Mexico weekly ledger., 1905-01-12
FAIR SAN ANGELO;
QUEEN OF THE C0EcH0
G. W. johnson Writes Of Conditions in
Western Texas as Viewed bya
Former Missourian.

San Angelo, Texas, Jan. 6, 1905
While have been well entertained by
the good people of this good old sum-
mer time, and have spent much time
in looking over this bountiful country,
enjoying Its wonderful displays Of ma
ture and investigating new ideas in
all lines OF business, can hardly real
ize that Christmas has been here, and
this is the beginning OF the new year,
though feel that l have had q great
feast and am ready, through the COL
umns Of the LEDGER, TO tell my many
friends, who have my promise Of q
personal letter, some Of the good
things, OF course, about Texas, for l
know 1t will be interesting to them,
as 1t is to me.
No time in my life have l wanted
SO much to live to be DID, as since COM
log here, for / never realized before
that life was so well worth living, and
that il could be made SO blissful by
such pleasant and gratifying surround
ings.
The first and greatest Of these ad-
vantages are the natural ones, fine
climate, a mean average Of rs temper
ature OF summer and 81 winter, max
ing it ideally beautiful. There are no
hot summer nights; the mosquito is a
rarety, save along the water courses,
and the intense winter cold OF the
more northerly climes is entirely un-
known. Children can be seen any day
without coats on their backs, or shoes
on their feet. Here, as no where
else, can be found combined the twin
element of health and wealth"
This section of the country takes its
name from the Concho River system,
which renders one of the best watered
portraits Of Texas. Three branches
Of the Concho, Spring and Dove creeks,
with numerous small tributaries, all
living water, unite at San Angelo to
form the beautiful main Concho. The
water supply Of these streams is never
failing, and in consequence there is
much irrigated land along their fer
tile valleys, and much more subject to
irrigation, which lies untouched by
the plow.
There are wide stretches of fine
chocolate and black farming land ly-
ing back from the Concho, which are
still in use for grazing purposes only.
These lands are extremely productive
and can be purchased at from % to
$3.50 per acre, according TO location
and degree Of improvement. These
lands are so called "dry lands" and an
old ranch man will tell you "there is
no use to try, you can't raise anything
on them, while at the same time there
are heavy loaded wagons Of cotton and
feed standing all around him, grown
on this same land"
Cotton, corn, oats, sorghum and
milomaise are the principal crops, but
in addition to these there are plenty
of vegetables and a good quantity Of
fruit. In fact no one knows what can
be grown, for the simple reason OF the
old cowman's advice and not having
been tried.
AS farming community it is only
L
about four years old, but surpasse'
the s25 TO go per acre land further
east, consequently the Eastern Texas
farmers are the ones who are buying
this land, and as it is daily enhancing
in value wonld advise all my inqulr
ing friends to come In on the GROUND
floor, via the next excursion, and take
a look. Remember you are "fron
Missouri" and / can show you thes'
things better than can tell you.
Horses and cattle are the only cheaI
stuff here, and they say horses are
high, having been as low as $3.50 pei
head. The horse didn't eat his head
of as many times in year here, then
as in Missouri, for his grass didn't
cost anything.
Feed is very high, corn CSC per
busnel, oats SOC. They both grow
here, but do not raise enough TO sup.
ply the demand. Cotton beats it.
thing could easily fool one of you
with sack of Texas oats by having
you lift them for wheat. They are
worth SOC.
Says one Of our most successful stock
farmers: 1--WE have something better
than corn and oats to fatten stock,
and that is two inches Of our green
grass
There are thousands OF acres Of sod
being broken this winter. One man
told me he had 600 acres broke aud Is
still breaking. Another said be ex-
pected to put in 5000 acres Of cotton
this spring. Like the man from Ger.
many who would only tell his brother
of half the meat be had to eat in this
country, because he was telling him
then more than he would believe, so
have to be cautious, but three tons Of
sorghum to the acre, worth IS per ton,
bale cotton per acre, worth s35 to
Sos per bale; flowers now blooming in
the fields and expecting to have garden
truck first Of March, is no exaggera-
tion.
While you warm and you rest,
Come to fair San Angelo,
The beauty Of the West,
The Queen OF the Concho