Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-04-12
BRULAY PLANTATION
RECENTLY SOLD
WELL KNOWN SUGAR FARM
CHANGES OWNERS.
Purchased by W. c. Shaw Who Will
Operate it in Connection With
Piper Plantation-0ne of the Fin
est Farms in State.


W. q. Shaw has recently pur-
chased the well known Brulay sugar
plantation and will operate it in
connection with the Piper planta-
tion which he acquired short time
ago.
The Brulay plantation is located
on the banks of the Rio Grande
about nine miles southeast of
Brownsville. comprises 3S9 acres Of
land, with an old but complete sugar
mill, the necessary farm buildings,
store, delightful country resi-
dence, and numerous houses for the
Mexican plantation hands. All Of
the buildings are substantially built
of brick. The property also has its
own irrigation system, the water
for which is furnished by its pump
ing plant on the river bank
The property is beautifully To-
Gated between the palm groves on
the Rabb land and the we'll known
grove on the east of the Brulay
place that has so often been used
as picnic ground by our citizens,
and which latter celebrated palm
grove has also been acquired by Mr..
Shaw
The residence on the plantation.
which is the old Brulay home, is
prettily situated on the bank of a
horseshoe shaped resaca which forms
la lake. The house itself stands on
high ground surrounded with per-
golas entwined with grape vines.
From these pergolas the garden de-
scends in terraced flower beds to the
water front.
The gardens contain large banana,
and pecan groves. interspersed with
pOnderOsa lemon, orange and grape
fruit trees, with here and there a
palm showing high above the flower
beds. In the garden j. also a swim
ming pool built high above the
ground, and the walls of the tank,
which form a grassy mound in the
midst of the garden, are supplement-
ed with vine covered lattice work
Of the style prevalent in the West
Indies. 5u lhn
The plantation itself was pur-
chased many years ago by the late
George Brulay, and was originally
farmed out to tenants for cotton
About 1875 Mr.. Brulay commenced
growing sugar-cane, and erected the
mill. The machinery was brought
from Louisiana to Point Isabel by
water. and was carted from there
TO the site of the mill by road.
This was the first sugar mill in
the Valley to make centrifugal
sugars. 1t is popularity supposed to
have been the pioneer mill OF this
part of Texas also, but this is erron-
eous, as a mill manufacturing pilon-
ella sugar was built and operated
by John McAllen in Hidalgo county
prior to the civil war. This mill.
however, ceased to operate in the
late sixties.
Mr.. Brulay was a great genius
| for experimenting with the differ
ent methods Of extracting sugar
from cane, and at one time pur-
| chased and installed a diffusion
plant in his factory, but later aban-
doned it for the mills at present
there.
George Brulay was a believer in
drainage, and, although his planta-
tion was naturally drained, more or
less. in consequence of its proximity
to the river, he constructed deep
bitches all around his fields. The
great fertility OF the soil, combined
with this drainage, enabled the
owner to produce sugar-cane on the
same land year after year for over
thirty years, without any rotation
or fertilization, and still good crops
resulted.
The sugar manufactured was what
is known to the trade as yellow
clarified or soft sugar, and the
output was sold locally. The busi-
ness proved lucrative and was con-
tinued by the Brulay family after
George Brulay's death, under the
management Of his son, Louis
BruIay
The old mill has done excellent
work in its day. but years of wear
and tear at last caused the machin-
cry to show signs OF worn out con.
stitution that naturally is symbolica
of old age. and probably will not bt
operated again.
Old residents who are well &C