AMONG THE FARMERS

Farming columns from The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer
written by Charles Edwin Gilbert.
 

AMONG THE FARMERS

The editor of the News and Midcoast Farmer on Monday made his third trip out in the county, and it was equally successful with the first two, in making pleasant acquaintances with the farmers and extending the circulation of the paper among them. The sample copies of the paper which we have been sending them the past three weeks have made an impression which makes it easy work to get new subscribers. Very few decline, and those say they will come in a few weeks later. All admit it is the best county paper they have had in a long time.

Our first stop was with Jos. F. Waldrop at Stewart, who not only gave us his subscription, but a treat besides, putting four nice watermelons in our buggy and a box of tomatoes and cucumbers, which were much enjoyed, in fact Cecil and the writer had watermelon for lunch, for dinner and lunch again. Mr. Waldrop has good corn, though parts of it was not a good stand, on account of the extreme dry spring. His cotton is opening, and fair.

Mr. Graham was in town, but his family are sure he will want the paper.

We found young J. F. Wilson feeding a bunch of young hogs, and looking after planting and cultivation of peas, peanuts and chufas, which he has planted for their fall feed. His father is a carpenter working in Wadsworth, while he farms and raises hogs. He has a fine chance to make a success in growing hogs, having his time to devote to raising feed crops for them while his father keeps the home larder filled. All he will need to get rich is to keep feed crops growing while the hogs are multiplying. He looked the paper over and saw that a number of articles on swine would help and he subscribed for it.

Mr. Peter Ryman was busy at home mending implements, and readily subscribed for the News and Midcoast Farmer; thought it was a good paper. Mr. Ryman said that he was born in Matagorda and knew all our people, and while that was interesting, the county seat news was something every citizen wanted. He reported crops all good, late corn doing very well-and cotton fair. They were having to poison the caterpillar.

Mr. T. R. Ryman, a son of Peter Ryman, also subscribed for the paper, and had an equally encouraging report of the crops. Mrs. Ryman came from Kaufman county and is delighted with this country, says the climate and soil will produce almost anything, and her neat and attractive flower yard shows her skill and good taste in that line.

Sam'l C. Ryman is a prosperous young farmer, who has a neat home, and seems to need but one addition to make him happy and more prosperous, and that he said he would secure the coming month. He has good crops of both corn and cotton, in fact, we can testify to the corn, for of his late corn he favored the writer with a big mess of roasting ears. The later corn is making the best yield. He had a good horse suffering with the charbon, but as the disease is usually fatal in two days if at all, and this horse had been sick four days and was still up Tuesday night, he hoped to save him.

Tom Rapstain is a new farmer west of Wadsworth, and has a fair crop of cotton, some stalks having 70 to 76 bolls. He is poisoning the leaf worm and thinks he will save all the cotton, but one small patch which was damaged before he could arrest the march of the predators. He will make corn enough to do him. The day before he had killed a fine lot of squirrels in the river bottom. Tom was away from home, but the mother and young brother must have the paper.

At Mr. Frank Ryman's, we found the head of the family away down on the river at work, but a young son and his mother wanted the News and promptly subscribed, the mother realizing that the more the boys read the more they will want to read. Mrs. Ryman has a fine a lot of poultry as can be imagined, embracing over 75 turkeys. Three sons, Chas., Eddie and Arthur have twelve acres in cotton which will make them a bale to the acre. Their rice, about 100 acres is not good this year, too much water grass got into it.

John Ryman, a brother of Peter and Frank, was taking lots of papers but felt an interest in Matagorda, where his father settled from the old country about 80 years ago, and where the boys were born. He "used to go to school with Jimmie McNabb, Arthur Bruce and those boys" and wanted to keep up with them. He has a large farm and had just been to town to get Paris Green for the worms which are cutting his cotton.

J. J. Moore, a mechanic recently from Houston, came out to the farm to get fresh air. He put in some cotton and corn, west of Stewart, and is now putting in odd time at his trade, paperhanging, in Wadsworth. He was glad of the chance to subscribe for the News.

The Gilmores, father and sons, have some fine farms northwest of Wadsworth. J. M. Gilmore, the senior, came to the county from Kentucky a dozen years ago, after looking through several states for good land cheap. He bought 800 acres here at $5, and it is now worth $60 to $100. He and his sons later bought something over 200 acres additional. He and his youngest son are cultivating 225 acres in rice, 115 in corn and some cotton. They have no worms yet, and prospect fine.

C. M. Gilmore has 85 acres in cotton and 20 in corn--all good. Will make 75 bushels per acre on one field with two plowings.

L. P. Gilmore, another son nearby, had some grasshoppers in his corn.

Mr. M. J. Herreth and family recently moved to a home on the Peter Ryman farm and expects to farm himself next year.

Mr. J. M. Perry and his wife came here from Oklahoma last February, and though that was late, he started in to make a crop. A wild mule kicked and broke one arm, but with the other he broke his land, and now has a fine crop of cotton on forty acres which he feels sure will make approaching three-quarters of a bale. He had just bought Paris Green and will give the worms all they will eat. Mr. Perry has five acres of Kaffir corn which he says is fine, and thinks that and milo maize the feed crops which will always be sure. Of course he takes the News.

