The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-11-28
A SOUTHERN WONDERLAND

Texas is so far away that we doubt il
many in this section realize what is do
ing in the Lone Star State. 1t is an
empire in itself in extent of territory
and is rapidly developing resources be.
fore undreamed of that must make il
one of the richest States in the Union
To the writer, who knew it in the sos,
the transformation seems no less won
derful than those produced by Aladdin's
lamp. First the reader should be given
an idea of its size. A Northern news
paper man in writing about Texas has
said: ''Set all of New England, New
York and Pennsylvania inside of Texas
and they will rattle around like peas in
a pod. Texas is as wide as the dis.
lance from Chicago to Boston or from
St. Louis to New York city. To be
exact, from Texarkana to Ell Paso is
!, 100 miles. 1t is twice as large as
Japan, which has population of So.
OOO, 900, and in natural resources, in the
ability to support population and to
create wealth, Texas is SO far ahead of
/ Japan that comparison between the
two would be useless"
Fifty years ago the population OF
Texas was about 100000. At least two
thirds of the State was practically given
over to savage Indians, who raided the
frontier settlements and drove the
captured cattle, mules and horses over
into Mexico. The government main
tanned military posts for the protection
of settlers and the troops in pursuing
| hostile bands over the desert wastes
suffered many hardships. San Antonio
100 miles from the coast and one of the
largest inland places, had to depend up
on OK and mule teams for transporta
| ton. There was not mile of railway
in the State. A large section was re
garded as a desert-a treeless waste
where only the prickly cactus grew
and where water holes" were few anC
far between. This great, dry, barren
plain, larger than the whole State OF
Massachusetts, lay between the Rle
Grande and the Nueces rivers. Thel
there was the Llama Estado, or Staked
Plain, where there was a stretch of &C
miles to cover by wagon trains be
| tween water holes. In 1857 the Govern
ment sent out Capt. Pope of the U. S
Engineers-later Gen. Pope of the
Civil WARMTH party to bore artesiar
wells. The previous year it had i'm
ported from Africa herd of SO camels
and in 1857 second herd of Al arrived
at Indianola to be used in traversing
the Texan deserts. An officer who used
the camels in New Mexico said he
would rather have one camel than foul
mules, but before they could be put to
much practical use the rebellion broke
out and the camels were forgotten. The
incident is worth recalling now in con.
trast with the present railway facilities
of the Lone Star State.
Texas rivers had a curious fashion OF
disappearing under ground, to reappeal
farther on. In one case we recall quite
settlement had grown up beside a
river which all at once went dry, and
the inhabitants had to move away, leav.
ing their houses tenantless. In recent
years it occurred to some one to bore
for water in the desert, and they found
tin gushers that poured out 1000 gal
Ions minute and made lakes among
the cacti and the mesquite. The land
where the pasturage was SO scant that
it required ten acres to raise one steer
has now become the vegetable garden
of the country. Today at least 10000
of its acres are growing lettuce, toma
toes, caulifower onions and strawber-
ries, and the ten acres that two years
ago would feed but one steer will now
produce from $4,000 to $1,000 in crops.
The Llano Estado, or Staked Plain,
which previous to 1885 was supposed to
be-and Was-a desert, not fit for farm
ing purposes, is now to be cut up into
farms, and practically all of it, in the
near future, will undoubtedly furnish
homes for thousands Of families. Water,
it is now known, can be found in great
abundance, usually from 25 to so feet
below the surface, and the soil is rich
and capable of supporting dense popu-
lation.
Texas onions have taken the lead in
the markets and are considered equal if
not superior to the once Wanted Ber-
muda onions. 1t is now said to be the
most remunerative crop in America, as
the profits sometimes reach $500 the
acre. The largest onion farm in Texas
is 200 acres in extent and the value of
the crop is estimated at $125,O00. The
Texas yield this year is estimated at
1900 carloads - nearly 10000 tons
Everybody's Magazine for November
says: '"The planters who are engaged
in this business are organized under
the name Of the Western Truck Grow
ers Association, and they pay an exclu-
sive agent in San Antonio a salary of
$4,000 year to market their produce
One grower at Laredo made from this