TEXAS. 



THIERS, LOCIS A. 



715 



tervals of about a week, rarely lasting more than 

 three days. They produce a sudden depression in 

 the temperature, but are said to make the climate 

 more healthful and the air purer. The heat of sum- 

 mer is tempered by winds from the Gulf which blow 

 far inland. Corn-planting usually begins about the 

 middle of February, ana grain is harvested in the 

 latter part of May, and Indian-corn in July. Cotton- 

 picking begins about July 10th, and continues to 

 December 1st. The soil is in general very fertile. 

 The river bottoms are unsurpassed in this respect 

 by those of any State in the Union. There are three 

 or four varieties of soil, each well adapted to certain 

 crops. The stiff black soil of the river bottoms is 

 best fitted for sugar and cotton, though the latter 

 grows well on the prairies and uplands; the finer 

 black or chocolate -colored soil of the prairie lands 

 yields abundant crops of corn and the cereals, uud 

 the lighter, copper-colored soil of the uplands is ad- 

 mirable for the grasses and fruits ; while the flue 

 silt of the inlands produces the best Sea Island cot- 

 ton known. Irrigation has been successfully prac- 

 tised in some instances in the west, where ruin is 

 scanty. Texas is specially noted as a stock-raising 

 country, for which the mildness of its climate and 

 the great variety of its nutritious grasses peculiarly 

 fit it. The western portion, even where too dry for 

 agriculture, is particularly adapted to cattle and 

 sheep, and here are vast herds and flocks. Large 

 numbers of horses and hogs are also kept. The buf- 

 falo and deer are found in the northwest, and wild 

 horses or "mustangs" roam over the western prai- 

 ries. The chief crops are cotton, Indian-corn, and 

 wheat. Cotton and corn may be grown in nearly 

 every part of the' State. Wheat is raised chiefly in 

 the north. The sugar-cane is cultivated principally 

 on the Brazos, near its mouth, and rice in the south- 

 east corner of the State. Oats, barley, beans, tobac- 

 co, and potatoes are raised to some extent. In the 

 south, figs and oranges may be produced. In addi- 

 tion to these natural advantages liberal laws, relating 

 to preemption, homesteads, etc., have been passed to 

 induce persons to settle in the State. The constitu- 

 tion provides that "to every head of a family who 

 has not a homestead there shall be donated 160 acres 

 of land out of the public domain, upon the condition 

 that he will select, locate, and occupy the same for 

 three years, and pay the office fees on the same. To 

 all single men, twenty-one years of age, there shall 

 be donated 80 acres of land out of the public domain, 

 upon the same terms and conditions as are imposed 

 upon the head of a family." The statutes passed 

 pursuant to this provision give to every head of n 

 family, man or woman, or a single man of lawful 

 age, who has not a homestead in the State, 160 acres 

 of land to the former, nnd 80 acres to the latter, out 

 of any part of the public domain, as a homestead, on 

 the only condition that he, or she, will select and 

 occupy it for three years and pay the office fees, which 

 do not amount to more than $15. These and all 

 homesteads of families acquired in any other miinncr 

 can never be seized for debt, or their use and enjoy- 

 ment, as homesteads, be interrupted, so long as an 

 individual member of the family exists, except for 

 the purchase money, taxes due tnereon, or for work 

 and material used in constructing improvements 

 thereon; nor can any homestead be sold without 

 the consent of the w'ife, and cannot be mortj.'acrcd 

 or encumbered in any manner except for the debts 

 above named, even with the consent of the wile. 

 The homesteads of a family exempt from forced sale 

 for all debts, except those above specified, shall no! 

 exceed 200 acres of land in the country, or il 

 city, town, or village, not to exceed $5,000 in value 

 at the time of its designation as a homestead, w 

 out regard to tbe value of the improvement* ther. o 

 The law provides that " there shall nlso be reserved 

 to every family in this State, free and exempt from 

 forced sale for debts, the following property : All 

 household and kitchen furniture ; all implements of 



husbandry ; and tools and apparatus belonging to 

 any trade or profcoion, and all books belonging to 

 private or public libraries ; 5 milch COWB and calves ; 

 2 yoke of oxt-n ; 2 horses and 1 wagon; 1 carriage 

 or buggy ; 1 gun ; 20 bogs ; w head ol hc-cp ; all 

 provisions and forage on hand for home consump- 

 tion ; all saddles^ bridles, and harness necessary for 

 the use of the family ; and to every citizen not a 

 head of a family. 1 horse, bridle and saddle, all 

 wearing-appurel, all tool*, apparatus, and books bo- 

 longing to his private library." 



TIIIERS, Louis ADOLI-HK, ex-President of 

 the French Republic, was born at Marseille*, 

 April 16, 1797, and died at 8t.-Germain,'8ep- 

 tember 3, 1877. A full account of his literary 

 and political career till 1871, when he became 

 President of the French Republic, was given 

 in tbe ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA for 1871. M. 

 Thiers was a strong opponent of the Italian 

 and German schemes for National Unity, which 

 became prominent subjects for discussion be- 

 tween 1860 and 1870. He disapproved the 

 declaration of war against Prussia in 1870, but 

 only because he thought the time had not come, 

 and France was not adequately prepared for 

 war. During the war, he urged the most ac- 

 tive and thorough measures of resistance to 

 the progress of the Germans. He was made 

 a member of tbe Committee of National De- 

 fense in the latter part of August, 1870, 

 and shortly afterward undertook a mi i- n 

 to the principal capitals of Europe to ask 

 the governments to intervene in behalf of 

 his afflicted country, all of which proved un- 

 successful. He was returned to the Assem- 

 bly in February, 1871, from 26 different de- 

 partments, receiving an aggregate of a 1,000,- 

 000 votes. One of the first acts of the 

 Chamber was to elect him, February 17, 1871, 

 President of the Executive Power. I1U firrt 

 work was the difficult one of obtaining the 

 consent of the Assembly to the extremely 

 onerous conditions of peace which were im- 

 posed by the Prussians. Approval of the 

 treaty was secured by a vote of five-sixths of 

 the Assembly. The Assembly was removed 

 to Versailles "in March, and Paris a few day 

 afterward fell into the hands of the Comma/ 

 nists, who inflicted immense damage upon the 

 public works, and the persons and property of 

 obnoxious persons, destroying, among other ob- 

 jects of their hostility, M. Thiers's own resi- 

 dence. The city was captured by the force* 

 of the government on the last of May, after 

 having been for about two months in the pot- 

 session of worse enemies than the Pniiwinns, 

 and the participants in the communistic out 

 rages were punished. M. ThU-rs wu strength- 

 ened at the supplementary elections for the 

 Assembly in July, 1871, and the Aswiwhly, 

 meeting in August, pawed a vote of ronfidcm 

 in him, enlarged his power*, changed t 

 of his office to that of President of the Rpul 

 Ho, and made his term of office thrw ; 

 The attention of the government WM d 

 chiefly, till that object was accompli*! 

 the payment of the war indctnnitj 