Henry Ryman, another son of Peter, has bought a home in Bay City and will move there sometime soon. He sold his present dwelling to Sam'l Ryman who in turn sold his neat white cottage to Mr. and Mrs. N. R. Ryman.

Mr. Frank Butler [Butter?] has built a neat residence in northwest part of Wadsworth for his son Wiley.

Contractor Ed Baker has completed the concrete foundation for the warehouse and will now rush the woodwork.

abstracted from The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, August 8, 1913
 

AMONG THE FARMERS

Farming columns from The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer
written by Charles Edwin Gilbert.
 

AMONG THE FARMERS

Matagorda's Opportunity to Put Some Boats in Commission to the Benefit of Farmers, Country and The Boatman

Here is a chance for the Matagorda boatmen, and an opportunity to save rice farmers something on their freight, and bring to Matagorda some of the trade which now goes to other points.

We have the long-desired intercoastal canal, and now let us use it--use to the profit of our boatmen and farmers, and the upbuilding of our town and country.

While out in the Lake Austin country Monday in the interest of the Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, the waving fields of fine rice suggested big business this fall, and in conversation with T. H. Collins one of the enterprising rice growers of that section, it was suggested that the canal ought to be made use of to haul their product to Galveston, but there were no boats in that vicinity, and so far, said Mr. Collins, "none in sight." "But," responded the News man, "there are boats at Matagorda, and boatmen who would, no doubt, gladly do the hauling. How close can they get in here"? Mr. Collins said boats could come up Live Oak to within four miles of the rice fields, and Mr. Collins said the rice farmers would be more than willing to haul the rice to Live Oak to deliver to the boats; otherwise they would have to haul about 15 miles to Bay City and then pay a rail freight of about double what the boats can haul for.

Here is an opportunity for the boatmen and farmers of the Lake Austin community to get together to their mutual advantage. The News And Midcoast Farmer hopes that they will be able to effect the landing. Matagorda merchants might also look into the matter, and put on a line of boats to Lake Austin (or Live Oak) and other points; for the long haul to other rail road points could be avoided, both on their outgoing products and their supplies, as Matagorda could give them the advantage of water freights both ways.

Starting out Monday morning for another round among the farmers, the News man headed this time for the exclusive rice region of Lake Austin--for it is a fact a little singular that when you hit a real rice country it is all rice and nothing else.

Passing J. S. Taylor and son's farm, where they were picking cotton, we secured their subscription and a hog ad (in another column.) Mr. Taylor says drought has cut his cotton to a fourth bale. He will make enough corn to do him but none to sell, as his hogs will secure the best price for corn.

We caught J. H. Zipprian on the fly, en route to his home on Big Hill from the Colorado where he had been fishing, with poor luck. He will henceforth read the News.

Going through Stewarts' pasture, the first farmer on the road was P. J. Branstetter who has rice, corn and some cotton, and Mrs. Branstetter has a beautiful lot of White Plymouth Rock chickens, always an evidence of thrift on the farm.

Next came the home of R. H. Tice, who came two years ago from Kansas. His rice is suffering from lack of water, but he has made fair crop of cane and other feed. He has planted Concord and Niagara grapes and they are doing well. In poultry he and Mrs. Tice have the finest show we have seen in the county--nearly 350 Rhode Island Reds, some of which they are disposing of at eating-chicken prices. They make a beautiful sight.

Up the road a piece we met two growers of rice on the Colonial canal, watching the painfully slow flow in the canal to see when it might come their way. Their rice crops are good but just in that they "must have water now or perish." The gentlemen were E. H. Hester and C. P. Pederson. They are cultivating something over 100 acres each. Mr. Pederson is renting from the Colonial Land Co. with a contract to supply water to his rice. Mr. Hester bought something over 200 acres with a contract for water which has not been forthcoming.

The receiver who lives in Illinois says he is powerless. The farmer sufferers have combined in a suit for damages, and their attorney secured an agreement of damages in the amount of $12.00 per acre to be applied on their contracts. The agreement made by the president of the company (Mr. Woolfson) before his suicide will stand, if it is not proven, as is being tried, that Mr. Woolfson was dead when it is claimed the agreement was made. It is to be hoped the laws and the juries will be able to protect the men who in good faith have spent their money and a year's hard work to make a crop, depending upon the equal good faith and ability of the company.

Next, toward Lake Austin, we stopped at the home of W. E. Sanders. Mr. Sanders was off to town, but Mrs. Sanders subscribed for the paper making the sixth for the day. Mr. Sanders has 120 acres in rice and all most promising. He is on the Lake Austin canal.

Next we saw Mr. Gay's crop--it is exceedingly fine. Mr. and [Mrs.] Gay are from Harris county where they were married less than a year ago. They have 350 acres of fine rice.

Noticing near a rice farm barn where a carcass had been burned with nearby indications that a number had been cremated, we drew up at the barn to investigate. We found there Mr. W. R. Orchard, whose heavy loss by charbon the News had already reported. Mr. Orchard says he lost seven fine mules which cost him $1,600, with two others afflicted which were about recovered. He thinks the disease due to impure water in a stagnant pool--tho they didn't have to as there was pure water in the pasture. Has 375 acres in rice; was all fine but lack of water the last ten days is good for about 18 bags per acre. He subscribed for the News And Farmer.

