Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-05-02
I'm OUR
VAL.LEY

j. q. ENGLEMAN, JR.. has some
positive ideas about correct irriga-
tion and cultivation methods for
citrus growing in the Lower Rio
Grande Valley-ideas developed in
70 years Of experience in this sec
tion.
And ne appears TO be well on the
road TO proving the correctness Of
his ideas.
AS developer of Engleman Gar
dens. an 1000 acre tract in Hidalgo
county north of Elsa and near
Edinburg. he has in the past two
years planted more than 100000
citrus trees.
Anyone who views the long rows
of trees set in symetrical patterns
and extending for miles in every
direction from his club house can
not help being convinced he knows
what ne is about.
Every tree in that vast orchard.
many times the largest in the VAL
ley. has the appearance Of having
been hand picked and hand
groomed. In fact. after a drive
over the tract a person wonders il
the trees have individual names.
Every one Of the hundreds of
thousands of trees has a beautiful
greasy" dark green color which
bespeaks health and well-being.
Engleman sums up his theories
which he has put into practice on
such a large scale-in just a few
words.
"A little water and lot of work. I"
But there is a little more 10 It
than that
Deep tilling-down 30 inches be-
low the surface-is one of his ruses.
Permits moisture to penetrate. pre-
re5nts forming hard pan just un-
er the surface soil and consequent
wearing out Of the few inches OF
top dirt.
Also permits the root system OF
che tree TO penetrate TO greater
depth and to spread further. max
ing It healthy and strong. Constant
working is another rule.
And "a little water"
That is one of the cardinal rules
Engleman has adopted.
So far every tree on the place
has received only water hauled to
it with water wagons.
THE principal cause Of yellow
and Sickly looking orchards in the
Valley is too much water" he says.
And he gives his trees only mod
crate drinks. but sees that it all
goes into the soil instead Of stay
ing on top Of the ground to be
Tapped up by wind and sun.
Engleman takes pride in the do
main he has carved from the brush
IN only a little more than two
years. Thinks so we'll of it he has
planted a private orchard OF $40
acres ard picked a beautiful site
on the side Of storage reservoir
for his future home.
Some day in the not distant
future this is going to be the most
beautiful tract in the entire VAL
ley" he says. And the progress he
has made in two years adds con-
viction to the statement.
This is the place you are going
to choose TO which to bring your
visiting friends when you desire to
show them the Valley" he says.
II already is worth a drive 70
see. When he has matured his
plans it will be a real show place"
Two years ago this soil on
which YOU stand was in the native
brush. he told his guests Tuesday
evening when he was host to VAL
ley business men, bankers. news
papermen and chamber Of COM
merce executives.
Now it Is traverSed by paved
highway; a high line supplies elec-
trical energy for lighting and DOW
er; the laundry wagon, the ice
wagon, and the grocer's delivery
now include this tract on their
routes.
He tells OF several millionaires
purchasing orchards on the tract
and planning their winter homes
there. Officials OF General Motors
landed there last week in an air
plane to inspect tracts they own.
And that was not the first plane
TO bring owners to the tract.
DISCOVERY OF the Mediterran-
can fruit fly as far north as Jack
sonville indicates that the United
States quarantine against Florida
might not prove as effective as It
hould.
y The first quarantine regulations
permitted the shipping Of fruit and
vegetables from areas where no in
festation lad been discovered. or
course. such shipments were to be
inspected. but inspectors might
easily miss an infeStation in
large shipment.
Yet under the federal law the
state OF Texas is prevented from
declaring a rigid embargo against
Florida products. And the Valley
Is prevented from asking for
permanent embargo.
VALLEY water districts decide
10 oppose granting by the State
Beard Of Water Engineers a permit
Continued on page twelve)