The daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1892-1897, 1897-02-19

cameron county IS the extreme
southern county OF Texas. It is
separated from Mexico by the Rio
i Grande on the south and has about
100 miles OF gulf coast as its casts
ern boundary. 1t was organized in
1913, 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 fiftv to seven~
ty bushels per acre, are raised year
", while Gotten will easily yield
from one to two bales per acres.
Grasses grow all the year, and stock
find pasturae without being fed or
sheltered during the winter. But
the soil and climate of the Lover
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 as
tonished to find tomatoes, lettuce,
spinach. English peas, etc, served
fresh from the gardens In midwln-
ter. This is undoubtedly the par
adise 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 be no
competition. This is due to our
exceedingly mild climate. Free
quently the entire winter passes
without single frost, and there is
rarely ever any cold weather before
Christmas. Fruit culture has net
been attempted in this county on a
large scale, but there is one large
: banana plantation on which this
delicious fruit yields most ahund-
7 antly and in the greatest perfection.
: Grapes are also raised extensively,
growing in almost every yard. They
2 ripen from two to four weeks ear
Iier than in any other section
Many planters here make all OF
t their own table wines. Oranges
, and lemons also grow in profusion
and this section could easily be
/ made to rival Florida in the pro-
> duction of oranges. Sugar cane is
also one of the most important pro-
2 pucts Of this valley. The Rio
Grande plantation of Mr.. Geo. Bru.
lay and The Rabb Starck plantation
| produce gre t quantities of cane
3 which Is all manufactured on the
Rio .Grande plantation This cane
8 makes sugar which is prononneedby
, experts to be even superior to the
/. best Louisiana product. Havans
/ tobacco has also proven a success
here, Col. J. G. Tucker having
made some most successful expert
5 ments with it; his samples were
, classed By New York buyers IS
equal to the best Havana.
The county is watered by the Rio
( Grande with its ample flow along
the southern boundary, and mum
ferrous small streams ca led ''arroya,
and ''resacas."
The population of Cameron conl.
ty according to the CELSIUS of 1896
/ is 1924. Brownsville, the county
seat, has a population Of about
1000, Point Isabel, the seaport Of
the county. has about 400 inhahi,
: tants and Santa Maria, a growing
little river settlement, has ahout250
2 Improved lands sell for from S;
to $50 per acre, unimproved fol
from g to Sc per acre. The aver,
Eage taxable value of land is 81
There are S2,240 acres of schoo
land in the county. The court,
has total school population o
400, and gives employment to 81
q teachers The average length o
+ the school term is five months. TIL,
total tuition revenue received iron
4 the State is S13 600 There are
: number of public schools III tn
county, affording ample educatiCna
I advantages.
Homeseekefs are gradually be
ginning TO find their way TO Chi
r. land where farmers can work In tn
Eopen air 5GG55 days in the year. bu
tits comparatively UndeveIoped a
lyets With the building of TIL
! railroad TO Corpus Christi. however
9 a great influx of settlers NAV b,