Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-05-27
ANNUAL RACE
FOR lST bale
COTTON NEARS
cameron County In
Need of Successor to
Matt Who Won the
Honor for Years
Especial to The HeraId)

San BENITO, May 26.-Cameron
county prays for a worthy successor
! ? on Ernest Matz, now dead, sturdy
1erman farmer who took the first
oele OF cotton to the market every
year almost as A matter az eoprss
tne battle for first bale honors
waxes hot, and candidates timber up
sneir sacks to seek this world honor
ma. always ONE TO the Valley.
Matz not only produced the first
paie OF cotton for a number OF years,
Y ne holds the record for the ear
usst Dale ever produced in the world,
yne which was ginned on May rs,
a2<i' a little short OF ten years from
me time he first broke into the
tifst bale class in 1911.
Edlnburg has thrown her hat into
tns ring. Scores If farmers in all
parts Of the Valley are planning 10
pooi their cotton to get the first
snot at II. The man who took first
naie honors last vear Chspa Mont
Aivc. who lives near Edinburg, has
planted 1000 acres Of cotton, and
ssys he Is going to give somebody a
run Tor the $1,000 or more that the
iirst bale usually brings.
Many Fine Fields
mere are many fields which are
waxing into fine shape On the high
way between Brownsville and San
benito Is A field of cotton which is
oeing raised by a Mexican tenant
farmer and his daughters with the
pest. They have n good stand, and
tne cotton IS blooming we'll, but the
field Is small.
Some talk has even gone the
rounds of getting Rotary and Kiwan-
- clubs to sponsor the first bale
campaign. and to 20 out into the
field with sacks to help gather in
the first one Of the season.
Rushing out the first bale BY air
plane also is being considered in
some parts Of the Valley. This was
tried once before. in 1924. at Meal
len. when several farmers there
pooled their cotton. sent scores Of
pickers into the field. and chartered
q couple of airplanes TO rush the
first bale TO market. This effort
probably would have succeeded, but
Tor the fact that the pickers, work
ing IN a rush, gathered too much
foreign matter. and when the bale
was ginned il lacked rs pounds max
ing a bale, and the bale which was
ginned at Edinburg beat IL to the
market. One Of the planes was load
ed with 200 pounds. and the other
stood ready for the epic dash Of the
first bale by air.
May Go by Air
That the first 1928 bale OF cotton
IN the world may be whisked through
thu nnn - A.
considered unlikely. with the large
interest that is being shown in it
this season.
Strategy that would make an army
generals cleverest movements look
simple has been resorted 20 IN the
past by Valley farmers ana ginners
IN getting first bales of cotton 10
the exchange.
Glib Henson, president Of the Val
ley Gin company, was relating some
of them the other day. most OF them
Ringing around the "oid Dutchman."
Matz. All thought of attempting to
break Mates record for the first
bale Of the season passed Friday, as
il was on May %. 1921. that he rush
ed a bale to market TO establish
this record.
The earliest previous record was
June IL, established in 1911, rem
years earlier. by the same grower.
Rumors Caused Rush
The May p record was hung ~
mainly due to exaggerated reports
from other sections. Matz was so
sure Of his first bale that year that
he expected to wait several DAYS to
pick his cotton. But down came the
news from Raymondville tnar
farmer there was preparing 70 rush
a bale in.
Mstz sent pickers into the Eeld.
and within two hours after he had
heard the rumor. he had the first
bale Of cotton TO the gin. a special
train VAS chartered. and the record
bale went to market, accompanied by
Henson. II. p. Boyd, general nag
of the Valley Gin company, and John
T. Lomax. a director Of the
and the owner. Ernest Matz.
The Raymondvillc news proved "a
be 0 joker, but IL resulted in setting
this early record. The bale weighed
$50 pounds. graded strict ~middlinr,
and was sold 70 W. ID. Cleveland ana
Son, Houston. for $500.
Thrilling Race
Matz figured IN one Of the closest
first bale races ever recorded in the
Valley in 1920. a year before he set
his record. He was told OF a bale
being on the way to the gin. Mat
rushed his ,pickers TO the field. and
in spite Of a heavy downpour W
rain. picked enough cotton 20 make
a bale. lie plowed through roads OF
mud in a truck, reached the gin Al
night. and the bale was ginned. A
midnight conference with gan off
cials was held. and n special train
was chartered out Of kingsville.
The bale was placed on the regular
train. and il was later found ont
that the other bale. ginned the prev
sous day at Edinburg was on the
same train. At kingsville the Matz
bale was transferred TO 4 special
train. which pulled out ahead OF the
regular train, and beat the Edinburg
-ale 10 market. BY an irony of fate
e special train was made up Of the
igine and several coaches of the
egular train. a substitute engine be-
az furnished to pull the regular
ain.
Fhe bale brought S1.675. the high
l price ever recorded for a first
Ale. James c. LOWE. well known
M Benito citizen. guaranteed Stops |
or the special train to carry il.
First Bale Looms
Z Later it was found out that Lyforo
had planned a first bale the same