Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-04-28
YOUNG HERALD REPRESENTATIVE

months.
ed from an agricultural standpoint
Of the crops that may be produced
on soil which is more or less salty,
or saline. These soils have not been
used to any great extent as yet,
but the time is coming when they
will be used. Through the kindness
of Bert Cromack. I was permitted to
see a section Of this part of the
Valley which has recently been
drained to carry the saline mat
tiers away. Before drainage, the
crops on these soils were an abb
solute failure, but since ~sub-drain-
age, not only the ordinary vegetables
and cotton and corn are proving
successful, but also citrus fruit, Mr..
Cromack told me that one of the
crops admirably suited to this rath-
er undrained soil is sorghumS and
these are commonly cultivated. We
spent a very delightful afternoon
with the Cromacks who are resi-
dents of the country about four
miles from the business district of
Brownsville. They have a very
beautiful home on the bank of one
Of the eSacaS which heads miles
up the Valley. These reSacaS all
have wonderful possibilities for
home sites.
The public parks Of the Valley
and the possibility of more public
parks in the valley have greatly in
tereSted me. The national chamber
of commerce sent out in the valley a
Mr.. Rogers, a city planner, to con-
fer with different cities on the flu
ture development of these Valley
cities, and this is a fine thing, these
cities being practically new and a
city planner can do much to start
the people right. AS l said in an
address I made at several points,
I am very much interested in the
park possibilities for the valley. To
spend the winter here, those people
must have a contact with nature,
and therefore thees cities should
plan parks, and up to the present
time little has been done. 1t is
time that Brownsville and a few
other cities create a few more parks
in the Valley. They have a few
but these are small and not enough
for future growth. One of our
graduates, L. I. Zenor, of San Be-
nito, recently secured a 92-acre
tract for San Benito. The council
IF Con Rnoitn flocchd q rncnlIIfiny
commencing the work of Mr.. ZenOr
in the purchase of this tract. We
should always remember that build
ing a greater city is worth the eff
fort, only if it be made a better
city as it grows. With the growth
of a city, increased park facilities
must be provided, and the Daily Ok
lahoman in a recent editorial had
this very fine comment: Unless
new population and present resi-
dents find health and happiness in
the city's progress, increased num-
berS and big buildings hardly mean
progress at all" With a certainty
Of larger growth these cities must
give more thought to recreational
facilities. Through the kindness of
Mr.. Zenor, I was permitted to see
a state park of some 200 acres, the
gift of Mr.. Barreda, born in Cuba,
and settled in the Valley many years
ago. and who has profited by the
purchase and sale Of large tracts
of land in the Valley. Then there
is another most interesting place in
the Valley, known as the Palms
some seven miles from the city.
Through the kindness of F. j. Rey-
nolds, one Of our students took us
out to see this tract in company
with Robert Runyon, the botanist.
The Palms or palmetto" in MeXi-
can. belong to Mr.. Robb. 1t is an
isolated grove of this most interest
ing palm. separated from other palm
groves by considerable mileage. One
wonders whether this grove was
planted by the Indians or by the
old historic Franciscan monks but
I am Of the opinion that it is a
native grove. A great many cele-
brated botaniStS have visited this
grove. Mr.. Robb offered this to
the government as a national park
and certainly a place like this
be preserved and made into
a public park. I brought back with
me a few leaves for the museum. |
am surprised that this palm is not
planted more than it is in the valley
because of its beauty but in the
place of it's exotic palms are plant
ed. 1t seems to me the Valley might
we'll give more attention to the cul-
tivation of it's antive plants. Just
think Of the many hot house plants
Of Iowa grown here out of doors
and are native as an illustration.
I urged the use Of native plants in
a radio talk I gave the other eve
ming in Brownsville.
1 was invited to make an address
on the subject of Conservation
at a high school c~onvocation in
San Benito and after the convoca-
ton we were invited to dinner with
Mrs. Charles Holmes, who formerly
resided in Ames Iowa, and who re-
called many incidents Of Ames years
The people Of the Valley have
been most kind and hospitable to
Mrs. Pammel and to me, and we