The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-16
IRRIGATION WONDERFULLY
4. DEVEI.O PED IN SECTION
Land Values Have Advanced to
an Amazing Degree and Truck
Farming and Fruit Growing
Are Extensively Practiced.
BY HERBERT vANDERHooF.


But there is more to San Antonio than
mere senudmentality. The climate Of
his section of Texas is superb. Year
,fter year thousands OF visitors throng
his fair city Of the Lone Star state, seek
ng that which Ponce de Leon failed to
ind in Florida, the fountain Of youth.
nd yet nine tenths Of those who seek
from care and worry, and
rom disease, seek San Antonio and are
benefited. This must mean something.
There must certainly be that in the
climate, in the water Of San Antonio
which tnytgorates to such an extent az
o promote the well being of man physi-
ally. and, CORRESPONDENCE, financially.
The climate Of this section Of Texas,
3exar county, is delightful. San An
ionic Is almost in the center of county
separated from the others by chalk cliffs.
the average height of the county being
800 to 700 feet above sea level, and the
highest point in the northern section Of
the county being 1900 feet above sea
evel. The averages temperature is about
B5 degrees. ="
The water supply Of San Antonio and
the surrounding country is furnished BY
three rtvers-the San Antonio, the Me-
dina and the Cibolo. But, besides these.
there Is an immense subterranean supply,
together with numerous creeks, which
irr1gate the country most thoroughly.
From the subterranean basin comes the
immense amount of 100000 gallons Of
water through about eighty-fve artesian
wells. which tap the water supply. There
fore, with these conditions before us,
let us consider the effects this irrigation
will have upon the soil.
~: Increase In Land Values.
Truck farming, the most profitable part
of agricultural pursuit, is extensively
carried on in and around San Antonio.
That this Is possible you can see from
saw county so well irrigated as 10
Bexar county. I made personal inyesd-
CATION in order to ascertain. what rev.
enues might accrue from such well irri-
gated land, and to my surprise found
that in some cases the immense sum of
1925 per acre had been realized Land
that at one time brought anywhere from
soday = e sso c eSen SIS s5
=. Two products Of the soil are extensively
grown on the fertile lands of Bexar coun-
6eng sn9 to cot san 4 NE
one most necessary to life, the other
necessary to provide for the comforts OF
man and to protect his body. When we
corn land than Illinois I think that YOU
will agree with me when say that Texas
as the leading corn state in the Union.
is not an impossibility. Corn in Texas
yield to the acre is almost beyond belief.
That this Is possible, however, you can
easily recognize, considering the excel
lence of the irrigation. the fertility of the
tons Year by year the farmers Of the
United States are realizing this condition
in. Texas, and today the quality of horses.
cattle and sheep that are shipped from
Texas exempltfy the quality Of grain and
corn that is grown there. Why, In the
racing game alone this fact was dem
7onstrated not long since, when Tokalon.
the great Brooklyn handicap, the richest
stake IN the East. against fifteen Of the
best thorobreds in America. And all this
on Texas corn and grasses. - .
/. The Greatest Cotton State.
Another industry for which Texas has
been noted, and which is growing stead
lily, is cotton raising. From the time the
first Anglo-Saxon landed in the state OF
Texas to the present, cotton has been
grown in the Lone Star state. From In
vestigations regarding cotton, its growth,
the crop, and quality, I have found that
Texas cotton is second to none grown lin
the Union Mon and to-day IT produces ,, tribe
ton crop of America. The. climatic con.
ditions and soil Of Texas are especially
adapted to the growing Of cotton, and the
crops have been very profitable.
I; Although several years ago the boil
weevil made its appearance from Mexico.
and caused considerable damage, this
pest has been almost conquered. and In
but thanks to the careful work Of the
United States Department of Agriculture
methods have been unearthed to which
the boil weevl is certain to succumb.
season. a Texas farmer some years ago
unearthed a plan whereby the top orop'
Of cotton could be harvested and mar.
keted. and although the cotton SO har-
Of cotton Is 50 high. and the sale OF
this top CROP so abundant that one
third the price Of clean cotton has been
profitable, and in this way alone II was
estimated that at least $40, oo0, 900 In cot
| ton was saved to the state Of Texas The
production OF cotton in Bexar county on
some of the well irrigated lands IS an
much as one bale to the acre, and ia
| the. river bottoms even two bales to tina
acre. But this point must be understooSi
regarding cotton that the yield to the acre
crop, for cost Of production varies WITH
the price OF the land and the ease viii,
which the soil may be cultivated.
Bermuda Onions from Texas.
Withinsthe past few years an organise
| ton of farmers known as the Bexar Coun-
| ty Farmers institute has been at work
| on the growing Of Bermuda onions in
| Bexar county, and their investigations.
experiments and actual results have been.
| In this particular instance, Of inestimable
value to the people of Texas They have
shown that the Bermuda onion can be
| most successfully and profitably grown
In this state: that the quality of the onion
as compared with the genuine Bermuda
product, and the people Of the North have
corroborated these findings by large pur-
/ chases.
So great has been the call for the Texa n
grown Bermuda onion In New York citY
that In 1905 this city alone Consumed of
distributed something like 100000 crates
i OF onions. :.
want to impress upon all who are In.
/ terested in Texas, or who are looking
4 for a good home and lands to till, tina {
the small fruit growing industry Of the
state alone is very profitable, for the soil
and climate are admirably adapted for
this purpose, and more so that district
l within the immediate vicinity Of San An
tonic, which Is a good market for thu
product.
i Commercially San Antonio Is all that
4 a hustling, growing city should be-. Ade-
quate railroad facilities tend to give heE
i products to the world; she has an outlet
into the gulf via Corpus Christi. both by
4 rail- and water, and. In a word. San An
= tonic is indeed the home OF the man wh1
tain would grow rich In quick Nrdsrs