Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-04-28
IN OUR
VALLEY

IN Louisiana they have contracted for
Il the services of CALIFORNIA; famous
rain maker"
To accept the Louisiana contract. he
has found it necessary to cancel con-
tract with Kerrville, Texas.
He guarantees to supply two inches
of rain in six weeks; if it falls short
or if there is no rain, no money. If
he makes good $4,000 will be paid him
American coin of the realm.
Louisiana needs rain, is willing to
80 to extremes to obtain it, An extra
ordinary cry for Louisiana. famous for
its plenteous moisture. as high as so to
so inches year. yet without a good
rain since last summer, in most Sec
tionS.
Farmers follow their mule or horse.
drawn plows in a cloud of dust. Dust
dust everywhere.
But that rainmaker really p<sed up
n chance to make $4,000 at Kerrville.
The weather man has figured out that
the Kerr county country has failed one
time in forty years to register less
than two inches of rain in April and
May.
That should encourage the ranmaker.
One chance in forty to lose. He show
ed poor rain business judgment in pass
ing up that Kerrville bid.
In East Texas they need rain, badly.
Same in what is known as South Texas,
and Central West Texas. Williamson
and adjoining counties, heaviest cotton
producing sections are suffering for
rain. Sections Of North Texas Satur-
day, Sunday and Monday were blessed
with good rains; too much at some
points.
At Cuero the businessmen used a
page in the local newspaper to broad
cast prayer for rain.
The most popular avocation in that
district at this time is to arise early
in the morning. scan the skies and see
what they promise in the way of mois-
ture.
Why are the hotels of the Lower Rio
Grande Valley packed with travelling
statesmen?
Because the Lower Rio Grande Valley
is the single section of Texas that
holds any promise of business.
One young fellow struck the Texar-
kama country.
"Me for the Lower Rio Grande Val
ley." he told d fellow traveller. There's
nothing doing anywhere else" And he
bought through ticket and made it ip
one jump. Now he's happy again.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is
blessed in more ways than one. We've
had rains, possibly enough to carry ou'
swimmer crops through to harvest. II
not, we've our great irrigation canals
to fall back on.
In the Valleys "dry farm" belt they
are not particularly in need of rain
Enough moisture has been garnered. il
is believed, TO make the corn and cot
ton crops. They are even "dry faSm-
ing" to a considerable extent in the
immediate Brownsville district. One
cotton patch of thousand acres north
east of Brownsville Is doing well, thank
you.
Irrigation canals are penetrating the
country to the west of Mission, in the
direction of the little railroad station
of chihuahua. This is new territory,
and indicates how the irrigated area OF
the Valley is spreading.
If we stood in real need of moisture
we would not need the services OF the
rainmaker in this section. We would
have him erect his towers in the noun
tains in the vicinity of Monterrey, some
where along the watersheds of the San
Juan, the Salado and such streams. Or.
on the American side. somewhere along
the Pecos, the DEVILS River.
All of which reminds us that an Eng
Iish scientist predicted last fall that
1925 would be record dry year all over
the world.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley so far
this season has shipped more than TO-
600 carloads of fruits and vegetables.
Last year the record was $4,000 car
loads. So far we are ahead Of last
years record. although we have ship
ned about 1900 fewer carloads of cab
bage than last year.
The season closes June 1. By that
time we shall have doubtless passed the
1929 1924 record, which was the biggest
year in the history of the Valley.