Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1920-01-21

E Il " p y 81 s
With a fertile soil and ''rain'' that
may be ordered by telephone whenever
1t IS needed, the lower Rio Grande val
ley farmer is surely advantageously
situated. But that is not all. He has
also 300 days of sunshine every year
IN which to grow and mature his crops.
At the time Of our visit, the first days
in January, the weather was so mild
that men walked about in their shirt
sleeves. We were told that the heat
in the summer time is never oppressive,
owing to the cool breezes then blowing
fromSthe. Gulf Of Mexico. Flowers
bloom the entire year and killing frosts
are rare. sg E s2
On the afternoon Of the second day
OF our stay in the lower Rio Grande
valley, the w. E.. Stewart Land Com.
panyh treated their guests to an old
fashioned barbecue, to which all did
ample justice.
After this meal the excursionists
separated, going in different directions
to inspect tracts Of land with view Of
purchasing same. The unimproved
land is over-grown with a jumbled mass
of mesquite and cactus. Mesquite is
said to be Mexican Indian word. The
scraggy, sprawling tree with it's spread
ing branches grows to about the size of
our apple trees Long ago, perhaps,
they were sort of apple tree The
timber isn't worth anything except for
firewOod. The land overgrown with
such trees, is easily cleared, however,
the task of clearing being not any
where near as difficult as clearing the
timber land in the North. A number Ut
Mexicans will go onto piece of land
and clear same as clean as whistle in
a few days. and pillow the land and
pIant it-all for the small cost of $50
to $S5 per acre, we were told. 8
The labor problem is<no problem at
all, in the Rio Grande valley, it seems
There is an abundance of Mexican la
Dor to be had at from $1.OO to $1.5O per
day and board themselves. We heard
much praise for the Mexican laborers
by the Americans along the border who
are their employers. They are indus
trious, honest, reliable and also a mo-
rally and physically clean people. At
every Mexican hut or cabin that we
passed the wash was out on the line
and we were told their women are con-
tinually washing, cleaning and scrub
bling. j Judging the Mexicans as seen
s.ere, she is far from being the lazy.
H106T. thirsty and treacherous individ-
ual, heSis pictured to be in the daily
press Of the North. The Mexican la
borer. here seems to lead a sort Of
''nomad' life, living in a rude hut.
sometimes constructed only Of brush.
I'VE also saw them living entirely in the
open cooking their meals and warming
themselves by a fire under the open sky.
And yet they appeared to be Of splen-
did physique and all the children we
saw looked healthy and robust Their
mode of life must be conducive to good
/ health. Many of the speakers who ad.
dressed us during our visit made spec.
ial efforts to impress upon us the fact
that the Lower Rio Grande valley is
one df the healthiest spots in the U, s.
/ On the third day Of our stay the
agents Of the w. E., Stewart Land &C.
were very busy showing prospective
land buyers the\tracts of land they, de-
sired to purchase. A large percentage
Of the excursionists bought larger el
i smaller tracts, SO it is safe to say tina!
i the excursion was financial success
for the company, as it deserved to be
4 There is no doubt in our mind that the
Lower Rio Grande valley will in very
few years be one Of the most prosper
i GUS irrigated districts in the United
States This is the only country We
know Of where you can grow grapes
= potatoes, vegetables, oranges, lemons
peaches, berries, grape fruit, alfalfa
cotton, sugar cane and corn In the same
field. Palms, flowers and vines ador1
the home grounds as beautifully as II
Southern California and rows Of paln
trees are planted along the roadsides
lit is tempting surely, for many, tt
make their home In a land Of perpetua
summer where majority Of the set
J tiers are from the Northern states. I'm
doubtedly there are some drawback
here as well as elsewhere but w
heard nothing about these. All VIII
move to this land Of opportunity ma,
! not make success. We would not ad
!. vice any Minnesota farmer, who i
established on his farm and know
how to farm In Minnesota, t.
sell out and move to the Ri
Grande valley to become an irrigatio,
farmer. He may succeed, but he ma!
not. Life is too short to establish
| home in more than one place. And on
will have to travel far and wide to fint
a better state in which to live or on
!. whose soil will more bountifully re
t ward the Industrious farmer, than tn
| North Star State. In saying that w
} do not wish to detract in the least iron
= the golden opportunities that are offer
~ f0