Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1909 — Wealth in Ounions. [ARTICLE]

Wealth in Ounions.

The onion farmer Is a comparatively new arrival upon the scene of industrial activities in Texas. He is now one of the large contributors to the wealth of the state. In a little more than eight years the value of the annual production of onions in Texas for the market has reached approximately $2,000,000. Which the fact is considered that this enormous wealth is derived from only about 2,500 acres of land, some idea may be had of the abundance of the yield and the good prices that are obtained for the product, says the Technical World. Onion growing has done another thing to help Texas. It has been the direct means of adding more than $2,500,000 to the intrinsic value of her lands. Inasmuch as the grow- ' ers put a good portion of their annual earnings from the industry into property improvements in town and country the increase of taxable wealth from this source has also been considerable. The wonders which were wrought by the magic touch of Aladdin’s lamp were no greater than the transformatiin which onion growing has brought to certain portions of Texas during the last few years. Land which, from the time of the early visit of the Spaniards to the Rio Grande border section, was thought to tfe almost worthless, and at the very most only fit for goat grazing, is now bringing in an annual net return of from S3OO to SSOO an acre from the onions which it produces. Before the inauguration of onion growing any of this land could have been bought at prices ranging from $1 to $2 an acre. It has now no established value for the reason that none of its owners are willing to sell. They Will not fix a value upon the land. Some of thejn are free to Bay that land which has such large producing qualities ought to be worth not less than SIOOO an acre. Some of the onion growers say they would not be willing to accept less than S2OOO an acre for their lands. Even at that price the annual net return will average nearly 25 per cent on the Investment. The United States consul at Cologne reports that no timothy is raised in Germany and not much of any distinctive grass for hay, “the fields seemingly producing a mixture of varieties much resembling the natural growth on an Illinois prairie.” This grass, when cut, yields exceedingly well, the lower growth being very heavy, owing to the fact that generally the meadows are Irrigated. Harvesting Is done mostly by hand. Two crops are always taken- from the meadows annually and sometimes three. Secretary Wilson says that the farmers have added $53,000,000,000 to the wealth of the country during the past nine years. Two years ontput of the farms would buy. all the railroads in the country. He says also that the farmer received 75 per cant more for hia produce than 10 years ago.