New-York tribune., 1910-04-12

Thriving Farms Show Immense
Possibilities of Soil.
BRaZOS AND TRINITY LEAD
Inexhaustible Fertility Magnet
Attracting Farmers from the
North and Europe.

n
/ Brazos and the Trinity The valleys OF
I these streams could support population
I of many millions. Owing 70 lack Of trans
I por:ation in the past the settlers from the
North and from Europe moved toward the
railroads that reached out 20 Dallas. Fort
Worth this city and Galveston. In re-
4 cent years these valleys have been opened
up by a branch Of a greet system, and
thriving farms are beginning 70 show the
possibilities Of the great, fertile territory.
The farseeing railroad man was respon-
sible for the upbuilding Of the vast West
4 In the beginning there were no towns or
cities. no rural population TO assure earn
ings IL was in a measure speculation on
the part OF the promoters Of the great
Western lines. but there were men in
those davs VINO had the prescience that is
s gift Ii cannot be cultivated or learned
The same gift was the impulse that led
10 the building Of a line 10 tap the Brazo-
and Trinity valleys
In the beginning. apart from the cities
and towns which were taken in. the val
. leys had a population OF about 500, 600.
This VAS tenuous sprinkling OF people
IN tia territor-- that was as large as sew
eral Eastern states And this region IS
not new. / was settled by cotton plant
@rs and cattle mer before Ohio and Indl-
ana These venturesome Texans made
great fortunes The planters did not mind
the long hauIs 10 the distant railroads or
coast port. The cattle men trekked north
ward hundreds Of miles and fattened their
. stock on the wa,-
Competition raised the price Of cleared
land beyond the profit mark so far as the
cattle raising industry on a large scale
was concerned. and the greet thrush Of
cotton planters 10 the railroad zones conf
pelled the abandonment often OF the val
ley places The transportation facilities
tecame a major consideration 20 the born
Texan and to the settler The need OF this
facility in the Valleys was quickly seen
snd az quickly met The very long haul
has been abolished by d railroad that -
Connected with the large cities inland such
ss Dallas. Fort Worth and Houston. and
with Galveston
There always had been a Few farmers in
The valleys who raised diversified crops.
They were from Europe and the Northern
states. attracted by the climate. rich soil
and regular rainfall. These valleys are
Independent of irrigation. 4 is only once
in a decade that drouth may prove
threatening. Farmers from Michigan. In
diana. Wisconsin and Ohio. or the states
IN the East. would fnd little difference
between this Texan region and the con-
dltions in the home districts. excepting in
Tie absence cf The rigorous winter
Another difference should be mentioned.
TIE settlers from the North and East
have found that the soils here are richer
than on their old places. They range
from the black vaxv. which crosses the
valleys from north 70 south. the choco-
late. dark and light. 20 the sandy Ioani 50
much desired FOR certain crops. The depth
% these soils Is matter Of surprise 20
the newcome~ r bespeaks inexhaustible
fertiHtv
owing 10 the diversity Of soils all kinds
Of crops can be and are raised. The ce-
reals flourish. Horizon bounded wheat
fields NAV bc seen in the valleys where
cattle used 70 Craze Kansas never had
more lush corn. bearing prize winning
ears ard Of height of cane beyond the
lean p the most agile raCcoon. The for
age crous. the easiest 70 cultivate, are the
maiuStav of many farmers II il the re-
zion where alfalfa seems 10 he most ar
home. numerous cuttings being possible
each Er0win~ season
2 Is 20 Commemorative farming that most
OF the settlers tend however with the
markets within easy reach. truck garden
ing hes been chosen by many as the surest
MONEY maker In connection with the
growing of vegetables these farmers raise
chickens turkeys. geese and ducks and
ind q ready sale for all Of these. espe-
cialiy in Galveston. where steamships from
al parts OF the world touch
While there IS a movement against cold
storage in the North and East-that IT, the
holding OF produce and poultry and beef
for years-the plants here and at Dallas
and Fort Worth. also at Galveston. are a
beneft 10 the farmers. and they would
not 10 without them. Al Fort Worth there
are packing plants the equal of those al
Kansas City and nearly as extensive az
those Of Chicago. These are branches OF
the packing companies OF the North. and
railroads connecting with al parts OF the
country concentrate al Fort Worth. making
access 20 the markets easy
There is an inclination toward the raising
OF al kinds OF livestock. and many set
tiers are making a specially OF this class
of produce Hogs need no care Hog
cholera is unknown. Poultry rhrives with
almost as little attention as hogs Cattle
and sheep are an accompaniment to the
regular crops on al large farms And
there are few places where system is not
as -igidlv observed as IN extensive bust
ness enterprise.
Vast reaches of land have been put in
the market The absence of the necessity
n irrigation has kept the prices down
The rainfall average is forty inches A year.
sufficient for every crop purpose except
ing rice and that iE grown IN the moist
coast belt. The land rs gently rolling In
the immediate vicinity Of the rivers there
are vaIuaB Die timber belts. Further away
there Is boundless prairie Prices range all
the way from q 70 Sd an acre the latter
for cleared lands.
Experiments in fruit culture have shown
that the region u thu valleys viii grow
everything. from apples 20 oranges and figs
There are vineyards that rival those in
for which there IS demand can be raised
here and marketed far in advance oF
the Northern growths. The farmers arc all
0f a month ahead OF the Northern farmers
IN the harvesting OF crops
IN the older towns and cities the educa-
,ional facilities are the same as In anv
settled state. In the new communities the
most modern schools have been established
and they are within reach of every farming
district In Dallas and Houston are col
Ieges that have high standing The teach
err arr from the best training colleges and
universities. The farmer can have his chill
dren educated within the boundaries o.,
Texas as thoroughly a. in any state in
the Union.
u ls not generally known that within
49,