Messrs. B. ?. and T. O. Crockett are two more extensive rice farmers who are suffering from the failure of the Colonial Company. They have 400 acres in the cereal, and fine prospect up to two weeks ago, but the rice is badly needing water. They are enterprising men and instead of sitting down and waiting, went to work and themselves dug a lateral from the canal of the Lake Austin Company (recently finished) and connected up about 200 acres of their crop with that system and that is sad, but unless the water from the new plant on Peyton Creek which has lately been turned into the Colonial canal reaches them soon they will lose half their crop. The reports were that the water is coming, and farmers are being served in regular order; but Messrs. Crockett feel that their crops should be served in the order of their necessity, the older rice having preference over the young which can better wait. They believe that their crop will average 12 bags all over, some of it going 18. As they each have a family, each ordered the News And Midcoast Farmer.

We found Mr. L. Jameson still on crutches from the injury to his left ankle in an auto accident last February. While this prevented Mr. Jameson from planting the corn and other crops he intended, he has 240 acres of fine rice which he is sure will average 12 bags, but Judge Gaines thinks it will reach 15 bags per acres. Mr. Jameson believes in diversification and in his barnyard are many fat calves, indicating plenty of milk and butter and poultry of all kinds and abundant. He believes too, that the irrigation canals should encourage diversification rather than all rice, that water will insure good crops on more acres in cotton, and truck, and prosper a greater number of farmers. He likes the News And Farmer and paid for it.

Jas. M. Watkins had just come out of his rice field, and was taking it easy and feeling good over his fine prospect for 18 bags per acre on Honduras which is nearly ready to cut, and almost as much on his 120 acres of Jap rice, just ready to head. Mr. Watkins says his rice is said to be about the best on the canal, and that is saying a great deal for there is not a finer crop on the coast than that around Lake Austin. Ed. Watkins, his brother, has 100 acres in rice, and was at the time visiting his parents above Matagorda. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins were glad to have the News sent them regularly.

Mr. T. H. Collins was putting his reaper in readiness to begin work harvesting next Monday. He is sure of a good crop, 12 to 14 bags per acre as a minimum. Mr. Collins has four bright little girls, and will move his wife and children to Bay City Sept. 1, to place them in school. Passing by his stables we observed that his stables were screened to protect his mules and horses--a fine idea, economical as well as humane. Mr. Collins said that it was going to be a hard haul to get their rice to the railroad, as the bad roads season sets in about Oct. 1st. Asked how many acres are in rice in that section, he said there are 1,700 acres and at 15 bags to the acres, there will be 255,000 bags of rice to be hauled, and he said that the farmers would be glad to haul it to Live Oak bayou if boats would contract to take it to Galveston. Here is a valuable pointer for the boatmen of Matagorda.

We found Mr. Edward L. Savage at the pumping plant, in a hurry to get off to Bay City, but he was not in too big a hurry to receive the News and subscribe for the paper, the 14th subscriber for the day. Mr. Savage has a delightful home on the lake shore, like Messrs. Collins and Blair, as pretty homes as could be found on the water front. Just think all of this development from one of the immense cow pastures in one year's time. The farm houses were constructed by our townsman, Ed. C. Baker, under contract with Judge I. W. Gaines the leading if not prime factor in the enterprise. There are two lakes known as Lake Austin and are connected by a narrow neck of water. To shut out the salt water from the upper lake, a dam was constructed about 300 feet in length at the neck, thus conserving the fresh water from a vast water shed and shutting out the tide water from the gulf and bay. On the north end of the lake is the palatial residence of the Hawkinses; the head of which house in Texas was Gen. James B. Hawkins, a graduate of West Point, and prominent in the county's history in ante-bellum days, and who has many descendants in the county, two of whom are Frank Hawkins of the Bay City Tribune and J. B. Hawkins of our town.

At the pumping plant on the lake, we found Engineer Miller and Assistant Lem Blair, who keep the big machines in fine condition.

Mr. C. Kelley's home was closed, but as fortune favors the good, we met him coming from Bay City in his auto, with his three young children. He said he is on double duty, cooks breakfast, dresses the children, does the chores, looks after 250 acres of rice, and then takes the little ones in to see their mother, who is in the Bay City sanitarium, returning at night to repeat the round,--so didn’t have time to read. We admitted he certainly didn't have time to read anything but the News And Farmer. He subscribed. Mrs. K. is up and improving fast, and Mr. Kelley said he expected to bring her and the new Kelley home yesterday.

At the next place we found old settlers, descendants of the pioneers of the early '30s. Mr. E. A. Gibson, now about 60, is the son of Felix A. Gibson who came to Matagorda in 1834, and while farming on Caney maintained a home in Matagorda. Mrs. Gibson is a daughter of Sam Hardeman and whose father was Bailey Hardeman who came to Matagorda in 1828, and was an extensive planter on Caney, while his home was in Matagorda. Bailey Hardeman was the Secretary of War in President Runnell's first cabinet.

