Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-12-22
A LETTER FROM TEXAS.
Arthur Millard Writes Glowing De-
scription of the Agricultural Pos
sibilities OF That Section.

"A. ID. mllIarQ was D0rn IN duSat
and resided here until he reached man
hood; he theE went to Amigo, where
he published paper for many years
About year or more ago Arthur fell
the need of getting into a warmer eli
mate, SO packed up and. accompanied
by his family, went 10 Lyford, Texas
In letter to his mother, Mrs. T. Smith
of this city, written on the Goth oi
November, 1908, his description of the
country and its possibilities, may prove
of interest to our readers, and tie Pno1
is given the privilege of using Sc much
of the letter it desires. Leaving ou,
matters personal we give extracts as
follows:
LYfoRD, TEXAS, Nov. 29. 1908
Winter has undoubtedly
set in for good up there and while we
are looking for shade from the heat OF
the sun at noon time, you are listening
to the jingle of the merry sleigh bells.
We have just begun to find out how anu
what to plant here. On the 22d of Aug
ust we put in about acres OF corn, and
inasmuch as the corn we had thereto
fore planted had been failure, so far as
a crop was concerned, we did not ex-
pect much of this except fodder for the
stock. | am glad to say that it is COM
ing on fine; indeed, so good that we
had roasting ears last Sunday, and sold
about So 90 worth for Thanksgiving and
have had orders for it every day since.
This does not include what we have
eaten and given away, besides that |
hope to harvest 40 to so bushels for the
stock. We have also had radishes,
string beans, young beets and turnips,
and will soon have green peas. We
have lot Of tomatoes coming on also;
and have set oat 400 awberry plants
and expect to receive / 900 more to-
day. Unless something turns up TO
prevent we shall be able to eat straw
berry short cake for Christmas, and
have some to sell besides. Have just
planted an acre of beets for market,
also have an acre of peas, and next
month will begin to set out our onions
We plant onions in a seed bed and then
transplant 10 the field when they are
about the size of lead pencil. We will
have about three acres if we can get
around to transplant them all. We are
..
/ bought 1000 plants for 20 cents and
guess we will have 2, 800, for we have set
out over SGD aud have lot left. Some
of our neighbors put in beans about the
time we put In corn and are now ship.
ping to market, green. One man has
two acres of them and inside of ten
days shipped 200 crates, on which he
cleared go cents each. Unfortunately
for me l experimental in corn while
they did in beans. But we have all
found out great deal and need not
make any mistakes in the future There
is one good thing about tive do not
have to wait whole year to get on
the right track, for we can put in
seed any time from August to March
with reasonable assurance of sue
cess. The only thing is to plant that
which, whan it is ready for market, will
not coue in competition with northern
produce. This is readily done by plant
ing SO as to reap our harvest while you
have snow on fhe ground. | am going
to put in several acres of cantelopes
about the ]st of February which will
bring a big price about the 1st of MAY
Have number of varieties of water
melons, musk melons and canielopes
now growing, from which we will be
able TO determine which are the best
varieties. Speaking of melons reminds
me we had watermelon for our Thanks
giving dinner, and will also have them
for Christmas dinner right off the vines.
Last May put in about acres of Kaf-
fir corn for feed, and cut it and fed il
green. OF of that piece have cut two
crops without re-seeding, and third
crop is ready to cut. There is no ques.
ton in my mind that this section of
Texas will outrival any other section of
the U. ). as q truck and fruit growing
country. OF course we have not had
time to do much in the shape of raising
oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits
as yet except planting our trees and
waiting, but all around US, at Browns
vile and on the Mexican ranches, there
are orange, lerHCn, lime and citron trees
which have been bearing fruit for years
and never froZe down. This indicates
that we are In the right place and only
a small cash outlay and the necessary
energy and patience are needed to be-
come extensive citrus fruit growers.
One man near here has eight acres OF
orange trees set out, and although they
have been In only year, and the trees
cost him not to exceed $3.50 per acre.
he has been offered $500 90 per acre and
refused it, As for truck we are, as You
know, in the extreme southern part of
the U. S.--BrownsviIle being the most
souihernmost point and we are 40 miles
north of that place-and can mature
truck several weeks earlier than Cali
fornia or any other section, thus giving
us an uncontested market and top
prices. In fine, this is without doubt
the garden spot of the u. s. and he who
invests in 40-acre tract now at S25 90
per acre, even though he does not care
to clear and cultivate it now, will see
the day within five years when his land
will be worth anywhere from 500 90
per acre up. OF course, no one can tell
how soon the price of land will go up,
and the sooner anyone invests the
greater will be his gain. Those who
come in from now on will have the
benefit o. our experience, am if
they are wise enough to profit by it will
find that the outlay will cease and the
income begin much sooner than those
of us who are here and had to expert
ment with the soil. You probably re-
member hearing the story about how
Gen. Sherman when he was told that
all Texas lacked was water and good
society, tersely replied, That is ali hell
lacks and also the sarcastic remark of
Bob IngersoIl that If owned Texas
and hell would rent Texas and live in
hell" but If either of them cnuld return
and see the possibilities of Texas today
they would revise their opinion and be-
come enthusiasts over this section. All
of this growth of truck, etc, which |
have mentioned has been done without
irrigation, although some cf Us have
irrigating wells to draw upon in case of
drought. The land here is. a. | have
heretofore described it to you, a rich
alluvial soil, but which, in its wild
state, is oyergrown with mesquite trees,
cacti and other vegetation which robs
the soil of ali moisture Once this is
cut of and the land brought under cul-
tivation the moisture received from the
rainfall is easily conserved if the right
methods are pursued The animal rain
fall here is from "a TO 81 inches and is
amply sufficient TO bring on good crops
OF course, if one is in position TO irri-
gate SIS they ought to be, the yield of
crops will be much larger Take Ber-
muda onions for example Under irri-
CATION they readily produce from s60U
-, &<4N1 r,or a1ro FrlaufSnxr fat MI 90