Milford chronicle., 1916-11-17

immensity, is difficult in a brief art
licle such as this; sufficient to state
that the smoke stacks of these great
sugar plants are frequently 175 feet
and more towering in the air. FOR
miles through the sugar cane, whlch
is planted in sections of possibly six
~ or one one hundred acres in each,
there are narrow gauge railways over
which small steam engines drew cars
loaded with the sugar cane, which has
been cut and drawn to the scores OF
loading stations along the road by
| fOur-horse teams on two-wheeled wa
CONS. The loading of the cars from
| these wagons is generally done by
hoisting machinery similar to our
methods of unloading hay-but on
much larger scale. Frequently train
loads of cane are seen passing over
the regular steam roads we were trav-
cling over, enroute to the mills.
| The homes of the planters-magni-
/ fcent places surrounded by the homes
/ of managers and other operators OF
the great plantations-are seen at
higher places on the land. These
sugar cane lands are seldom more
/ than ten feet above the level of the
sea, and mostly about six feet, accord
| ing to the information we were able
to get.
From the sugar cane section to the
oil fields of Louisiana and Texas fol-
lowed in their course, and there was
nothing especially attractive in either
except Beaumont, Texas which is
live city of great wealth, all the result
of oil wells.
Great Rice Growing District of Texas.
In the eastern part of Texas the
train passed through the great rice
growing counties, and to a Delaware
farmer, the impression would be
made that the entire country was de-
voted to the growing of wheat Huge
ricks of straw, piled several times
larger than any wheat straw rick ever
seen in Delaware, dot every six humid
red acre section, and they we're busy
threshing the crop as we passed thru.
The farmers have irrigating bitches, |
through which water is drawn to flood /
the entire face of the country devoted |
to rice culture, during the growing |
season, and when the crop is ready 1
to mature, the water supply is shut off |
and the earth becomes again dry
fields over which scores of reapers
pass and cut the grain. which is then
shocked similar to the wheat of Del
aware. The rice in the straw is haul
ed to the threshers, which are also
similar to our wheat threshers, by
scores of wagons, and the crop haul
ed to towering elevators which are
located at every railroad station, and
which hold many hundred thousand
bushels OF rice. 1t is shipped to the
factories, where the rice is cleaned
and graded for market from these
elevators
Pass Through Central Texas at Night :
Leaving the rice lands night soon
closed down, and at supper time we
we're at Houston, the greatest city in
TeXas. 1t is a modern city in every
aspect and at the head of a great arm
If Galveston Bay, it is the chief bus
ness city of the state From HOus
on to San Antonio and a few miles
,eyOnd, was passed in the night, and
We have no means to get an impress
ion of that section, but on the fol-
owing morning, the view from the )
ar windows disclosed only small cac-
us and brush growth on the open Z
lains.
IN Things Have Horns, Even TOads. !:
The ride from San Antonio to Ell
'aso, Texas, is one of great sameness
ct of constantly changing conditions !.
the country. The ranches at first J
umerous and prosperous, soon grow
mailer and the country less to be de- z
red from a farmers standpoint The ,
lctus grows more rank and numer- &
US. while the grass is sparse and ap- z
arently shorter, and this continues 3
5 we gradually assend the higher &
lains to an altitude of about 4300 q
et above sea level y
AS the Rio Grande river is ap- 8
reached the rocky conditions grow q
ore grand until the lava rock for =
alton frequently develops into wild s
and gorges leading to the
yer. Across these gOrges the train q
Used on iron bridges at more than 81
le hundred feet high, in some in
ances- especially at the Pacos river, "A
Id at all such places we saw United 81
ates troops camped, guarding the
idges against destruction by Mexi- y
ms, who can wade across the Rio az
'ande river in a few minutes, and
turn to their own shore without dis ~
very There are thousands of our .Y
ldier boys engaged in that kind of %
lrfare at the present time, and il is ~
cessary for the protection of the *
)ntier and this country's traffic that 81
shall be done. a
Ell PasO the Key to the Border. y
We arrived at Ell Paso, Texas, about u:
o'clock at night, and decided to 81:
ip in that city for one day In and ~
out that city are 10000 troops of ~
, United States, and just across the ~.
er, encamped behind the mountains 81
about six thousand of Caranza 20
diers. With these troops at hand, ~:
PasO is a very active centre. The q
Y is modern in every respect, and sAs
twelve story buildings would be :X:
.redit to the business parts of the ~
ge eastern cities 1t is in the "a
ldsome residence section that FL II.
30 is to be admired, but with the ~
that the city is the main entrance A
Mt of business in Mexico into the sIs
ted States, lies its great prosper ~
With FL Paso as the key to the ~
der situation, that part of Texas *.
njoying a boom such as has never ~
0re been its lot. By the aid of a -