Coming back by the western route, we found Tom Petrucha in the cow pen milking some of his fine cows, fine samples of his splendid cattle, than which there are no larger or better kept in the county. No rice for this son of Kosiasco. He was sought to turn his broad acres into the rice combine some years ago, and he says he is awful glad he resisted the temptation, for now he has fine grass and fat cattle. He does very little farming, only a little for feed. Mr. Petrucha's grandfather was one of the oppressed of Poland and seeking liberty came to America with his family before the civil war, and they were so well pleased, others of their countrymen followed, and some of our best citizens, are descendants of these pioneers. This one gladly gave us $1.50 for the paper.

On the trip we secured seventeen new subscribers to the News And Midcoast Farmer from people who have seen the paper and liked it.

The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, August 15, 1913
 

AMONG THE FARMERS

Farming columns from The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer
written by Charles Edwin Gilbert.
 

AMONG THE FARMERS

Successful Trip Through Wadsworth and Peyton Creek Irrigation District--Fine Rice Crops--Horse Raising--Farmers Want Free Mail Delivery.

The News tourist was last week surprised at the number of farmers around Wadsworth who are from the 'frozen north', "Snow Diggers" as they are lovingly called by their new Texas neighbors. We are equally surprised, too, that they should come down here and make such remarkable success as rice growers. They seem to fall into rice farming as naturally as a Jap. They are progressive citizens, filling places on school boards and drainage and irrigation boards with zest and ability.

Going up, in passing C W. Burkhart's pasture, I observed his herd of brood mares, and a fine stallion, and thought "Well, there's a fine idea, raising horses ought to be even more profitable than cattle, for a horse costs little more to raise and is worth twice as much." Back in the old states where farming is done on truly diversified lines, nearly every farmer raises his horses and a few to sell, just as he does in cows and hogs. At Wadsworth I was admiring a good team of horses hitched to a farm wagon, when Mr. Tice, one of our most recent subscribers, came along and, "Howdying" with him, I asked whose horses. "Mine; I raised them," he answered. "They are beauties and speak well for Matagorda county farming," I said. "They told me when I came down here," said Mr. Tice, "that horses would not do, that mules were the thing; but I find they do me as good service as mules. I have another good one-year-old, and expect to raise a couple every year." That's in line with diversified farming. Mr. Tice is a "Snow Digger."

The first man I met at Wadsworth was J. N. Gruntmier, a farmer who was not at home when I made my trip last week to Lake Austin, but he and his sister were pleased with the sample copy of the paper left at his home, and Mr. Gruntmier handed me $1.50 and said "Send it for a year." Mr. G. is a rice farmer with a fine crop and small stock of all kinds around his place, reflecting prosperity.

John H. Ottis, one of the substantial citizens of Wadsworth, has a nice and comfortable looking home in the southern edge of the town with a 90-acre farm back of it, but his main farm of several hundred acres in rice is a couple of miles east. Mr. Ottis is chairman of the board of trustees of the school and gives much of his time and business capacity to the public interests. The new building will not be complete before November, and the board concluded not to open the public school till Jan. 1st, when the new building will be finished and equipped. He paid for a year's subscription to the News.

Mr. Z. Butter since he sold out the Hotel, is keeping the pool room and the boys have a place for amusement without having to leave town. Mr. Butter is one of the old timers, though not old either. He will henceforth have the News and Midcoast Farmer in his home.

Jesse Landrum was at the new gin having the finishing touches put on his first two bales. He reports about a two-third-bale crop of cotton and fair corn.

Though busy as could be breaking in a brand new gin, Mr. W. S. Craft subscribed for the News and Midcoast Farmer, and in response to enquiries, said that he had ginned four bales, all running over thirds, and with four stands he would be able to keep up with the demands on him.

Jo. C. Schafer has 200 acres in rice in good condition, out a mile east of town, and Mrs. S. has a fine lot of poultry. They will be readers of the News And Farmer hereafter.

The next farm on the road was that of Bruce Woods, who had just left for town to attend a meeting of the board of school trustees. From Mrs. Woods I learned that Mr. W.'s best rice is on land that was dry-farmed last year, which is a point in favor of crop rotation; and Mrs. W. says they practiced rotation of drops in the north and find it just as advantageous here.

J. K. Smith, the next farmer east, came from Nebraska Dec. 24, bought 200 acres on the Gravity canal, built a home, has a fine rice crop and that day received a new reaper. Mr. Smith and his wife and children have just returned from Nebraska where his wife's father died. Mr. Smith declared there ought to be rural delivery of mails on that public road--the population being sufficient to entitle them; and he is correct. There ought to be a rural route established from Wadsworth to Lake Austin via Branstetter's and back via the Peyton Creek pumping plant; and another from Matagorda up via the Watkines, St. Francisville and Gilmores, and back via Stewart and Big Hill. It is needed. Postmasters Duffy and Gibson get busy, and we will get them.

K. P. Schafer is just back from his old home in Nebraska, and reports deplorable condition of crops throughout the northwest. He and his father have 400 acres in rice, 20 in cotton and 40 in corn, expecting to make their own feed. The front yard evidence the care of the wife, in tastily laid off walks and beds of bright flox and other flowers. She will enjoy the good things on floral culture appearing off and on the News. Mr. Schafer having paid for a year.

P. W. Usry, recently from Bell county, is cultivating 70 acres in cotton and 50 in corn. Seventeen acres of his corn will make a good crop but the balance is badly injured by the drouth, and likewise his cotton. Two acres in sweet potatoes promise a good yield.

