Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-08

Copyright. 1917, by Frank G. Carpenter.)
HOUSTON, Tex.
- WANT to tell you what this state
can do for the war. We are now
taking an account of our assets.
We want to get down to brass
tacks, and learn Just what we
have and what we can do for the fu-
ture. For the past month or so 1 have
been looking into the possibilities of
the southwest and I preach the gospel
of hope. The skeleton of famine which
now hovers over US is only a ghost
which a little hard work will dispel.
Every state Of the Union Is full of I'M
developed foodstuffs and of war sup
plies of one kind or another. All that
Is needed Is to mobilize our energies
and cultivate the acres of diamonds
that lie under our feet.
Texas is a good place to begin.
wish l could take 1t up like blanket
and flap 1t in the face of our enemies.
l would like to show them just now
big it is. 1t is bigger than the whole
German empire with England added
thereto 1t is more than twice the size
of Austria, and as for little Bulgaria.
each of them would more than cover
that kingdom. l would like to show
them that Texas is larger than Eng
land and France. that it is more than
twice the size of Great Britain and Ire
land, and three times as big as Italy
proper l would like to tell Gen. Hin
denberg that we have here one state
which. II crowded into square. would
have sides each Of which would be as
long as the distance from Berlin to the
line of trenches behind which he is
fighting in France.
II he knew anything about the United
States l could tell him that Texas Is
bigger than New England with New
York. Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Della
ware. Maryland, Ohio and Kentucky
thrown in. 1t Is SO big that If you could
tip it up on end and let 1t flap down to
the north it would knock over the
skyscrapers of st. Paul If you turned
it up with the Rio Grande as base and
let it fall toward the south 1t would
smother Villa and Carranza and blot
out the most of the republic Of Mexico.
If it was tipped to the east the western
part OF it would fall into the Atlantic
ocean and Ell Paso might drown a fleet
Of the submarines now lying In walt
for our wooden vessels en- route to Eu-
rope.
1 should like to show the Germans.
who are mobilizing their foodstuffs
and scratching a living out of the lean
sandy plains that slope down to the.
Baltic. that Texas alone has some Of
the largest blocks of fertile land known
to the world. I would like to take
them over the great prairie in which
Dallas lies and show them the black,
waxy soil. which Is as rich as the val
ley of the Mesopotamia they covet. and
bring them down here along the Mexi-
can gulf. where there is enough rice
land to keep fat the masses of soldiers
a
They would open their eyes at the
extent Of good land which has not yet
been plowed. In the whole state there
are. in round numbers .a abo boy I6s. ooo. 900
used for the raising of crops. The Ger
mans are cultivating the sides Of their
roads. and they long ago turned their
lawns and flower beds to the growing
good land in Texas Is just as 1t was
when Columbus discovered America,
but the other fourth. with slipshod
methods Of cultivation. has been rails
every year. I take tho figures from
the Texas Almanac" That is enough
to give $50 worth to every family in
Germany. or almost dollar a week all
farmed like Germany and the fertile
land all brought under the pillow. it
could feed the greater part of Europe
and have grain for export.
much as 20 ooo, 600 bushels of wheat In
one year. and moro than 100000. 900
bushels Of corn. The average yield of
tho wheat has been something like
eighteen bushels per acre. which could
easily be doubled. Besides. q, vast deal
more wheat can be planted and this
crop multiplied many fold. Texas is
producing about 15O.O0O.0QO bushels Of
corn, but she has only one-sixth Of her
corn land in crop. and she could plant
50, 100000 acres and not disturb the
farming now going. on. A recent re-
port gives her average yield Of corn as
only twenty-one bushels per acre. This
is SO, notwithstanding 1000 farmers
who have been working under tho di-
rection of the industrial congress have
averaged corn crops of fifty-one bush
els per acre. and the boys of the corn
clubs have run their crops up to 100
bushels per acre. At fifty bushels per
acre the corn crop of Texas would be