Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1908-07-31
FROM THE
MEXICAN BORDER
A Former Tazewell Bor Writes
interestingly of His Far
off Home
Dear Mr.. Editor:


its way every week To this far away
home, L wondecr If few lines from
this old Tazewell boy will find their
way into your columns. My name
never looked so big as it did the first
time / ever saw it in your columns.
1t was in some items from Burhe's
Garden almost 20 years ago. Eor ten
years past / have been a member of
the Holston Conference. Last spring
on the advice of physicians | asked
for church in the Southwest, on
account of my wife's health. We
were transferred ON March 10Th TO the
West Texas Conference and stationed
at Laredo, from which place am
sending these lines. Laredo Is 1853
miles Southwest of San Antonio, on
the Rio Grando river.It is the south
ern terminus of the International and
Great Western railroad. We are on
the Mexican National lines, the
road TO Mexico City, 500 miles
Southwest of Laredo. We have a
population of 16, 900 and about II, 500
Of them are MeXicans. Although we
are in the United States we are liv-
ing under the control of foreign peo-
pie and our laws are in the main
ignored. Nearly all the Americans
speak Spanish, so one hears nothing
else much but the Spanish language.
This is the great Bermuda onion
section. Last year the onion farmers
brought a great deal of money into
this section. This year the crop was
the finest ever raised here, but heavy
rains at shipping time caused them
TO rot in transit To market, causing "A
loss of several millions of dollars To
this county. 1t is very expensive
crop To raise. rom the time the seed
leaves the Bermuda Islands 10 the
time ears reach the New York mark
cts many dollars have been eXpend-
eel. If the onions are found TO be rot
ten when the cars are opened then
the loss is complete including crates
and freight charges. You know the
land all has 10 be irrigated from the
river which also is expensive. One
grower here had in SS acres as fine as
the world ever saw. There are two
car loads on three acres on an average
or about 60 car loads on the farm.
Last year prices would have brought
him 5000 per acre, or S36, 900. This
grower had To pay out 81, 600, more
than the crop brought Others lost
more heavily. The farmers are going
10 diversity the crops next year but
there will he great many onion
farmers in spite of the loss.
There are still fine opportunities
here for investment in real estate.
The land that can be irrigated is val
liable. / think few German truck
growers here would get rich. Any
thing will grow here the year around
if watered. Yet all our vegetables
are brought from the city of San
Antonio, or an equal distance from
Mexico, and the custom laws of the
two countries practically make ship
ments across the river impossible.
We pay 1-2 cents each in our
money for every roasting ear we get,
or cents in Mexican money. The
little green apples you TazewelI peo-
| pie are making pies out OF now are
worth 8 cents in Mexican money
each down here. We get plenty OF
beef at 10 cents the pound, but the
beef is not fat. The grass and brush
| they live on will not fatten.
spent last week camping on n
20, 900 acre ranch in Mexico. There
wereone thousnd cattle on this ranch,
all colors, ages, sizes and conditions.
/ only saw one "muley." Some o.
them L am sure have passed theil
majority. This same ranch had about
800 horses, most of them wild. 1t j.
the property of Mexican who is the
Mayor of this city. He ownes severa
other ranches besides much property
in the city.
There are no game laws in Mexico
so we had fine hunting. There i,
game of all kinds In great abun
dance. There is no water in the inter
ior except the artificial lakes, so 10,
camping by one of the lakes you cal
easily get the game. The lake W
camped by is more than half mil
long. We even found some waite
fowls there.
r / had an experience l will no
soon forget. / was lost on this i'm
, mense ranch from a. IN. to p. m
l had with me two eleven year oil
boys. We were without food or wate
or even tree large enough To max
us good shade TO lie under To res
1 and the temperature about 10. / wa
: sunburnt until / was a solid bIistS
t from my waist up. L am sheddin
: now. Think will look better in
1 few days. When we finally fot OF
o all We found was a railroad ini "