The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1907-10-17
Mr.. McCLURG'S LECTURE

Gilbert McClurg a well known news
paper man and lecturer delineated the
State of Texas Monday night before
the South Dakota Agricultural College,
and was introduced by President
Slagel to very appreciative audience
which gave the speaker deserved APP
plause. His lecture was an eloquent
story gracefully and forcibly told of
the early Spanish and French colonists
of Texas, its revolution from Mexico
and joining the union. And since its
later history has been along indus
trial and economic lines. Mr.. McClurg
described the rice, cotton, cattle and
lumber interests Of this imperial do
main. He said that Texas wealth in
minerals bafiled description; that her
beds of Ignite coal and of kaolin
were greater than Europe and that
massive beds of gypsum were only
equalled by those OF the Sahara de-
sert and of the Andes.
The great oil fields of Spindle Top
and the coal, gold and silver fields
surrounding FL Paso were described.
Cotton is king, however" he con-
tinued, in Texas, and the word Texas
is fondly relegated to derivation from
and Indian word signifying Paradise
Garden.
The audience was carried by the
speaker along the RocklsIand, Frisco
system, first into the Pan Handle
country and the beautiful colored ster-
iopticon views. which illustrated the
address showed the crops which are
now being grown in that country
where few years ago only steers
and buffalo and mesquite grass were
to be found. The farmers in the Pan
Handle now grow the grains as well as
cotton and splendid crops of Milo
maize, sorghum and kaffir corn. Cot
ton and corn were shown growing in
the same field. Mr.. McClurg said
that hundreds of farmers are pouring
into the Panhandle via the Rock
Island road every month.
He showed motion pictures of har-
vesting and threshing rice which great
ly interested the audience, and said
that it was an axiom that any wheat
farmer could grow rice successfully
and doubling wheat profits. Mr.. Nc
Clurg continued. Ninety one per cent
of the earth's population are rice eat
ers, but though the great white GER
cal was brought by storm-laden
English vessel to Charleston as long
ago as 1894, only eight per cent o..
the people of the United States eat it.
Sixteen rice mills for preparing tn,
cereal for market have been est. b.
lished in Texas and the sanyuin Tex
ans hope to increase the number of
American rice lovers.
1T is under the democracy of the
farm, that is, the diversity of crops
that the tiller of the soil will be able
to reap the greatest reward for his
labors. However one county of Texas
yields six million of dollars in cotton
alone, in the Trinity Brazos valley.
This valley has been opened up this
year by a railroad and unimprOved
land can be had at six to ten dollars all
acre there up to forty and fifty dollars
for improved land near towns One
town in this valley-there are twenty
new towns here springing up-has a
population of over 1000 and it is grow
ing at the rate of ten per cent week
Pecan orchards pay three hundred
dollars an acre, so do figs" Mr.. Nc
Clurg showed a picture of a fig tree
only eleven months old which bore
olhtF hS'' n toOou hN vi tiIhiu
five to six tons of figs to the acre and
cannOries pay sixty dollars a ton for
the figs. He showed views of hogs
and angora goats, cutting the fifth
crop of alfalfa in the Trinity Brazos
valley and corn in the ear which was
the second annual crop. In south
Texas the summer heat is always tenn
pered by the gulf breeZes and nights
are cool.
Dallas the center of finance; Fort
Worth the metropolis of grain and cat
tie; Austin the capital; FL Paso the
mining centre; HOustin the railroad,
lumber and Rice City and Galveston
the greatest cotton port Of the world
were all described and beautifully illu-
strated
Mr. McClurgS lecture was mine
of information and a world of STYLE