Geo. Agnew, a rice farmer who has a very promising crop of 180 acres, and ought to have News, with his wife was spending the day in Bay City. His bright children will no doubt persuade him to order the paper.

E. R. Derby, was a city jeweler in the northwest, and longing for farm life, came to Texas and selected and bought the old Pelton place on Peyton creek three years ago. He has done well farming and with stock; had 50 acres in cotton good for two-thirds of a bale, despite the injury by the drouth, and corn and other feed to run him, with 60 thoroughbred Brown Leghorns and ninety other egg producers. Mr. Derby says the blackbirds are a serious menace to the maize and kaffir corn, and these crops will have to be planted early to escape them. He is going to apply the benefits of irrigation to all his crops next year. His farm is on the canal and Peyton creek which at this point is a beautiful stream clear and full, backed up from the Lake Austin dam, and abounding in fine fish, young Derby declaring they have caught red and cat fish out of the stream weighing 40 and 50 pounds.

Grover C. Horn, manager of the pumping station, occupies a new dwelling near the plant, and he, too, subscribed for the News. Mr. Horn says that with one more week's operation the rice men will have all the water they need.

Mr. W. R. Horn has just returned from a trip through Iowa and Nebraska, and says that the damage by drouth is something appalling. Through Kansas, Nebraska and half of Iowa the corn crop is almost a complete failure, and other crops all badly hurt, and corn and oats will be sky-high. He says he is going to do some diversifying next year, plant other crops with rice, particularly feed crops, put up several silos and raise some meat crops. He and his sons now have in about 800 acres in rice, and very fine.

Just on the other side of the pumping plant lives R. M. Hays the engineer for the plant, and I found him in bed from a painful carbuncle on his right knee, and a general breakdown from the two weeks' strain of night and day effort to supply the rice farms with water. The plant is supplied with a single pump, which Mr. Hays says is good for 30,000 gallons a minute. Mr. Hays paid a year's subscription to the News; he had seen the sample copies.

Peyton Creek Irrigation district was recently organized under the new state law, and an issue of $100,000 bonds authorized. In the meantime through the instrumentality of enterprising citizens the Peyton Creek and Lake Austin plants were put in, canals and laterals constructed, and some forty thousand acres of fine rice is the result. Some of this rice was being supplied by the Colonial Co. which failed and the new company was in time to save it. The district elected the following as board of directors for the first year; P. J. Branstetter, president, W. W. Green, secretary, J. W. Gruntmier, R. H. Tice tax assessor and collector.

Returning via Wadsworth, I had time to get four more subscribers, three of them promising young farmers: A. W. Uphoff is cultivating 15 acres of cotton which is good for five bales, some corn and 70 acres in rice which is good.

Verne Pentecost with two brothers lives with his mother and sisters southeast of town, and has a good crop of cotton, 140 acres, the biggest cotton crop we have run up on this trip; and he has plenty of cane for feed.

Frank Hatchett of Wadsworth and V. J. Schulte of Stewart completed my list of 17 new subscribers for the day.

Just before leaving Wadsworth I met Mr. Frank Butter, of St. Francisville, and asking whose new home that is going up out his place, he informed me that it was a dwelling he was building for his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Wheeler. Mr. Butter has just completed a nice cottage for his son Wylie, northwest of town.

Master Tennie and I had a good day of it and a pleasant ride home by star-light. Next Monday and Tuesday we will see the Collegeport and Citrus Grove country. [See the Sept. 5th & 12th issues.]

The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, August 22, 1913
 

AMONG THE FARMERS

Farming columns from The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer
written by Charles Edwin Gilbert.
 

OUT AMONG MATAGORDA FARMERS

Considering Methods of Securing Their Crops Against Loss By Drought--Diversified Crops--Many New Subscribers

The dry spring which deterred planting and prevented so many farmers from getting a good stand or caused the crop to be so late that the dry crops have lost much in the growing and maturing during the hot months, has put the farmers to thinking. They are thinking seriously of the ways in which they may avoid such loss in future years.

One suggests the conservation of rain fall; by means of artificial lakes, or reservoirs constructed by damming creeks, draws and bayous, even where only five or six acres may be covered by water two or three feet deep, enough to irrigate ten to thirty acres during the needed period of the crops' growth.

One farmer who has made successful demonstration of his theory, urges that early plowing, turning under the stubble and vegetable growth early in winter that it may decay and fertilize the ground and the ground get all the rains forming its own reservoir, and then followed with early planting--is almost certain proof against much loss by dry weather. This farmer insists that early and thorough preparation is half the work, and decidedly the best half. The News and Farmer is ready to testify that from all his observations and enquiry over the county the past four weeks that the early planted crops are the best, and few late crops have been good.

Another, a convert to the Cambell dry farming process, declares his faith in continuous shallow cultivation during the dry weather; that to keep the top soil well cultivated into a dust-mulch draws the moisture to within a few inches of the surface and waters the thirsty plant life. Only this last week we published the views and experience of Mr. R. F. Long, a farmer about five miles northwest of Wadsworth, which should have the effect of strengthening faith in this process. Mr. Long has 150 acres of corn which he says will yield him 40 bushels of per acre this dry year, and the good crop is due to continuous cultivation of it during the dry weather, following preparation of the ground in the winter. This corn crop will have a cash value by winter of $6,000.

