The daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1892-1897, 1894-04-27
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scassezz county et Texas. 1t il
separated sscu Mexico By the Rio
Grzn1e en- The south and has about
Ice miles Of gdf coast as its eastern
boundary. Ii wss orgssiEed il lSaS,
and contains S30s square miles.
Farming snd stock raising are the.
principal industries OF the people,
tho location. climate aud sell being
admirably adapted for both, The
greater portion Of the soil is q rich
laom. and produces al exceedingly
heavy yield of both cotton and corn,
the chief farm products. Two, and
sometimes three crops OF corn, aver
aging from City to seventy bushels
per acre, are raised yearly, while
COTTON will easily yield from one to
two bales per acre: Grasses grow
all the year, and stock find pastur
age without being fed or sheltered
during the winter. But the soil and
climate of the Lower Rio Grande
Valley are by nature best adapted
for the production of vegetables and
fruits. Vegetables of all kinds grow
all the year around, and northern
people are astonished to find toma-
toes, lettuce. spinach, English pease,
etc., served fresh from the gardens
in midwinter. This is undoubtedly
the paradise of truck gardeners, and
so soon as rail transportation is OBJ
tanned Cameron county vegetables
by the car load will be shipped to
northern markets during winter and
early spring, and will obtain the
highest prices. as there will lie no
competition. This is due to cur ex
ceedingly mild climate. Frequently
the entire winter passes without
single frost, and there is rsrely ever
any cold weather before Christmas
Fruit culture has not been attempted
in this county on large scale. bat
there is one large banana plantation
on which this delicious fruit yields
most abundantly and in the greatest
perfection Grapes are also raised
extensively, growing in almost every
yard. They ripen from two to four
weeks earlier than in any other Sec
tioD, Many planters here make
all Of their own table wines. Oranges
and lemons also grow in profusion.
and this section could easily be made
to rival Florida in the production of
oranges. Sugar cane is also one of
the most important products of this
valley. Tee Rio Grande plantation
of Mr.. Geo. Bralay and the Rabb-
Stark plantation produce great guam
titles of cane, which is all manufac-
'ured on the Rio Grande plantation.
,'his cane makes sugar which is pro-
nounced by experts to be even supe-
rior to the best Louisiana product
Havana tobseeo has also proven q
success here, Col. j. G. Tucker hav-
ing made some most successful ex-
perinents with it; his samples were
classed by New York buyers as eqnal
to the best Havana.
The county is watered by the Rio
Grands with its ample flow along
the southern boundary. and runner
Gus small streams called "srroyos"
5nd "resacas."
The population of Cameron county.
according to the census Of 1890. is
1924. Brownsville. the county
seat, has population Of about 1000.
Pciut Isabel. the seaport of the
county. has about 400 inhabitants,
and Santa Maria, growing little
yer settlement, has about $50.
Improved lands sell Tor from SIS to
S25 per acre, uuimproved for from 81
to Sc per acre The average taxa
bic value of land is 81. There are
82,24O acres of school land in the
county. The county has total school
population Of 327l. ard gives EN-
ployment to - teachers The aver
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