479
PAPERS OF l\IIR.ABEAU BUONAPARTE LAMAR
even some winters pass with little or no frost, except an occasional hoar frost - as a proof th.ere are some cotton plants now on the Nueces that were pl8Jlted 3 or 4 year ago and still yield a good crop, con- equently the farmer to the West of Guadalupe River will have first rate crops of Cotton by planting ·ever third year as they do in the West India Islands, -- to ay the least, the season is so m1:1ch longer a to allow to the planters considerable advantage in securing their crops over those of the Eastern section of Texas, these are advantages tending much to :facilitate the labourn of the husbandman and ensure a certainty of crowning them with success, they are therefore cir- cumstances worthy of being kept in view by every admirer of agricul- tural industry West of the Nueces River the soil for the distance of about 60 mile is of a very excellent quality affording the very be.st kind o.f pasturage, the Country is not well watered consequently at times scarce, yet sufficient for the purposes of raising stock of every description, 'l'he rains are less frequent than in the eastern districts, yet I believe fully sufficient f(tl' the growing of Cotton, corn Barley oats Grape & very proabably for sugar cane &c. timber is scarce some little on the banks of the beds of Creeks, and near the Bay there is a considerable body of Musquite wood extending Southwardly many miles - There are several immense bodies of fusquite wood running aoout from S E. to N. W. many miles in length, and of variable widths - There i a section of Country little more than half way from the ueces to the Rio Grande say from 30 to 40 miles wide, very sandy and in no-wise adapted for agriculture and even badly :for pasturage, this Sa.ndy ridge affords a considerable quantity of Live oak &c. although not of the best quality, yet might still be useful for some purposes, it extends many miles from S. E. to . W. Hhre water is very· scarce, yet the whole extent of Country between the Nueces, and Rio Grande abounds with Lakes supplied by the Rains, and coffil)1only affor<l an ample supply for the _whole year there also exists many spring of very e:ll."'Cellent w~ter and by sinking wells water .can be very easily obtained-From this rather barren section of Coun- try to the Rio Grande a distance probably of 60 miles, the Country is tolerably well timbered principally musquite- and well adapted for tock of any kind, but as rains are very irregular it is doubtful whether it would he always certain in the growing of cotton &c. -South of the Rio Grande all extensive ao-ricul~ral pursuits are conducted by, and dependent on irrigation, but where there is a Capability of it, corops of Sugar·Cane, Cotton Corn Beans Wheat Barley Oats Grapes &c &c can be produced in o-i•eat abundance; affortling the agriculturist immense profits - This brief & imperfect sketch referes only to that Country west of the Colorado River, and so far as the ueces th"e remarks extend to no greater distance than about from 80 to 130 miles from the Coa t - north of this line of demarc_ation the Country is undulating, and in- a superior degree Calculated for the pursuits of husbandry and rearing stock of every specie; abundantly & beautifully watered by numerous little Rivers tributary streams of the Colorado and 1 ueces Rivers, together with delightful springs of the purest water . the country is sufficiently timbered and affording the best pasturnge under the canopy of heaven - this last brief description referes and may be generally
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