So it seems that if these theories or methods were followed, crops could be made a certainty. Conservation of rainfall into dammed branches, draws, creeks or bayous; fall plowing and thorough preparation, early planting and continuous shallow cultivation during the dry season for the crops not irrigated, that would certainly insure bountiful crops. This is what one farmer says he has gathered from the expressions of the different farmers through the News-Farmer the last four weeks.

My trip last week, Saturday, was over the Colorado toward Citrus Grove, which I had contemplated for some two weeks and then found the distances too great for the time allotted. But the trip was enjoyable and very successful in the matter of new subscribers.

Passing Chester Rugeley's, just over the river, I could see his force gathering a corn crop which was fine for a dry year, 45 to 50 bushels per acre on 35 acres, with very little rain on it from planting to maturity; but cultivation did it.

Mr. J. S. Ryan says he cultivated that field several years, and with average seasons, has made as high as 80 bushels. This is one of the fields (Mr. Gottschalk's was the other) which Agricultural Agent Persons said in June promised a hundred bushels per acre.

At the pumping plant of the Collegeport Canal Co., I found Mr. A. W. LeCompte, assistant engineer, in charge, with his aid, Mr. Anderson. The plant is a fine one, and one of the first constructed in the county, consisting of two 48-inch centrifugal pumps with a capacity of 150,000 gallons a minute, or enough water to irrigate five acres one inch every minute. They plant is as neat as a pin, and speaks well for those in charge, and as Chief Engineer Fowler has resigned, the chances are thought to be good for the promotion of the two gentlemen named. There has been no salt water in the canal this year; once when salt water approached, the pump was stopped. The plant will run a few days next week to water the younger rice one more time, and then shut down for the season.

At the old Sam Robbins place, Mr. T. M. Bell is rice farming, that is, rice is his main crop, but Mr. Bell is one of those farmers who is about convinced there is virtue in other crops under water. He was away out in the field harvesting, and we failed to meet him. But Mrs. Bell says he had 100 acres in rice, some feed crops and 25 acres in sweet potatoes. He intended to plant 75 in potatoes but was defeated in getting slips in time. But he expects to put in a good sweet potato crop next year. Potatoes will grow as readily as rice, and 200 or 300 bushels per acre is not a big yield and with the prices running around $2 a bushel, and our own people buying them from eastern growers through the stores at two-bits a can, why shouldn't they be profitable?

Dan Johnson is a young man, who with his brother and sister are recently from Nebraska, and making a good start farming. His chief crop is rice, 100 acres and 15 in corn which is fair only, 12 acres in cotton which will make about four bales he says. He has the Chester White hogs, and some good stock and poultry. They like Texas and expect to do well.

Next on the way is Mr. R. C. Keeley from Kansas. He has 60 acres in rice, 15 in corn and only 2 or 3 in cotton. Last year they had 30 acres of good cotton but could not get it picked. They wasted much time trying to find pickers enough to save it all and finally had time to save only a couple of bales by picking it themselves. Mr. and Mrs. Keeley are young people, please with their new home and expect to build slowly and surely.

At the next home we found Mr. J. W. Shuey absent in Bay City on business. Mrs. Shuey says he has 300 acres in rice and no other crops. Rice is fine this year, but it is the first good crop they have had in three years. They tried cotton but could not get pickers down there. She says they like the country and the people and expect to make a prosperous and pleasant home here; prefers it to any other part of Texas.

Stopping at I. P. Miller's, we found that gentleman absent in Bay City on business, but Mrs. Miller subscribed for the News-Farmer. They have 240 acres in rice, and about 15 in corn, the rice being especially good. Mrs. Miller says they tried cotton, had good crops but couldn't get it picked. She thought however it would become a cotton country in time, and rice farmers are now beginning to think more of diversified crops.

I had to make short visits during the noon hour, so as to catch as many of the farmers as I could out of the harvest field; but at the home of Mr. C. B.  Rose I was stalled. While Mr. Rose was responding to my enquiries, from which I learned that here was a farmer after my own heart: raising hogs, cows and horses for his cash crop, and food and feed crops for family and stock--Mrs. Rose invited us to dinner--a lovely dinner of the fresh good things of farm, garden, dairy and poultry yard, with a big watermelon, and a hospitality born in Illinois, educated in Kansas and finished in Texas a la Southern. Mr. Rose has crops of about everything but rice and cotton. His corn, sorghum, kaffir corn, peas and hay will carry his stock through, and his dairy products (has a separator) and poultry yields him a good income. He has a herd of about 40 registered Duroc-Jerseys and is going to do hog business something like he did in Kansas where he would sell three of four cars of porkers a year. He lately added to his horse stock a couple of young Percheron mares and among the horses he raises for sale will soon be added a pair of these fine dapple gray draft horses. An artesian well of pure water furnishes a bountiful supply, and Mr. Rose says he is going to construct a reservoir and utilize the surplus for irrigation. His watermelon patch is a wonder for so late in the year; plowed in the winter very deep, deep furrows filled with stable-manure and covered in deep; melons planted in this made a big crop, and watered twice, promise to furnish fine melons well into the fall. Mrs. Rose has a nice lot of roses and other flowers in bloom notwithstanding the summer heat, and oleander and other shrubs and shade trees growing, making altogether an attractive and home-like place.

