170 SOUTHERN BORDER OF CENTRAL COAL FIELD. 



Lasker and Lerch. On this farm there are 200 acres in cultivation. 

 Two years ago they broke the land and put it in condition to plant. 

 On the 29th of March they finished planting 4000 fruit trees, consisting of 

 apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, nectarines, and almonds. 

 These trees are all growing nicely, not more than five per cent of the whole 

 number having died. Some of the trees bore a small amount of fruit this 

 year. There are also raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and strawberries. 

 On the farm are 72 varieties of grape vines, all showing a vigorous growth. 

 The crops consist of corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, clover, millet, sorghum, 

 cotton, and flax. There is also a great variety of vegetables growing. 



The crop of 1888 gave an average per acre of 40 bushels of corn, 45 bush- 

 els of oats, and one-half bale of cotton. The present crop promises to be 

 equally as good. The plan of cultivation on this farm is to break the ground 

 deep in winter and plant deep and cultivate often with shallow plowing. The 

 soil on this farm embraces every variety found in the country. 



WATER. 



There is no scarcity of water for domestic purposes in any part of this 

 district. There are a great many springs, and wells are easily obtained at mod- 

 erate depth. There is only one place where any trouble has been experienced 

 in getting water, and that was just after leaving Richland Springs, in San 

 Saba County. In places there they have to go 100 feet or more to get water 

 in their wells. There are probably more large springs in San Saba County 

 than any other county in the State. No less than sixteen of these springs 

 occur in this county, and the smallest will not run less than 200 gallons per 

 minute; and besides these there are innumerable smaller springs in different 

 parts of the country. 



Water for stock purposes is abundant everywhere — in the rivers, in the 

 springs, and in the creeks. At only a few places has it been found necessary 

 to construct tanks for supplying stock water. 



The water in nearly all the springs and wells mentioned is measurably free 

 from impurities. 



Water for driving machinery is found at several localities but has been 

 used only in a small way for that purpose in a few places. 



There are small areas in different places where shallow water can not be 

 obtained. The localities are near the outcroppings of the thick clay beds, 

 and where the overlaying gravel and sand beds are too thin to be water-bear- 

 ing, but these areas are very small and are entirely local. 



ARTESIAN WELLS. 

 The conditions for obtaining artesian water are very favorable in every 



