Presidio and Foley Counties, Texas, Described.

Written for the American Bee Journal

BY C. G. ATEN 1893

To avoid taking up space with unnecessary explanations, I will begin at once to describe Presidio and Foley counties, Tex., beginning with Presidio; suffice to say that my knowledge of this country was obtained by riding over this rough and barren desert as a member of Company " D," Texas Rangers. I was stationed in this section of country from April 3rd to Sept. 1st, 1890.

Presidio county was organized in 1875. Geographically the county consists of high ridges, for the most part rocky, and gradually rising into mountains. "Don't picture in your mind mountains that are covered with green timber, and valleys that are washed with clear, cold streams of water, but. instead, picture the very opposite—mountains that are barren save here and there the go to plant and tufts of the coarse gamma-grass, with great boulders of reddish brown sand-stone projecting from their sides. Picture in your mind a desert, almost, of mountains and hills, for the most part barren, with now and then a level plain, perhaps thousands of acres in extent.

There are very few streams of water in the valleys, more generally dry gravel beds over which water runs after one of those quick cloud-bursts common in that country in June and July. I have heard an old resident of the county say that he had never witnessed a general rain over the county, that is, a rain that extended over all of the county at one time. in the rainy season clouds will form in a few moments, as if by magic, rain a heavy shower, and disappear to form again may be 50 miles away.

The greater part of the county's population is Mexican, and they are Mexicans of the meanest type. Marfa is the county-seat, with about 800 population. The elevation at Marfa is about 4,000 feet above sea-level. The elevation falls from Marfa—(which is -in the northern part of the county)—to Presidio, on the Rio Grande, and in the southern part of the county, 1,700 feet, while the distance is about 70 miles. This makes a great difference in the climate. in August and September the sand storms will almost suffocate one at Presidio, while at Marfa the wind approaching near a hurricane without a cloud in sight will chill you to the bone. They have no warm and sultry nights at Marfa.

While the Rio Grande valley has entirely a different climate, the valley winds are hot and dry, as though they came out of an oven, while a few miles up on the mountain sides, or on the plains at Marfa, the wind is cool and bracing.

At the time that I was in the county, there were but eight men living in it on the Rio Grande, and I believe that a- white woman was never seen in this section. Four of these men have married Mexican women. if the true history of some of these men that have exiled themselves, and almost turned against their race, were known, I have no doubt but that it would be interesting to some.

Shafter is a silver mining town with about 700 inhabitants, mostly Mexicans, and like the people of Presidio, they live in adobe (sun-dried brick) and grass houses. These adobe houses are often built very substantially, and when plastered inside and out they look very much like a rock-house, and last about as long.

The Presidio Mining Co. have a ten stamp mill at Shafter, and ship about $35,O0O worth of bullion a month. The town is in what is known as" the Chanetti mountains, 50 miles south of Marfa, and 22 miles north of Presidio. in the Chanetti mountains there is a scattering and stunted growth of live-oak timber.

The valley of the Rio Grande, at Presidio, is about 8 miles wide. The Mexicans along here raise some corn, beans, and melons — enough to keep them alive, that is all. All farming is done by irrigation in this country, and it is often managed in a curious way. I believe that parts of this valley could be made to produce fruit as well as the same valley at El Paso, only about 125 miles up the river, and on which as good fruit is grown as in California.

Now in regard to bees in Presidio county, and I have finished. There is but one part that I would think of trying apiculture, and that is the Rio Grande valley. The winds on the plains are too severe for bees, but, as I have said, the valley of the Rio Grande has an entirely different climate. Near the river there is a dense growth of mesquite, while back from the river, in the foot-hills, there is a dense growth of shrub bushes, such as the julsesh, jhajle, and catclaw; also many other semi-tropical plants and thorn bushes. Don't understand me to say that this valley is eight miles wide all along; on the contrary, the mountains almost crowd the river out of existence in places.

in all my travels over this country I can remember of seeing but one colony of bees, and that was in the customhouse yard at Presidio. The hive was a large dry-goods box with one side knocked out for an entrance, though the bees were partly protected by a piece of blanket flapping loosely over this side. I often raised this blanket and looked in at the bees, but they never offered to sting.

These bees belonged to an old Mexican, and at the time he robbed them, I was scouting in the Chicos mountains. Some of the boys that remained at the custom-house said that he took a tub- full of honey from them, but I think the boys exaggerated, as "Rangers" often do in matters of little importance. Anyway, a couple of weeks later I cut out about eight pounds of as fine white honey as I ever saw. it was, I think, mostly gathered from mesquite.

Statistics for 1888 and 1889 show that there were in Presidio county 61 colonies of bees ; amount of honey gathered, 1,050 pounds; value, $235.