I found Mr. Gust Carlson managing a big 5-mule reaper out in the rice field, where wet ground make the work very irksome. He has 40 acres in rice which is good and 12 acres in cotton which he expects to make four bales. He has kaffir corn, peanuts and sorghum for forage crops, and would prefer Egyptian wheat if it were not for the ravages of the blackbirds. Mr. Carlson says his experiences here convince him that all crops must be planted early, corn and cotton in March to escape insects and hot dry weather of August. Mr. Carlson has cows and a separator and his butter at 35c, skim milk into pork and poultry products are big items on his farm and every farm, he says, ought to have 400 or 500 chickens.

Here I met Mr. Harry Anderson another prominent Swede farmer by way of Nebraska, a brother of Mrs. Anderson, whose farm is to the southwest. Mr. Anderson says the people from the north all like that country, but they complain of the long delay in putting in operation the herd law which was recently voted 4 to 1, against cattle unconfined. He says the open range is a thinking of the past, both by reason of purchase and cultivation of the land and the adoption of the statute which provides that stock must be confined, "and yet," says Mr. Anderson, "several hundred head of cattle were dumped in on us even since the election, and the damage of their depredation has been considerable. The cattlemen had taken the matter of the election into the courts, and twice losing, have appealed to the Supreme Court, evidently to delay the enforcement of the law." Mr. Anderson also spoke of a road which the Citrus Grove community are very desirous of having the County Commissioners open from the grove through the Pierce pasture to the bay. A 3rd class road is all they ask, and a good secure gate is all the expense involved; but it is necessary the right of way be donated.

The News-Farmer hopes that Mr. Pierce will add to his many public spirited and generous actions this concession to the pioneer farmers who are doing so much toward proving the agricultural value and resources of his great land possession. All the use these people would or could make of the road would be occasional pleasure parties to the bay only five miles away.

On these and other subjects, of interest to our subscribers, they are invited to use the column of the News-Farmer, their experiences, views and desires.

The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, September 5, 1913
 

A Trip to Collegeport - The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer, September 12, 1913

AMONG THE FARMERS

Farming columns from The Matagorda News and Midcoast Farmer
written by Charles Edwin Gilbert.
 

PROGRESSIVE SECTION OF COUNTY

Midfield Community Growing and Developing Truck Growing--Good List of New Subscribers For News Farmer

Midfield is a town most pleasing to the eye--good to look at. Clean-looking buildings, cement sidewalks from the business part of town to the railroad depot on both sides of Main street. These things impress the stranger with the idea the Midfield is a right new town; but it is old enough to vote. But, there is vim and energy there-extending out into the well built and well tilled farms, with their good roads.

The drainage and road work is being well done. Engineer Lund is busy all the time, but found time to write the News-Farmer a check for a year's subscription and to say that their $60,000 of road improvement bonds will give the district sixty miles of good graded and well drained roads.

Mr. J. R. Green is one of the most enthusiastic boosters it has been our pleasure to meet, and one of the sanest for he is not extravagant. He took the writer for a car ride out in the country to see "the lay of the land" and the cut of their new roads. The land is charming, rich sandy loam, fine for growing every staple and truck crop to be grown anywhere south or west. The road work is well done. Fortenberry Bros. are doing the work under the supervision of the road commissioners. The grading is high, smooth, and the deep, wide ditches on either side are guarantee of good drainage. Every mile or so are deeper main ditches to carry the water off to the creeks.

Mr. Green says so far the cost of the road construction has not exceeded $250 a mile, and supposing the right-angle ditches through the fields cost about as much more, $250 every mile of road, the total cost can hardly exceed $500 per mile of road. The commissioners expect to construct sixty miles of good road so as to make good roads from every part of the district to the main roads and to town.

Away back in the long ago before America was named, in the old country, an Austrian monk in the study of plant life discovered the law for the transmission of the peculiarities of a plant to its offspring, so to speak. Two plants of the same kind but different characteristics, growing side by side, would produce of kind one like the other. Instead of blending or compromise between the weak and the strong or the tall and the short, the seed would partake of the full strength or all the several peculiarities of the one altogether. Some of these characteristics might be a compromise, but not the rule--just as children inherit the color of eyes or height and temper of the father and compromise on the hair of the mother, or vice versa. You have heard of or seen a white crow Mr. Green says he has had a barred Plymouth Rock produced from a thorough white flock. This monk of the long ago studied plant life until he could control the production of plant and seed--through guidance of the plant and pollen.

Our government has its consuls searching through the older countries for improved seeds of grain, cotton and other plants, and the federal year book contains many of these experiments and tests which have resulted in successful control of plant life. Through Siberia, for instance, successful search was made for cold-resisting and drought-resisting wheat and alfalfa. Good results have been attained by taking one strong plant here and another there, looking green and strong in a dry season, preserving the seed and each year fostering the best and detasseling the weaker until there is produced a plant especially adapted to cold or heat or drought resistance, or of especially large size or heavy yield.

