The daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1892-1897, 1896-11-11

separated from Mexico by the Rio
Grande on the south and has about
100 miles of gulf coast as its east
ern boundary. 1t was organized in
184S, and contains 1908 square
miles. Farming and stock raising
are the principal industries of the
people the location, climate and soil
being admirably adapted for both.
The greater portion of the soil is a
rich loan, and produces an exceed
ingly heavy yield of both cotton
and corn the chief farm products.
Two, and sometimes three crops of
corn, averaging from fifty to seven~
ty bushels per acre, are raised year
Ily, while cotton will easily yield
from one to two bales per acres.
Grasses grow ali the year, and stock
find pasturae 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
af all kinds grow all the year
Ground, and northern people are as
touished to find tomatoes, lettuce,
| spinach, English peas, etc, served
fresh from the gardens in midwln-
} ter. This is undoubtedly the par
adise of track gardeners, and so
soon as rail transportation Is Oh
tanned Cameron county vegetables
by the car load will he shipped to
northern markets during winter and
early spring, and will obtain the
highest prices, as there will be no
COMPOSITION. This IS due to our
exceedingly mild climate. Free
. quently the entire winter passes
without a single frost, and there Is
rarely ever any cold weather before
Christmas. Fruit culture has not
; been attempted in this county on a
large scale, but there Is one large
banana plantation on which this
delicious fruit Yields most ahund-
antly and in the greatest perfection.
Grapes are also raised extensively,
growing in almost every ward. They
ripen from two to four weeks ear
Her than In any other section.
Many planters here make all of
their own table wines. Oranges
and lemons also grow in prof0sion,
and this section could easily bt
made to rival Florida in the pro-
duction of oranges Sugar cane i,
Blso one of the most important pro-
pucts Of this valley. The Rio
Grande plantation Of Dir. Geo. Bru-
lay ard she rabbi Starck plantation
produce gr7at quantities OF cane
which is all manufactured on the
Rio Grande plantation This cane
makes sugar which is produced by
! experts 80 be even superior to the
best Louisiana product. Havana
tobacco has also proven a succes,
here, Col. J g. Tucker having
made some most successful expert
menis with it; his samples were
classed bv New York buyers a
equal to the hest Havana.
The county IS watered by the Rio
Grande with its ample flow aIon.
, the southern boundary, and mum
erous small streams ca led arroyo,
and "resacas "
The population Of Cameron conn
y ty according tn the census of 189
is 1924 Brownsville, the count
seat, has a population Of ahou
1000 Point Isabel. the seaport d
: the county. has about 400 inhah
tants and Santa Maria, GROWN
:. little river settlement, has aboui25i
Improved lands sell for from s
to s25 per acre, unimproved tC
from 81 to So per acre The aver
age taxable value OF land is s
he There are 82.240 acres of scho
land in the county. The count
has a total school population {
400, aad gives employment to s
teachers. The average length
the school term is i've mouths. TT
y total tuition revenue received fro
the State Is $I3 GOO There are
number 81 public schools I'm II