Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-04-10
TEXAS SHARKS ROPE UKWARY
Half The Land Deals in Lone Star
State Based on Fraud.
FABULOUS PRICES ENACTED
Csc VINO Knows Says to Leave the
Sharks Alcn> and nuy from
she State or from In
Jisfdual..

"fexas lands have been the means OF
have been hundreds In this part OF he
county each year. who are roped IN on
land n ny state that is hopolessiy mis-
reoreeented."
This statement con:cs from d. c. Coup
iSac, who IL here representing tic South
err Texas Truck Growers association
Of Sen Antonio. COPELAND SAYS that half
OF the land schemes aflost in Te1ss ami
Mexico ere coined with fraud. that these
rloat.ngs lave hurt the Legitimate land
dealer moro than the actual conditions
Of the land The syndicate system Of
ceiling ana 10 acre tracts. including
town lots on a Ttxas waste. the purchase
price OF which runs over SIS an acre, he
believes should be Investigated es ths
value is likely inflated.
IF men wish TO sell again after the
syndicate has unloadded its holdings he
usually gets but half of what he paid
for g."
shingles Are Numerous.
in Corpus Christi on every fifth door
can be seen the shingIe Of soma land
dealer. II is easy to see there are many
in the business for what they can get
out OF II. These men will take ore car
Of produce which has been sold at
record price and use the figures OF The
same MS the average yield that can be
obtained on their lands. It's ridiculous
10 suppose that onions. for example,
will yield an average Of more .hsn S'o.
Yet the literature sent out at times
reads n,IO0 to 81, go. These fabulous pr.ets
would rope in any prospective land
buyer and the northener goes TO Texas
with the idea that he will procure the
same. In the first place IL costs an
average OF $50 to harvest an acre Of
onions. so he must be financially well
fixed to go into onion growing 10 begin
with"
COPELAND Gives Advice.
Going on the theory that the worst
kpocker in the world is one who has
been swindled, COPELAND advises the man
who wants to buy Texas land to purchase
il from the state or the Individual. or. II
either has none for sale, to be sure Of
buying OF a legitimate land dealer. He
says that figures can be obtained and II
the literature Of a land company parades
IN bold type fictitious values IL Is best to
leave II alone. He believes that what II
true OF produce in every state applies TO
Texas with the exception that certain
sections OF Texas do produce bountiful
crops and have q ready market. cultiva-
ton II, however. very important factor
IN realizing big returns and man needs
plenty of initial capital to SO truck farm
ing or fruit raising.
Irrigation In the important thing TO
know down there" he continued. for
pumps to obtain water from the river or
nrtesian wells cost more than the home
Eeeker with little money can afford
Frosts Xiii Crops.
Speaking on the prospects Of Texas as
a great orange producing state he said
that the two or three hard frosts last
winter had crippled orange growing IS
or 20 per cent according to the states Of
iiciai figures. COPELAND does not have the
greatest Of faith In the satsuma orange.
which Ia grown along the Gulf coast II
"a too small an orange and he did not
helieve the climate would allow cultivat-
Ing the orange to a product like that OBJ
tanned in California or Florida.
There are many chances for a home
SEEKER to double his money In Texas.
but he wants TO steer clear Of the fraud
ulent land dealer who win sell him HILL
side or wilderness with no more hest
tailon than his best holding"