The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-06-27

why Lands In the Coast Country Are
So Cheap.

try OF Texas: 1T is simply immense.
Your lands are good, cheap and rapidly
advancing In value. You can raise any
thing here. Those who now buy lands
here will make money, and lots OF it.
Your soil is as good as our Iowa soil. IL
were a young man ia pack my grip and
come to Texas"
What words OF encouragement are these
ffom cabinet officer at the head of the
agricultural department of our govern
ment! Secretary Wilson came here only
few weeks ago to personally inspect and
report on the advantages offered here
AS formerly Iowa man. these bugle
blasts to his Northern friends, on his re-
turn to Washington, are Of grave import.
and words of encouragement also 20 the
homeless and landless of the whole North
west We OF this favored cline also re-
ceive them as words OF prophecy, a bright
omen that this rich agricultural section is
at last being appreciated and its Just
claims to be hereafter recognized.
A level-headed officer and honest man
has spoken in no uncertain terms to ris
fellow countrymen, showing as his words
do. surprise and pleasure at the Ito him)
new knowledge that here in the coast ooun
try of Texas are today found the only
cheap good lands on the continent.
But what say we OF the advantages here
offered to homeseekers in this coast coun-
try. and why is 1t that good, cheap lands
d an ola nj
fered for from IS to s12 an acre on good
terms? This inquiry comes to us in nearly
every letter: III your lands are good,
near deep water ports and good markets,
why are they so cheap"
Allow me to answer this reasonable
query through the columns of The Post
In the words of Secretary Wilson, 1.-THE
people of Texas have just discovered them
selves"
Five years ago we did not know that all
the staple grains as well as cotton and
corn were natural products OF the coast
country, that peaches, pears, plums. figs,
grapes and all the small fruits do better
here than in California with less than one
half OF the freight and six weeks earlier
In the market. Yes, we have just discov-
cred these now apparent facts, but this
does not yet answer the ever present
query, IF your coast country lands are
good why are they so cheap? II so pro-
ductive. why held at one-fourth the price
of lands no better in cold climate with
less than half the advantages that are here
APPARENT"
THIS is the reoson For nifty years this
coast country of Texas has hoen held ms
vast cattle ranch The man with the plow
and the man with the hoe were not want
ed. nor could he buy an acre of this i'm
mense domain at any price. The lands
were divided up into large ranches, often
10000 to 10000 acres owned by one man
or firm. gcazcl upon by immense herds OF
horses and cattle. If nervy settler VEN
tured to investigate he was told that this
was stock country and farming was not
profitable; that he would starye % denth
II he tried to raise crops in the coast
country In fact he was not wanted. Tile
farmers OF Northern and Central Texas
shrewdly stopped immigration there by
singing the cattlemaus song THE coast
country was Only ht fer stock" and lmml-
grants stopped there and tried also to set :
tie up the Panhandle.
But change came The opening up of
deep water ports and the building up of
Houston as a railroad center and Calves
ton as Fort, brought the imnligrnnts
here and they procured foothold and as
result the cattle and herds of horses
went west few years ago and all this vast
domain was at once thrown on the market.
This explains 1t all, and reasonable cx-
PLANTATION It Is. But the important fact re-
mains and is now being carefully ,onsld-
cred all over the North. How long will
this condition continue? All the cheap
good lands outside of the arid district are
gone. The coast country OF Texas only
offers good productive lands in a healthy
climate. near deep water ports, where
freight rates are one-third the charge in.
land; where drouths and billiards are un,
known; where the average rainfall is from
20 to 62 inches annually, well distributed
where no sunstrokes occur and nearly all
the products OF the soil are grown and
placed on the market from six weeks to
two months earlier than in their Northern
homes.
These are some OF the reasons why i'm,
migration is now turning with an rresistI,
bic tide from the North. This is the rca-
son also that nearly half our purchases o
realty in the coest country are now meds
by farmers in North and Central Texas
These thrifty farmers have discovered thai
our IS and $40 lands arc as good. or better
than their $50 to $50 lands at hoiae and
VIII BIO worth more because nearer an ex
port market
The thriee-repeated romance that the
coast country is only stock country IL
now fully exploded.
other reasons: Omaha Kansas City and
Minneapolis were built UP by the develop
ment OF the agricultural country around
them: SO with most large cities.
The railroad center OF Texas,-H Houston
has developed as has no other city since
1890, and without the aid OF the agrloul-
tural industries that make other cities.
Her population In 1890 was 20, Q00 In 1899