Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1926-12-28
I'm OUR
VALLEY

FOR MANY YEARS most every
body in the Valley, except the rail
road, looked with a feeling akin to
disrespect upon the gravel pits OF
the Samfordyce district.
But in the past few years those
gravel pits, despised because they
would not produce vegetables or
cotton. have become a highly i'm
portant industry in the life Of the
Valley. according to the Mission
Enterprise, which says:
mission is coming to the front in
a big way. Besides being The
Home of the Grapefruit. it has
another major industry. little talked
about, but still highly important. IL
is the sand and gravel business.
approximately 10000 carloads of
sand and gravel IS the average per
year that is being shipped out Of
Mission gravel pits.
"The product is going to McAllen,
Brownsville. Point Isabel. Raymond
Vile, Edinburg and throughout the
Valley where construction Is going
on, and this amount will materially
increase with the rapid growth OF
the Valley.
According to the Enterprise. there
are nine concerns engaged in op-
Grating the gravel pits. employing
some 200 persons. IL is estimated
that the total sales run around $780,
900 to 100000 per year.
RAYMONDVILLE is preparing TO
stage an agricultural short course
for the benefit, not only of the
farmers Of the Raymondville area,
but farmers from all over the Val
ley.
The short course will be sponsored
by the International Harvester Com
pany, and will, be held on January
81 and 2S. The harvester concern is
sending some Of the best brains OF
its agricultural staff TO conduct the
work.
Three sessions will be held daily,
and the Raymondville folks are pre-
paring to make things pleasant for
everyone that attends.
MARY X. BROOKS. who writes a
weekly letter for the larger Texas
newspapers on the doings of Texans
in New York, has the following IN
her last letter:
"Thc citrus growers of the Rio
Grande country gathered to them
selves considerable attention by rea-
son of the Christmas boxes, num-
bers Of which were shipped to New
Workers. and former Texans. con-
tanning each, in its own small COM
partmcnt. a dozen large and luscious
grapefruit. The boxes were lined
with scarlet. with a scarlet banner
crossing she top. prochiming the
content to be such as IL was-grape-
fruit from the Rio Grande. home OF
the sweetest grapefruit on earth
and were garlanded with bits OF
holly and southern smilax. Every
fortunate recipient of such box
displayed the gift TO numerous and
admiring friends and at least one
section Of the state came in for the
sort Of publicity TO which Texas IS
and long has been entitled to-"
II the Valley growers keep at the
hammering on the gates OF New
York. eventually they will land in
famous wav on the New York grape
fruit market, than which there Is no
better. Remember. California and
Florida have been at it for many
years. Well mix IL with 'em before
many more years have gone by.
EVERY ONCE IN a while some
thing comes up in line with the late
r. G.. Stegman's idea for channel
from Brownsville to the Gulf Of
Mexico.
Ed Monsees. after talking with Ell
Jardin farmers who favored the
idea. reveals that there is consid-
cradle discussion there of plan to
tie-in flood control. the FL Jardin
recently voted drainage and the
ship channel into one big ditch oil
the way to the coast that will drain
and also carry ships.
With the Arroyo Colorado navi-
gable, with Point Isabel harbor
rort Of call for, liners. with ship
channel to Brownsville. the future
appears to hold much for this Sec