Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-04-06
Sen. SHEPPARD
PLACES FACTS
BEFORE SENATE
Detailed Statement Of Soil
and Irrigation Conditions
in Valley Read Into the
Senate Record

The following facts concerning CON
dtons in the Lower Rio GranGe Val
lev were presented to the senate Mon
day by Scn.tor Sheppard, WHO prcfaccd
hs remarks with the following:
M. President, in further rcfcrcnce
to the lower X o GraEde Valley and the
Investigation thereof nov in progre
ndur Senate Resolution ly3. desire ID
state that have btcn fu nished by
Hon A. b. Cole, mayer "a Brownsville,
Tex. who rcf rcseuts the various cham
eis W commerce In the Valley with
de-, il.d statement ri 20 soil conditions
and irr cation facilities in that section.
The statement is based On affidavits
ana statements ~ the engineers and
managers cf the IL major Irrigation
project. in the Wiley and by more tn1u
200 represent tive ;.ud rcsponsibl"
landowners located on these projects.
As u matter Of justice to MI concerned,
ask that this statement be publi he'd
in the rcco 4.
There being 10 81 lection. the state
mert Wa ordered to hc printed IN IN"
L cord. his follows:
l. Geogr phical Situation
Although commonly called the Lower
RIO Grande Valley. the irrigated dis
trict in the counties mentioned consti-
tutes. III fact. the delta of the RIO
q trdc. and include roughly, the
southeastern quarter Of Hidalgo county
and the western half Of Cameron coun-
Is, ex, ending along the Rio Grandc sr
nsug saNF snilr from NiasioH eastward
u On irregular Inc about miles east
Of Brownsville. with q width vary ne
from ~ mile, II Mission W % miles or
more near Brownsville About 100000
acres I'M this fertile belt are avaiia' le
fer cultivation, hut Of this tract about
lg 900 acres In Cameron county are as
Yet without irrigation facilities. Narious
Tracts adjacent 20 the river. aggregatine
about 10 GOO acres. are irrigated direct
~ om tie Rio G-arde through small
private irrigation systems; while the
fcmti ininr 100000 acres Gre irrigated
by. or entitled u irrigation from. II in
dependent irrigation systems. IN Hi
dalgo county and in Cameron county.
All O. the ramcron County systems and
four of those IN Hidalgo county arc
mont districts. which are defined dis
tiicts organized under the laws of
Tcxas wy puaic municipal corporations
for the purpose of Supplying water for
irrigation to the lands within their
boundaries These districts possess the
power of taxation u support bond is
sues for construction purpose and NJ
asses ing the lands benefited for opera.
tion and maintenance purposes. They IRE
meragcd by board of III cctors chosen
iy the qualified votcr' res ding within
the particular district. The two ~
maininr Hidalro county irrigation 81
TENS are owned and oper tea by solvent
and responsible private corporal ons.
II. Soil.
The soil in this irrigated district II
composed entirely of the alluvial Dc
w .ts NJ the Rio Grandc. and experts
are agreed that il is Of unsurpassed
fertility. Il Is in fact far mere produc-
tive than equally fertile lands else
where. because seasonal and climntic
condit ons permit the growing Of three
crop. III two years or, with care ana
good judgment IN tht selection and ro-
tion ~ crops, two crops may be grown
on the same land in single year. Dur
ing the year 1928 this irrigated district,
having about 220.000 acres III actual cul
tivntion. marketed cotton. cottonsced
and cottonsced products of the gro
value to the growers az more than $lO.-
n00.00G. and since November l. 1928. q;
has already marketed more than coco
carloads Of winter. vegetables Of the
minimum value to the grove ot not
less ! than $500 per car. OF exceeding