The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-10-06
Agricultural Editor SITS tesman:

L have read with much interest you
= views on the decreasing cotton trad
of this city. There can be no doub
about the failing off, though Their
S may be some about the cause. l am
however, compelled to believ'
I that the main cause of ou
failing cotton trade is the poor price
paid by our buyers, as compared will
connecting points.
A few days ago discussed the mat
ter with one OF our leading farmers
who lives few miles north of the city
and he told me that he sold cotton il
Round Rock the previous day at l.:
cents, while the highest price paid II
Austin the same day was q 10
Now it seems to me If the
merchants of Round Rock car
afford to pay these prices those o.
Austin could do.
know that every merchant cannot
go into the cotton buying business
and it would not suit me, but l see nc
reason why merchants should not
combine and carry out such plan as
you suggest. Let us do something to
arrest our fleeting trade.
MERCHANT, Austin.
GENERAL PURPOSE HORSES.
1t is part of the religion of breeders
of special purpose horses to sheer at
the term general purpose horse"
They argue that horse must be
adopted for one special purpose, be it
running. trotting, pacing or draft, or
he is unworthy OF the name of horse,
and that general ability is out of the
question.
This is the veriest nonsense, the
outcome of narrow, selfish reasoning
and foreign to the facts. While it is
true that special purpose horses are
profitable and indispensable, their
usefulness is limited to narrow
sphere. 1t often happens, too, that
horse bred for special purpose fails
to possess the requisite qualifications;
he is none the less q horse and well
fitted for many purposes never dreamt
of by his breeder. For instance, using
q draft bred colt does not come up to
full standard, but finds waiting
buyer in the city delivery Or fire COM
panies, he is then a general purpose
horse. So with the trotter. Not every
colt from a standard bred mare can
Hanks record or even enter the list;
but if of good size and bone, colt
with such breeding should make a
good roadster or buggy horse. In
fact this is how tho city and family
are supplied and the average farmer
will find it more profitable to raise the
general purpose" horse than
any special breed Raising only two
or three colts in a year, he must de-
pend upon city buyers, and his horses
must suit their requirements or they
cannot be sold. Thus small, active
mares may be mated with heavy Per-
cheron or other draft breed and q USE
full colt be the result. Where the
mare is of good size and bone union
with the trotter or French coach
horses would be likely to produce a
good family horse or roadster.
THE DOMESTIC COFFEE BERRY.
A Missouri correspondent of the
Texas Farm and Ranch tells of new
plant which he desigrates the domes-
tic coffee berry. If less than half the
good properties he names really be-
long to it then are we on the verge of
an an agricultural revolution. He
says: "FOr the benefit of your readers
L give my experience with one of the
most valuable plants that has ever
been discovered.
The domestic coffee berry, which is
destined to save our farmers millions
of dollars as soon as its merits become
known. l have been farming over
sixty years and never saw anything
to equal it; and while growing it is a
sight to behold. The best coffee sub
stitute known. Some consider it
equally as good; others can't tell the
difference. 1t costs only l cent per
pound to raise, exclusive of seed, as it
is such an enormous yielder, producing
when sowed broao cast from forty to
sixty bushels per acre. Plant in rows
three feet apart, one berry every ten
inches. My patch made at the rate OF
thirty-eight bushels per acre. L, is as
easy to raise as corn and beans, and is
subject to no insect pest; does well on
thin land, grows from two to three
feet tall and fruits from the ground
up, plump pods touching each other
on the load ed limbs, meeting each
other in tho middle of the row
and bending down to the
ground with It's beautiful golden
fruit and vast mass of foliage, which
makes it very improving to land ma
lures north or south in less than five
months; much more fattening to
hogs than corn; and no gathering to
do, as they do that themselves. Parch
and prepare like store coffee it is ex-
tremely healthy on account of the me-
dicinal properties in curing rheuma-
tism. In order that you may see for
yourself send one push of NY late
planting and enough to make a pint
OF prime Coffee"
The editor acknowledges the re-
ceipt of the specimen stalk which he
says was one mass of pods and evil
deptly of enormous productiveness.
The bean is said to have decided
coffee flavor, but little more bitter
than Rio. We will look anxiously for
further information on this wonderful
plant.
oLEoNIARGERINE TOO SWEET.
An "oleon manufacturer, anxious to
extend his business, wrote to the
United States consul in Morocco, ask
ing what the prospect was of finding
a market there. He no doubt extolled
the good qualities of his "butter," and
is now beginning to appreciate that
the truth goes furthest. The reply re-