The Globe-republican., 1893-03-10
A Letter from Texas.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, Feb. 26th 1893.

AUSTIN, TEXAS, Feb. 10th 1893.
EDITOR GLOBE-REPUBLICAN:
From Fort Worth south through Waco
and Taylor on passes through the great
cotton belt of Texas. Here the great
bulk of cotton is produced. 1t grows
more luXuriantly and Of better quality
than that grown in the CarOlinas. The
crop is profitable, easy to grow and
beautiful while growing. The bOlls be-
gin bursting the latter part of August.
The picking begins the first of Septem-
ber The fields are usually gone over
three times. the picking being done
mostly by girls and boys. The cotton is
taken to a gin where the seed is separa-
ted from the fiber, the-fiber put into bales
of about 800 pounds each. The bales are
after taken to compress where the
bales are compressed TO less than half
the original size. The seed is often fed
TO stock as it come from the gin. Much
of it is now bought mp. the oil compress
ed out and the residue used to fatten cat.
tie.
Going west from Taylor the rocky re-
gion bordering the Colorado river is
reached. In some places the rocks cover
the ground so thickly that there cannot
enough grass grow to raise goats. Aus
tin, the capital. is very beautifully situat-
ed on a number of hills, making beautiful
building sites and natural drainage. The
city is nicely and very substantially
built. Many of the state eleemosynary
institutions are located here. land are well
cared for. There is also a number of
well patronized institutions of learning
located at this place. 1t is also the CEN
te- Of much wealth.
The capitol building is grand struc-
ture, built of red granite. quarried from
the Colorado mountains. A railroad was
built to the quarries and the rock deliver
ed where they were to be set up. Many
of the rocks are immense in size. A
number of the columns are twenty-five
feet in length and three feet in diameter.
made from a single piece of rock. The
building is 566 feet in length, 2Ss feet
wide, and 81 feet from base to top of
stature surmOunting the dome. The
building is finely proportional, lighted
and ventilated. yet neither the senate
chambers nor representative hall will
compare in beauty of finish to the halls
of the Topeka capitol. This magnificent
structure was paid for at once and with
that which Texas has most to spare
land-having given $500, 900 acres for its
construction.
The city is now engaged in another
enterprise which will add much to the
advantages of the city, being no less than
dam across the Colorado river at this
point. The city already having rail-
road to the granite quarry and being in
the midst of LIMESTONE of fine quality.
in sufficient quantity. The dam is about
thirty feet thick at the base, sixty feet
high, and over six hundred feet in length.
All the outer surface Is constructed of
STduitc. ulleu Ia WIFI limestone. l0efe
will be twelve large pipes to conduct the
water to turbine wheels for electric mo-
tors and other machinery as required.
The dam. when complete, will form
lake in the Colorado river about thirty
miles in length.
The people of Texas are cosmopolitan.
In fact, too cosmopolitan. They range
from refined and educated planter to the
crude and semi-civilizel Mexlcans
There is much drinking among all classes.
Young men who have good advantages
are habitual tipplers.. Young ladies of
equal advantages are far superior. They
are refined, educated and accomplished.
They have fresh look, sprightly and
well formed, while the young men nearly
all show their dissipation. are thin and
coarse. Would not compare favorably
with the average young men of the
northern states. REX.