The daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1892-1897, 1897-03-31

cameron county Is tne extreme
southern county Of Texas. 1t is
separated from Mexico by the Rio
Grande on the soath and has about
100 miles of gulf coast as its east
ern boundary. 1t was organized in
1913, and contains 3308 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
rich loan, and produces an exceed
ingly heavy yield of both cotton
and corn the chief farm products
Two. aud sometimes three crops of
corn, averaging from tiftv to seyen-
ty bushels per acre, are raised year
| ly, while cotton will easily yield
from one to two bales per acres.
Grasses grow all the year, and stock
End 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
| Of all kinds grow all the year
around, and northern people are as
| t&iShed to ind tomatoes, lettuce,
spinach, English peas, etc, served
fresh from the gardens in midwin-
ter. This is undoubtedly the par
adise of track gardeners, and so
lsoon 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 no
Icompetition. This IS due to our
exceedingly mild climate. FIRE.
quentIy the entire winter passes
without 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
Agana plantation on which this
delicious fruit yields most ahund-
antIy aud in the greatest perfection
| Grapes are also raised extensively
growing in almost every yard They
I ri9eD from two 60 four weeks ear
Tier than In any other section
Many planters here make all OF
their own table wines. Orange:
and lemons also grow in profusiOn
and this section could easily BIZ
made to rival Florida in the pro,
| duetion of oranges Sugar cane i,
also one of the most important pro
pucts OF this valley. The Rit
Grande plantations of Mr.. Geo Bru
| Law and the Rabb Starck plantation
produce great quantities of cane
which is all manufactured on the
| Rio Grande plantation Tbis cant
| makes sugar which is prOnOnncedhy
jexperts to he even superior to the
best Louisiana product. Havana
tobacco has also proven a success,
here, Col. J G.. Tucker having
made some most successful expert
npnts with it; his samples Were
elassed by New York buyers as
equal to the best Havana.
The county is watered by the Rio
Grande with its ample flow along
the southern boundary, and mum
erouS small streams Ca led arroyo,
and ''resacas."
The population of Cameron coum-
ty according to the census of 1890
is 1924. Brownsville, the county
seat, has a population of about
1000, Point Isabel, the seaport of
the county. has about 400 inhabi>
tants and Santa Maria, a growing
little river settlement, has about25O
! Improved lands sell for from So
to S25 per acre, unimproved for
from 81 to So per acre. The aver
age taxable value of land IS 81.
There are 62,240 acres of school
| land in the county. The county
has total school population OF
! 400, and gives employment to sc
teachers The acreage length OF
the school term is tive months. The
total tuition revenue received from
the State Is S13 900 There are ;
number of public schools In the
county, afording ample edueationa
advantages.
Homeseekers are gradually be
ginning to End their way to thi
land where farmers can work in tn
open air 800 DAYS in the year. bu