The daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1892-1897, 1896-12-14

Cameron County Is the extreme
southern county Of Texas. 1t Is
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
1S4S, 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-
Ity bushels per acre, are raised year.
liz, while cotton will easily yield
from one to two bales per acres.
Grasses grow all the year, and stock
Ifnd pasturae without being fed or
shelhered during the winter. But
the Soil and climate of the Lower
Rio Gfande 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
tonished to find tomatoes, lettuce,
spinach, English peas, etc, served
fresh from the gardens i'll midwin-
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 be shipped to
northern markets during winter and
early spring, and will obtain the
highest prices, as there will be nc
I competition. This is due to our
, exceedingly mild climate. FIRE.
quently the entire winter passes
without a single frost, and there Is
rarely ever any cold weather before
Christmas. Fruit culture has moi
been attempted in this county on
] large scale, but there is one larg'
banana plantation on which thl
delicious fruit yields most ahund
o antIy and in the greatest perfection
/ Grapes are also raised extensively
!, growing in almost every yard. The.
ripen from two to four weeks ear
= flier than in any other section
IS Many planters here make all Q
hheir own table wines. Orange
{ and lemons also grow in profusior
Ie and this section could easily b
# made to rival Florida in the pre-
duction of oranges Sugar cane
j. plso one of the most important pre-
pucts of this valley. The Ri
- Grande plantation of Mr.. Geo. Brr
Law and The Rabb Starck plantatio
produce graat quantities of can
which is all manufactured on tt
Rio Grande plantation This cal
makes sugar which is produced !
experts to he even superior to tt
best louisiana product. Hawai-
tobacco has also proven succe
here. Col. ] G.. Tucker havin
made some most. successful exper
mehts with it; his samples we
| cIassed by New York buyers
/ equal to the best Havana.
~
Y The county is watered by the R
Grande with its ample flow alor
the southern boundary, and nur
erous small streams ca led "arroya
and "resacas."
The population of Cameron cou
ty according to the census of 18
| is 1924. Brownsville, the com
| seat, has a population of aho
| 1000 Point Isabel, the seaport
l the county. has about 400 inhal
a tants and Santa Maria, growi
little river settlement, has ahout2;
u Improved lands sell for from
4 to S25 per acre, unimproved
from 50 to Sc per acre. The av'
age taxable value of land is
~ There are 1920 acres of sch
land in the county. The eouT
has total school population
,, 400, and gives employment to
} teachers The average length
the school term is five months. !
total tuiti0n revenue received fr
nc the State is S13 900 There arr
number Of public schools in
al; county, affording ample edueatiO
advantages.
Homeseekers are gradually
ginning to find their way to