So can corn be improved, and so Mr. C. F. Hammond improved his corn until he produced the county prize winner. When in tassel the grain is growing, fed or fertilized by the pollen (a powder form the tassel). If the low, weak stalks are detasseled, the silks of their ears will attract pollen from the neighboring stronger stalks. The pollen of an inferior stalk may deteriorate the grain or ear of a vigorous stalk. So it is highly necessary to cut off the tassel of the less vigorous ears, just as you would cull out inferior males from a herd of livestock. Men of the farm will pay big prices for thoroughbred stock to improve their herds, but neglect to give the same attention to the perfection of their corn upon which the stock must live. It is especially desirable, indeed necessary, to exercise this care in producing your seed corn. Picking your seed while in the ear, if you have not picked it on the stalk, plant with care, and give good cultivation to get vigorous growth, then when the stalk is in tassel and just before the ears silk, carefully detassel the inferior stalks, imparting to those ears the characteristics of the more vigorous stalks. Just in proportion to the corn with which original seed are selected and cultivated by this method, will the grower be able to improve--breed up--his corn to a high standard of weight, yield and other desirable characteristics.

Stopping at a well appointed farm house we met Mr. C. F. Hammond, the winner of the recent prizes for the best corn exhibited at the County Corn Show. He is planting over 50 acres this year from his splendid seed, and expects to make even better corn than last year, when drought and other unfavorable conditions interfered. His other crops are cotton, potatoes and hogs. His Duroc-Jerseys are beauties, all thoroughbred. He had seen the News-Farmer and liked it and subscribed for it. Mr. Hammond's method of corn culture is worthy of study by others. We give it elsewhere--the experience of a practical man, who learned (by reading) from the discovery and experience of others and profited thereby, and now this paper prints his experience for the benefit of others.

J. F. Wilson came from Denton county and settled south of town a year ago, too late to get a good start for 1913 crops. Then the seasons were not favorable and he is not gainer by his first year in Matagorda county, but he is undismayed, and is getting a fine start for 1914. Notwithstanding his losses, he subscribed for the News-Farmer to keep up with county news and learn something from the older farmers here. We believe the corn-seed culture experience of Mr. Hammond will interest him, as he is growing cotton and corn mainly.

New farm houses and hundreds of acres of newly plowed land is noticeable through this country.

J. H. Brown came from Oklahoma 18 months ago and built a hotel in Midfield, and his yard and garden are models of neatness. He and Mrs. Brown keep a good house.

J. T. Davis, who keeps the feed store, enrolled his name also on our subscription list. Talking over the farm interests of the county, Mr. Davis said: "Good stock pays--and good hog stock can not lose. I killed a 14-month old Duroc pig a year ago and that pig weighed dressed 423 pounds. It cost me just $11.25, first cost and feed, and at 10c a pound was worth $42.30. A man with pasturage for hogs can do even better than that."

G. L. Evans has a neat place for the comfort of his customers while he does the tonsorial trick for them, and D. B. Henderson, recently from Palacios with his family, has bought the blacksmith shop. Mr. Henderson has lived on the coast for 16 years, and has not seen a place which suits him better than Midfield.

A. C. Cooper is one of the new farmers just located from Oklahoma. He is in the black land, a few miles out, and is getting in good readiness for corn and cotton and potatoes.

M. Idle Fortenberry is one of the active and enterprising men of the community--farmer and grain merchant--anything but what his name might imply. But though in a rush, he seemed real glad of the chance to write a check for the News-Farmer.

A. M. Harper, another dry farmer, in town on business, said he was making fine progress toward preparations for farming--in fact, all his neighbors are sure of good crops this year. He is going to keep posted through the News-Farmer.

A good graded school comfortably housed in an up-to-date school building is one of the attractions of the town. Prof. H. L. Brown is superintendent, and Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Lelia Goin and Miss Bertha Harris are assistant teachers. About 100 scholars are enrolled.

From Mr. Green, who is a progressive real estate man, and well informed, the News-Farmer learns that within the last eighteen months over seventy families have located around Midfield to engage in farming, most of them buying land, and most of them coming from north and central Texas well equipped for corn and cotton and truck farming. A truck-growers' association was lately organized there with a good live membership, and pledges and preparations have been made to plant nearly a thousand acres in truck crops, for instance, 500 in peanuts, 200 to 300 in sweet potatoes, 50 to 100 in tomatoes, and a good acreage in cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupes. It is the purpose of the town and the association to put in a good canning plant in the summer, and to use the gin machinery as far as it can be utilized. Mr. Halsbrook is president of the Truck Club and J. S. Williams secretary.

Acreage in corn and cotton this year, Mr. Green informs us, will be increased over last year 10 to 1. The seventy new farmers referred to got in during November and December, 1912, too late for complete preparations for the 1913 crops, but they are now well prepared and equipped for an acreage ten times as great as planted last year.

The Danish settlement, 5 or 6 miles north, is a very prosperous farm community of about 80 farms, many right from Denmark.

Report of an enjoyable trip to Van Vleck and Caney is crowded out this week, that is road articles beat it to the typesetters.

Our type force limited now will be gradually increased till we can print all that should be printed.

The Matagorda County News and Midcoast Farmer, February 7, 1914