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Some cotton is raised at Concepcion, about 15 miles off the railroad 

 to the south of Beuavides station; also at San Antonio V'iejo, which is 

 on the stage road about halfway between Pena and Eio Grande City. 

 About 10 or 15 bales hi the seed are sent annually from San Antonio 

 Viejo up to Pefia, en route to Beuavides to be ginned. No cotton is 

 raised anywhere around Pena, nor between Pena and Beuavides, and 

 none between Pena and Laredo. 



To the north of Laredo none is raised for 70 or 80 miles. The first 

 fields seen on the International and Great Northern Railway going- 

 north from Laredo are at Dilley, which is 79 miles from Laredo. Very 

 large fields exist around Pearsall and farther north. Up to three years 

 ago some cotton was raised at Oatulla (south of Dilley), but drought has 

 caused the abandonmeut of it. 



Cotton, is raised more or less along the Eio Grande on the Mexican 

 side all the way from Matamoras up to opposite Eagle Pass and Del 

 Eio. The corresponding cotton region on the American side exists 

 only from Brownsville to Carrizo and at Del Eio. This territory rep 

 resents only a small region compared to the cotton -producing region 

 on the Mexican side, as none is grown near the river any where between 

 Carrizo and Del 'Eio. 



I was informed that cotton is not at present grown near ISTuevo 

 Laredo, but that its cultivation was attempted there three or four 

 years ago and. since abandoned. As it may be resumed there at any 

 time, the weevil is apt to reach that district from the nearest infested 

 district in Mexico. Considerable cotton is grown around Ciudad Por- 

 flrio Diaz and up and down the river on the Mexican side, and these 

 localities will doubtless soon become infested. 



ISOLATION OF OUR COTTON REGION FROM THAT OF MEXICO. 



In order to prevent new installments of the weevil being received 

 from Mexico, it will be necessary for cotton raising to be abandoned 

 throughout a wide strip of country all along the Texas border. The 

 cotton fields of Texas can be maintained against new invasion from 

 Mexico in this way only. Cotton should be abandoned at Brownsville 

 and as far up as Carrizo. This will be no great hardship, as this is 

 only a small strip of country, comparatively, and much more valuable 

 and important crops can be produced in this wonderful lower Eio 

 Grande region with a certainty of success, while cotton, if persisted in, 

 will only fall to the weevil. It would be better also to abandon cotton 

 at Del Eio, although that is quite well isolated from the other cotton 

 districts of Texas, and might be allowed to remain until it becomes 

 infested, inasmuch as other crops would not do well there. In case it 

 were found necessary to make a complete non-cotton belt, however, 

 Del Eio would have to be included. A complete protective non-cotton 

 belt on our border would involve the abandonment of cotton in the 

 regions of Brownsville, Santa Maria, Hidalgo, Eio Grande City, Carrizo, 



