Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-04-09
THE BROWNSVILLE COUNTRY.


'F' -
tending M the coast from the rivers
mouth for fifty miles.
Ii contains something more than a mill
ION acres. approximately half If which
j. irrigable. II j. of a~lluvial formation.
with a soil Of both rich and deep. A
light and irregular rainfall. however.
gives the region "A semi arid appearance
IN It's natural state.
Ten years ago there was no permanent
settlement in this territory except
Brownsville. and cattle raising under
very difficult circumstances was the chief
industry.
What a change those last ten years
have made.
The coming Of the railroad. the con
Struction Of irrigation canals. AMI the
settlement of many thousands Of people
have altered the face and availability Of
the whole region.
Today the Brownsville country is rec
ognized AZ one of the most important see
ltionS of Sonth Texas.
Ii contains nj least a dozen wi with
modern improvements. and j. Justly look
ed upon ~ AMERICAS earliest truck pro
ducing section.
The Storyof how all this was accom-
pliShcd would make m Industrial epic.
the prophetic moral of which our chill
ldrcn and grandchildren will realize more
accurately than We.
There have been tragedies and diSap-
puintmcntS. failurcSanr tribulations. but
these are but the details which serve Ia
a%cccnluatc the greater development and
bring out in bold relief the stupcndous
work already accomplished.
II was not u ease If mere settlement
ia the Brownsville country ~ IN some
other sections which have been populated
aud made 10 bloom over night.
II was a ease Of bring the river 10 III"
Hand. Of convincing thousands of people
that this desert could bc made to bear.
of securing market facilities. of securing
vast sums of money to he spout IN enter
priSeS which most investors looked upon
a. experimental. and Of linking the whole
machine in a workable form until IL
should become eli sustaining.
Few realize the vastness Of the propo
Sition which regarded ~ a whole. or the
immense amount of work that has been
done.
Considered ~ constituting one rccla-
nation project. which il rightfully
should. the Brownsville country IL the
largest of its kind in the United States.
Ii is twice aS large AZ the Elephant
Butte proposition. which is being herald
ed the world over a cXemplifying the
power and foresight of. the federal gov
crnmcnt.
The Brownsville country. has develop
"a with practically no assistance from
either the nation or the state. and the
wonder j.. not that il has proceeded ne
farther. but that il ever pro ce,lcd So far
aS il has.
Undertaken hv fifteen 81 twenty indi
VidualS. firms aud corporations. working
without 4 Common plan or correlation cN-
ccpt a. both were cnmprchcndcd hy the
general purpose this vast region has been
threaded with bitches. assembled into
towns. studded with homcStcadS and
blocked into farms with remarkable
speed. energy and intelligence.
Across on the Mexican side ii the Rio
Grandr II \ territory Just ~ vast. Just
as capable If reclamation. aud hnl>tcred
up with the prospect of IN enormous COY
ernment subsidy. but one has only Ia con
traSt its present condition with that of
the American side 10 glimpse the tenn.
pcramcnial gulf that separates the two
nationaliticS.
During the past decade this j. what
has happened in the Brownsville coun
try:
Two hundred miles of main irrigation
canals have been built.
More than a thousand miles Of late.
rails have been built.
One hundred thousand acres have been
placed III cultivation.
Two or three hundred thousand more
acres have been made ready for %cultiva
ton.
\ dozen towns. some IF them approach
ing the size aud characteristics Of small
cities. have been laid out. sold and pop
Iulatcd.
Thirty thousand people have been
home>tcadcd.
Several intcrurhan railroads have been
completed for the benefit of the farmers.
Cotton gins. sugar mills. ice plants. 81
%cctric light plants. water works. sewer
age systems. schools. factories and other
institutions. essential 10 the life nf Il real
wide awake American agricultural see
tion. with adequate towns and market
ing facilities. have been established.
The productivity of the Hand. the ad
visibility Of irrigation. and the auspi
ciouSnc>> of the climate for the growing
of early truck ~ we'll ~ many Of the sta
pie crops have been demonstrated
Last year Brownsville country made a
record in its average corn crop. while ~
cry ear since il has been able Ia make il
self heard il has beaten Florida and Cal
%ifornia with spring vegetables.
1t lahor> under very observation-disclosures
marketing conditions. The railroad "a
%cilitieS are comparatively inadequate.