Chapter 10

Nearer my farm, an absentee landlord had purchased a full section of vacant land. He sent an agent down to contract for clearing and planting. Everyone was mostly tied up clearing and improving their own land. His request for bids got no responses except mine to clear and lease the root ploughed land as a part of my own farm. He was unhappy to report back to his boss on the only per acre bid on needed improvements. By telegraph, the owner instructed him to sign a contract for the entire project. When I saw the terms, and a schedule of payments for any improvements made upon the property, I couldn’t wait to sign the contract. This contract alone would pay for the purchase of two more traction engines, working full-time, clearing land and ploughing fields. It must be nice to have the resources to contract for such rates. My services weren’t cheap, but he didn’t seem to be bothered in spending so much.

After three months, I took the proceeds of clearing the latest ten acres and bought two new traction engines. My banker noted the contract payment schedule that I showed him and increased the mortgage amount to cover the purchase, delivery and operating costs for the equipment. I had no problem in hiring operation crews for the new engines and within the month coal smoke was rising from three separate locations on that section of land. It would take years to complete the contract, but I was already planting the first ten acres that were cleared and root ploughed. My cotton seed was planted in one and a quarter acres of new land, and an equal amount of local seed was planted in an adjacent same sized plot. The rest was planted in a white corn, called maize, that the local residents used for making food; such as masa flour, tortillas, and tamales. I was sure of a quick local sale once the grain was milled and packaged for distribution.

My cotton produced another problem. There was no cotton gin anywhere near my place, the closest one was near Harlingen, about thirty-five miles away. Not that I couldn’t buy a few of the combing fiber separating trays and connect them to my stationary engine and gin the bolls while operating the corn shelling and grinding operations. It might not be practical, but it wouldn’t cost much to implement the capability locally. Matt discovered two things from his cotton experiment. First, the Mississippi River seed matured faster than the local variety allowing it to be picked three weeks earlier than local seed. And there was more of it, it seemed. Results would have to be tallied during the winter, but the trials looked favorable. He would have to wait another year to see if the next generation of cottonseed produced from his two adjacent crops bred true to the most desirable traits. But one fact couldn’t be disputed. Two hundred and fifty pounds of his cotton produced just under a hundred pounds of fiber leaving a hundred and fifty pounds of cottonseed in its wake.

He did purchase a few cotton combing, fibre separating trays, and connected them by belts to his stationary engine. A fan blew the fibers into a huge pile where it was stuffed into large gunny bags to be taken to the actual cotton gin in Harlingen for compaction and processing into proper bales. He had to hire additional workers to manage the cotton bolls, fibre, and seed production; while another crew was operating the corn shelling and grinding operations. It was not the most efficient process, but there would always be ways to improve, once it proved cost effective.

Next, he had to determine how to best utilize the majority of his crop residue, by weight. If all else failed, it could be incorporated back into the soil as an amendment; but that was really a waste. Of the hundred and fifty pounds of seed cited above, less than ten pounds would need to be retained for next year’s crop. The quantity of seed he produced didn’t warrant transporting it to oil or feed mills up north, so he ground it up; hulls and all, as a cattle feed supplement. He was told to limit feeding of cottonseed to a half pound of it per a hundred pounds of cattle weight per day. At that rate, ten pounds of cottonseed could feed a ton of cattle on the hoof in a pasture of dry hay fed free choice. He would experiment over the years to find a more profitable expedient salvage process, but cattle feed would have to suffice for the meantime.

Freya pressed her parents for greater freedom and often rode over to Matt’s farm, especially on Sunday afternoons, after church. The couple were often seen riding back from town after church, or returning to her home before dusk on Sundays. It came as no surprise when Matt asked Olaf for his daughter’s hand in marriage. A date was set for the next spring, around Easter, but Matt would have preferred much sooner. His family could more easily attend, but Olaf’s relatives in Minnesota faced a much more difficult proposition. Matt even considered having the wedding up there, but the winter climate pretty much precluded that happening. In fact, Olaf’s brother suggested that the family gather in the Rio Grande Valley to enjoy the warmer weather before returning to prepare their fields for spring planting.