The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-09-05
AL te NOT LOVELY IN TEXAS.
One Visitor Finds It a Milklcse, Fish
less, Gameless Region.

Tho idea prevails among people OF
the North that visit to Texas would
mean continuous feast on pure fresh
milk. fresh butter and eggs, with
rich cream in abundance for the home
grown fruits and berries; that fine
choice cut steaks would be no rarity
for who has not heard of Texas beef?
that vegetables would be gathered
fresh from the gardens for each meal;
that The streams abound In fnc fishes
and that tire choicest of wild game
would Oo served in the restaurants
and homes.
HOW surprised will this person be,
declares a writer in What to Eat,
when he discovers in many rural
towns that cream for the coffee is
looked upon as something of luxu-
ry and that probably q fourth of the
population of the small towns and
cities use canned milk. Instead or
the fresh Strawberries he will trd
that canned berries are served even in
the season and that most of the fruits
and vegetables served in the restaur-
ants are canned.
In no other state is there such a de-
mand for canned goods as in the
State, which many natives are prone
to call the garden State of the Union.
The extent of their consumption would
remind n person of a district OF min
ing camps in the desert instead of a
state whose soil is far renowned for
its fertility.
The fish and game laws are as lax
as the food and health regulations.
One hunting for a good game dinner
had better SO anywhere else in search
for it than to Texas, or If he is hunt
ing for field sports he had better re-
main in New York State or in Ohio
or Illinois for he can thus save the
expense of the trip and meet with
much better success with rod and gun.
The barrenness of the streams prob
ably has been caused by dynamiting
the fish and catching them with nets.
The fisherman would row out into the
centre Of the stream, plant a stick OF
dynamite, light the fuse and rapidly
row back TO shore. When he was out
Of harms way there was a loud ex-
plusiUn, the waters would pulsate from
the tremendous concussion and the
life was crushed out of every living
thing from the surface to the bottom
Of the stream for many yards about
Before the waters became calutd
- nd oil n
begin to rico and float lifelessly on
the surface ana soon the stream would
become literally covered with dead
GsLos OF every description. Then the
fisherman would ride out into the
stream and gather up the fishes by
Tie boatoad, leaving those too small
for use to rot in the stream.
This is the way they used to do ii
in Texas until the waters became Sc
barren that now il many streams not
even dynamite will bring forth The
fishes, for no fishes are there. String
ent laws were enacted against thi!
custom but they were disregarded ii
many rural districts.
Even yet dynamiting is practised tC
some extent in the wild eastern par
of the State near the Arkansas Lor
der. Sometimes il furnishes diver
sion for fishing parties and ever
women participate in the sport
The former unsportsmanlike method
of trapping and night hunting ha.
served in a like manner to aXte"nlin
ate most of the game in Texas. Ever
now game is shot in and out of seas
on without regard for the game laws
Probably the flthiest stream in III
United States exists in Texas. 1t !!
in Houston, one OF the busiest cit;e
in the State, and its name IS Buff
alo Bayou. This is an inlet iron
Galveston Bay and the Gulf of MeXicO
its principal mission being a draining
channel and waterway between Gal
weston and Houston.
This bayou receives all the dralnas
of Houston, city of $4,000 popula
ton, and the second largest city II
the State. This stream, with It's man
beautiful magnolia trees and luXurian
foliage. passing as it does through IN
centre of the city, might be made
thing of beauty by little work an
expense,
instead it is an abhorrent, fou
smelling stream, its surface coyere
with thick green scum and refuse fror
factories, stores AMI residence dis
tricts. in certain places the stenc
arising from it is so intoleraD,e as
make it impossible for uninured nose
to approach within yards of it. Th
climate must be healthful, however
for il it were not so the horrible sam
tary conditions would cause every IN
habitant 10 die of pestilenee.