Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-09-22
LETTER FROM TEXAS.
Something About valesco-- -Brazoria County
Crops, Etc.

| Ahhe youuBe'cr, DeiOIt CdetlnB OH lte
swadling clothes, essaying to run.
brings up with the inevitable fall; so
Velasco, in 1901 heralded to the notice
OF man by the booming of cannon and
clashing OF cymbals took upon herself
In her precocious infancy character.
istics and manners of city only to
suffer the inevitable collapse. But
like the infant gaining knowledge by
it's mishap, and strength by it's en-.
forced rest, so Velasco, with renewed
strength and with wisdom formed
from experience is again prepared to
take the place justly hers, as deep
water port Of the Texas gulf coast.
That Velasco was born of boom, suf.
fered the never failing effects, no one
denies; nor neither does any one who
is in anyway conversant with advan.
tages, doubt for an instant but what 1t
will be deep water outlet second to
none upon the Texas coast.
In the early part of the present
century Stephen F. Austin landed his
colonies at the mouth of the Brazos
River, and the world is familiar with
the history of that colony which reads
like romance.
Land, before the civil war, not only
around Velasco, the mouth of the
Brazos River, but in all parts of Bra
zoria County had ready sale at $50
per acre, and was owned by planters
in large tracts.
The war freeing the slaves as 1t did,
and the impetus the cattle interests re-
ceived just after that time, caused the
country to bo devoted almost exclu.
sively to the raising of stock until the
last few years when the advent of the
"man with the hoe" from the more
populous cen ter has caused the agri.
cultural interest to again be revived
and the results can be judged by the
following experiences of farmers, all
of whom are reliable and who verify
these statements and will gladly fur.
nish any information to. one interested
In this section.
I. 7. Shanks, partly reformed
newspaper man, living four miles east
of Veasco in the world famous Oyster
Creek valley, made the following
statement. Mr.. Shanks' statement is
the only one here given that can be in
any manner questioned and that only
from the fact that he had once been O
newspaper man and still correspond.
ent for several papers. He said: "No,
thisis no corn country" in reply to
question as to how much corn he raised
last year. II only got $50 bushels from
twenty five acres of land last year."
"How about cotton?" Mr.. Shanks
was next asked.
well, l planted forty acres last year
and sold forty bales from forty acres;
you can do your own figuring" he
answered.
Raising vegetables was then asked.
Vegetables vegetables he exclaim.
ed. " planted little of every kind
the old woman could think of. Had
all we could eat, all we could give
away, all we could feed to our hogs,
and all we could throw away. No,
vegetables won't grow here, it's some
other country" he said as he changed
his cud of natural Texas tobacco from
one side of his face to the other and
turned on his heel and walked away,
muttering something which sounded
very much like Dang goned city
newspaper men; anyhow, don't like
EN-"
w. ]. Elkins, one among the best
known farmers in BraZoria County,
living six miles southeast of Velasco,
finished breaking ninety acres of land
10 January 1896 and finished planting
in May. He gathered and sold seventy
five bales of cotton averaging over 500
pounds to the bale, from the ninety
acres for the first year on sod land.
X. T. Maddox selected one acre from
his second years land last year and
kept an accurate account of the cotton
he gathered from that acre. 1t was
two bales of lint cotton and 1,10O
pounds of seed cotton. This of course
was the best he raised, and his crop
did not average that. but shows what
this soil Is capable of raising. Mr..
Maddox will make affidavit to this and
his affidavit can be corroborated.
j. r. Bryan, an old settler living
five miles west, cultivated 800 acres OF
cotton and gathered 275 bales and
seventy five acres Of corn which
averaged seventy five bushels per acre.
@. B. Perry, an old settler living at
Perry's Landing, had 284 acres cult.
waited on the one third and one fourth
basis from which he received as his
part 81 ,800..
These are only q few of the many
reliable instances which could be cited,
but they will suffice to show what
farmer can raise In this section. A
section favored with salubrious
climate, good health and rich virgin
soil awaiting the man who has the
means to purchase and the energy to
cultivate and till. At the present time
land can be bought at from 81 to $50
per acre, depending upon location and
surroundings.
The bottom lands have to be cleared
and the prairie lands as rule drained.
Twenty FIVE cents per acre is fair
average as the cost OF drainage, the
timber cut from the bottom land will
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