understand the
science of irrigating and we can doubt
less learn much from them. They say
the soil and climate of California has
no advantage that ours has not. We
have now about 800 acres in cultiva-
ton all told, and next year expect to
have fully 1000. Our school / think,
will not open until after Christmas as
all will be busy till then. believe
told you that Monahans station on the
Texas q Pacific railroad, is the near
est GO miles, from us, and this week
| made arrangements with a party
there to bring any one down here
with his team.
In a few days we shall cut out an
other road between here and Piote,
another point on the Texas q Pacific
railroad, so reducing our distance to
railroad to Is miles and good hard
road all the way. / wish you could
come out here; then you could answer
any inquiries you may get more intel
igently. / don't know yet whether
we shall be represented at the Dallas
fair or not. L can send Cotton Millet
and the others something, so we may
conclude to make a show. Come here
yourself and send all your farmer ac-
quaint9nces who are tired of cultiva-
ting their crops all the year and then
have them burned up or dried out
John ID. HowsoN.