Into Texas

It took the sang froid of an English lord to come over to America, visit the metropolis of New York, interview the denizens of the bowery, push his way westward as far Jersey City, northward to Spuyten öayvel creek, and then, returning to áis dear London, write a book upon Ihis impressions of the United States and their undeveloped resources. I have been into Texas, but lack "the nerve to write about its resources when I have traveled over only its eastern portion. But of the jportion visited there is sufficient to say to mark one as having a Texas view of things. Taking the vestibuled sleeper at 6 p. m., of April ioth, our merry party were pulled out over the Jxeat Rock Island Route, from the rain and chili and smoke of Chicago, into the freer air of the prarïes, on our southward journey. Leaving Kansas City on Tuesday, we had a stretch of thickly populated country, giving proof of agriral thrift down to the line of 'Territory. Crops were looking well ;ad as we went from the chili to the :saashine, we saw the spring life of the farm in every phase of its awakeaing. Plowing, planting, cultivatittg ia pervect progression down the In the Strip (Cherokee) abandant evidence was to be seen ■ott every hand of the vast population rushing in to find homes upon lts rich and productive soil. Most of the land has been taken p bat releases can be procured at lowrates, and a perfect fleet of pralie schooners was making way to safe anchorage on some of these claims. North Enid is a thriving town on ífce Rock Island, and the genial repa-eseaíative of the immigration at that point, Mr. George D. Orput, pïaced at our command every facility for seeing his chosen home land. In Fort Worth we found a live and growing city, threaded by a net 'WQrk of railroads and destined to become still more widely known as a commercial center for northern Texas. Here we found the first maaifestation of the great need of the state, namely, small farms. Ranches running from several hun■dre,d to several thousand acres may je.y the individual but can never 2siM a state. This is feit by those ■aaost interested in the growth of commerce and population and they are weicoming the man who wants a. small farm more than a man who feeings his capital for a ranch enter:se. From Fort Worth to Houston we were cared for by the courteous and well managed Houston & Texas CentraL This road carried us through Cte -.-ery heart of the cotton, corn and -cane belt of the eastern part of tfee state, affording us a very fair 'm.ew of what has been done and Tffhat remains to do in this richly ïroductive area. Houstoo is alive with business lespite the "hard times cry." We had the pleasure of meeting a num&er oí its citizens, and all are alike nared of its commercial importaace and the certainty of its increase in population. It is the cotton center of the state, and that as much when we remember tha:t Texas produces one-third the caSen produced in the United States. From Houston we went to Galveston, the great seaport of Texas, where the government is expending $6,200,000 to give deep water to this port. The fact that Skis is the point of contact for importation and exportation for all of Texas, New Mexico, Indïan Territory, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, etc., gives to Galveston ïy a great probable future in our aational commerce. From this city on the island, and afeioom with roses, we turned backward through the fruit lands of the galf coast country, delighted with the proofs of rich fruit harvests on esKry side. Our next port was Love4y LaPorte. This is a new town, on the point, that thrusts itself between the salt waters of Galveston bay and the fresh waters of the San Jacinto. Years ago these waters were con-nected by Morgan's ship canal íhrcrügh which vessels drawing 20 Seet could readily pass. The shores of both bays are heavily wooded and their banks come out in bold blatt, f ram 25 to 40 f eet above the wash of the waves. Nature seemed ü &ave planned the city site it is so 'öeauüfnl for location, backed by the richest of fruit and vegetable latads, and promising to rival Galveston as a port of entry. The ney being spent on the jetties amfiwedfish bar are helping to hasten ■.hehopes of this beautiful place for ca, future as great as its possibilities. ILeaving LaPorte with its growing ,r;opu)ation and rapidly developing inlands we were carried over the ,"orte Houston and Northern into Houston. This line traverses a LMrairie rich in soil and productiveaess on which there is already settling a population of fruit and vegebkgrowers. T-fee ever courteous manager of Slis line, T. W. Lee, pointed out his advantages as terminal to twelve different Unes who will need his road to touch sea commerce, and we could not help catching somewhat of the contagión of his prosperous look and hopes as we had pointed out to us the possibilities of LaPorte as a seaport town. Texas is great - the people there never doubted that. And if there yet remains for us to see as much of thrift, of Agricultural wealth, of salubrious climate, and of ur.developed possibilities as we have seen, then we will join the Texan who said "Sir! There's a star big enough for the whole blue field of the national flag." He meant nothing disloyal, for the Texan is loyal. We found nothing of the desperado, nothing of the vengeful cobra or the hideous tarántula; but with balmy air about us, and the best of artesian water to drink, (they were not withhout other fluids), tables well supplied, and roses scenting all the air, our inner and outer man was satisfied and we regretfully turned from the radience of the lone star toward the long journey home. And of this we were assured that there, as everywhere, agriculture must pave the way to prosperity, and the conditions are right for the widest and best in agriculture. J. Nelson Levvis.