TEXAS NATURE OBSERVATIONS AND REMINISCENCES. 275 



joining shed being covered eith- 

 er with adobe, tule, ot sheets of 

 corrugated iron — the latter not 

 much in use in olden days. The 

 group of Mexicans seen oh the 

 photo had just returned with a 

 wagon loaded with a large barrel 

 of water, from the Leona creek. 

 A large wood pile is seen in the 

 rear of the hut — one of the main 

 market products, nearly exclus- 

 ively mesquite wood. Mexicans 

 are expert hands in wood chop- 



thresh the pecan trees and gath- 

 er the fruit. Mexican pecan- 

 candy vendors often make a liv- 

 ing from such occupation, and 

 San Antonio is famed for these 

 as well as all other Mexican 

 market products. 



For endurance in all sorts of 

 weather, the Mexican laborer 

 hardly can be beaten by any oth- 

 er nationality, especially for rock 

 and dirt work, and San Antonio 

 is famed for its many gravel pits 



Some op the Gravel Pits at the Rock Quarry Region 



ping and large loads of wood in 

 former years — and now yet can 

 be seen daily on the market 

 plazas. They also are expert in 

 all sorts of manual labor, and for 

 this reason are often employed 

 for city work, especially street 

 work, ditch cleaning, etc. Dur- 

 ing the cotton and pecan harvest 

 time also, numbers of them are 

 employed by farmers and large 

 pasture pecan owners; they are 

 good climbers and know how to 



in various , districts of the old 

 town, but in particular at the 

 old rock quarry place, north and 

 near the Laurel Heights addi- 

 tion. A photo view herein, pre- 

 pared by the writer from an 

 elevated point west of the large 

 rock excavations shows the sur- 

 rounding country up to the old 

 Water Works tank, the old Ce- 

 ment factory, some Mexican 

 dwellings, fields, and the ever- 

 green Laurel brush (with its in- 



