The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-05-31

burg to Kansas City. The population
of the globe, estimated at 100000
900, could be put into Texas and every
person have a lot 50x100 feet.
Eastern and southern Texas Is one
Of the finest farming countries In the
world. l never looked upon finer
country than that about Dallas.
stood on the rear platform of the train
and looked in amazement on as rich
country as any In Illinois. l was
informed that the land there Is worth
from SIS to $126 per acre. Wheat
corn, cotton, hay and almost all kinds
of grain are raised. Four crops or
alfalfa are harvested in year, and 1t
is supposed to require resolving but
once in eleven years. Collins coun-
ty just north Of this is said to be still
finer, and Is the first county in United
States in the value of its farm pro-
ducts. Dallas is now the greatest
center in the world for the distribu-
tion of agricultural machinery and
implements, St. Louis having fallen to
second place.
Westward from Ft. Worth is graz
ing country. the elevation increasing
and rainfall decreasing as one goes
west. The rainfall over this country
is always light but just now the
drought Is excessive. At El Paso on
ly two hundredths of an inch of rain
has fallen in seven months. The soil
is of a character to produce the fin
est crops but 1t Ia too dry. The ele-
vation Is from three thousand to five
thousand feet, many Of the mountain
peaks rising to 5000 or 1000 feet.
| had learned when a boy about the
mighty Rio Grande river which Is a
thousand miles or more In length and
for many hundreds of miles marks
the dividing line between the United
States and Mexico. I'll Paso is situat-
ed on this river at the point where 1t
begins to be the boundary line. When
Chauncey M. DePew was In El Paso
he started out to see the great river
which he imagined would be covered
with shipping like the Hudson. Al
ter searching for some time he asked
a man where 1t was. The man an
swered, There 1t Is. You have cross
ed it three times already" In winter
1t is a dry sandy basin and not very
deep. This was as great an astonish-
ment to me as to Mr.. DePew. | had
crossed the little Colorado river OF
Texas and various other dry channels
but was not prepared to find the
Grand river in that condition. I'm
tp a ri
of Texas do not "how on forever"
In west Texas the air Is so rare and
so pure that 1t is so clear that one
can see great distance. My first
morning there my friend asked me
how far away a certain little noun
tain was. | thought perhaps half
mile, or a mile at the most. He as
sured me it was twelve miles. Thw
experience was repeated many times.
Sierra Blandas abof 1000 feet high.
can be plainly seen on clear day
from El Paso 80 miles away
The Texas and Pacific Railway
company take advantage of this dry
climate to construct cheap telephone
system along its line. This it does
NY tuO tOASPhchSo WAsh
the top wire of the barbed wire fence.
l talked over this barbed wire fence
distance of fifteen miles and found
the service very good.
All this west Texas country is prac-
tically treeless. Cottonwood trees
will grow in some places and the
chinaberry, or umbrella tree will grow
II properly cared for, The mosquito
bush, resembling somewhat small
peach tree, Is scattered over many
parts. It's root is said to be longer
than it's top and the Mexicans dig
1t for wood. In many places springs
of water are found on the hills while
the valleys are dry. hence the saying
that ''in Texas they dig for wood and
climb for water"
While to an "easterner" this coun-
try looks so barren that It would seem
as II stock could not get living
there, yet they do, and ordinarily
thrive there. Land is worth a dollar
an acre back In the country and an
average cattle ranch includes perhaps
$4,000 to 10000 acres.