480 



tion i)^) acres of excellent brooiu corn, which was being" cut. It was 

 planted dry, and did not come up until after the first rain in September, 

 some of the seed lyinj? in the ground nearly two months. Also 20 acres 

 of corn, which will be ripe M'ithiu the month ; 10 acres of beans ; and 2 

 acres of seed sugar-cane, which will be left standing until about the 

 middle of December, as frosts rarely occiu^ before the latter part of the 

 month. 



From the responses of the officers of the above association to a series 

 of questions propounded by several gentlemen of Illinois, seeking in- 

 formation relative to the resources and capabilities of Cameron Couuty, 

 we condense the following facts : The seasons are not well marked in 

 that latitude; cotton, corn, sugar-cane, potatoes, &c., are planted in 

 February. There are occasional light frosts in December, January, and 

 February", accompanied by cold north winds, lasting one to three days. 

 Cotton i)icking from June 1 to end of December. Mean temperature 

 from June to the middle of September, 80° F. The heat of sum- 

 mer is always tempered by Gulf breezes. The climate is healthy and 

 congenial to children. The past five years have been very favorable to 

 agriculture. Formerly there were some years of remarkable drought, 

 but ami)le means of irrigation exist. No Government land in tbe couuty. 

 All the lands are well adapted for cultivation or for stock-raising. Gen- 

 eral aspect of the land, slightly rolling, open prairie, and timber. The 

 prevailing timber is ebony, mezquit, acacia, palm, willow, elm, Mexican 

 ash, hackleberry, and many other smaller but useful varieties. There 

 is a great abundance of land fit for raising cotton, tobacco, sugar-cane, 

 coruj castor beans, graj^es, figs, peaches, lemons, oranges, &g. Few run- 

 ning streams, but there are lagoons, and water may be had anywhere 

 by digging. There are sufficient highways in dry weather, but the 

 public roads are not improved. The home consumption affords the 

 market for most crops; Mexico for cotton and sugar; also New Orleans, 

 Galveston, New York, and Liverpool by sea direct. The Kio Grande is 

 navigated by steamboats 400 miles. Neither grist nor saw mill in the 

 county, though there is a demand for both. Native horses, small but 

 hardy, $10 to $30 each; mules, $20 to $40; milch cows, $15; working 

 oxen, $20 to $30 per yoke ; beef cattle, $5 to $8 per head ; sheep, 75 cents 

 to $1 50 per head ; and swine, $3 to $10 per head. The prospect for 

 mechanics is not so good at present as for agriculturists, horticulturists, 

 and stock-raisers. Two newspapers published in the county. The cost 

 of living is much less than in the Northern States. Prime beef sells in 

 the market at 2 cents per pound. Corn, vegetables, and fruit are abun- 

 dant, and can be produced in great quantities. Clothing (of which little 

 is needed) and household furniture are somewhat higher than at the 

 North. A good family house, with outhouses, «&c., of native materials, 

 can be constructed for $100 to $200. Price of unimproved land to set- 

 tlers, 75 cents to $2 per acre ; part cash. Impi'oved land not for sale, 

 except at high i)rices. Settlers welcomed by the people, and the popu- 

 lation is increasing. Churches, a college, and good schools at Browns- 

 ville, the county seat. The best route to Cameron County is via New 

 Orleans, i^er steamship, to Brazos Santiago. 



THE RAINY SEASON IN CALIFORNIA. 



From a journal kept by Dr. Shaw, of Santa Barbara, California, it 

 appears that in the three years i)receding the present the first rain fell 



