Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-02-24
CANE GROWERS
PETITION CONGRESS
Increase Of Appropriation for South
Texas Garden from $4,000 to
$25.0U0 Year Asked hor This
Highly Important Work.

$25.Ou0 "a Year Asked h1r Tn
Highly Important Work.
I'm pursuance or the reaolutIt
adopted By the Rio Grande CaI
Growers Association On the POI
nshant. letters have been mailed
.he secretary. r. &. Wharton. 70 =
'ry member 0f congress from Texa
the request ~ the assoc
ItlOn for the establishment 0f IA suRs
experiment. station, 81 the Soui
Texas Garden. and FOR an increase
for the Garden In d
Ter 70 provide for the said expcr
mental work The letters urge on
To exert themselves
lehalf Of this measure. Following
copy OK the letters
Brownsville. 23 Feb. 1912
Dear sir:
Al a meeting OF the Rio
Grande Cane Growers AssOcla-
tion held on the 20lh Inst. In
the rooms on the Brownsville
Chamber OF Commerce. me fol-
lowing resolution was adopted:
Resolved. That the anecessi-
ties of the sugar zane Industry
in the Rio Grande VALLEY re-
quire the establishment Of su-
gar cane xp ri m MT
station: and that the assccia-
ton lay the facts before our SEN
atOrs and Representatives al
Washington. and request their
cooperation IN an endeavor %
secure from congress an tn
crease IN the annual appr5PrIa-
tion for the South Texas Garden
from the present appropriation
Of si0.00D. t0 one Aof SIS. 600.
The increase or $4,000 10 BE-
devoted 10 the establishment
and operation 81 a sugar expert
ment statl0n at said Garden
Also 70 call the attention or
our senators and representatives
al Washington to the fact that
the South Texas Garden was es-
tablished Ia 1907. and IT, apprc-
priation granted for the pur-
. pose ~ assisting our farmers hY
experimenting with the staple
and other crops that are grown
IN the Valley. That. for reasons
unknown. such policy appears
I'd have been changed by the
Department OF Agriculture and
experiments with staple crops
have apparently been discOntin-
ued In favor of experiments
with tropical and semi-tropicaI
plants that are on little value 40
the farmers OF the district az
presenfs ana to ask our repre-
sentatives 20 lend their influ-
ence IN nm effort 40 have the
South Texas Garden again take
up its original work which has
proved so valuable 70 the Farm
ers ~ this section of the coun-
try"
The necessity for the estab-
lishment Of a sugar experiment
station I'M the Rio Grande Val
ley Is very great The Valley
II fast bec0ming "A factor I'm the
cane sugar production Of the
country. and from the peculiar
conditions existing particular
~ needs the aid or the govern
nent 20 assist In the solution 0f
the complex problem.
Generally speaking the De-
partment Of Agriculture has
done but little experimentation
with sugar cane. the theory be-
ing that the production of SUI
gar cane was largely In the
hands Of corporations. or large
planters. who could afford t0 NO
their own experimenting. In
m0s4 sections Of the United
States and It's possessions. this
~ true. but IN the Rio Grande
Valley the contrary l. the case.
and the cane producers are small
farmers growing cane A. a mo-
ney crop. and are not I'm "A posi-
tion 10 carry out requisite ex-
IerimenAs Oh their own ac-
count.
The Rio Grande Valley, agri-
culiurally speaking. H. a new
country. with peculiar climatic
conditions
The seed cane. imported
mostly from Louisiana. where
conditions are altogether diff
ferent. and canes thar are we'll
adapted for the Louisiana CHI
make may prove very inferior for
this part of Texas.
Cane growing I'm the Rio
Crande Valley Il grown unds w
irrigation. and fram the likeli-
hood or killing fr0st around the
first Of the year. IN H. necessary
To commence the grinding sea-
son not later than November i
we usually have faHl rain In
September and October. and
Consequently IL Is very difficult
Al get the proper ripeness !n the
canes AZ grinding time.
There are very important sub
iects for Instrumentation -
there are also c.her important
experiments that should b.
made In planting. cultivation.
local diseases of cane. soils and
their adaptability for the growth
n cane. results 70 be gained
from fertilizers. irrigation me-