Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, April 2, 1920 Page: 1 of 8
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Milk and
:am
; PRODUCE CO.
WE 91
1
♦
■
m.
Order Brick Ice Cream
for Sunday
MERCEDES PRODUCE CO.
BHONE 91
II.
MERCEDES, HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS, FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1920
NUMBER 7
SHORTAGE EXPENSIVE
JO THE CABBAGE GROWERS
Dollars Per Ton Knocked Off
;he Price Because of Deteriora-
tion of Stock that Waits in the
[Streets On Wagons for Cars in
hich to Move.
ling
otations on cabbage were bul-
on the blackboard Thursday
30 the ton as against $40, the
that has prevailed here for
days past. The decline, ac-
to Mr. Acller, is not caused
lack of demand, but because
ge brought here forr loading
no cars and is left in the wag-
on the streets for such a length
.me awaiting cars that the stock
and deteriorates and sometimes
difficult to sell at any price,
cars do finally arrive. If stock,
be loaded while fresh, whicl)
Pd be done if a sufficient rimp*
of cars were available, the cfop
moving coulc( be disposed of) at
former price.' {
Wednesday four cars were re-
3d at Mercedes and twenty-five
were needed to load the cabbage in
sight at the station.
On Thursday six cars were receiv-
ed and twenty-five w;Ve needed.
Twenty refrigerators per day
should be apportioned to Mercedes
for the balance of the shipping sea-
son in order to move the crop
readily. '
Meeting at San Benito Today
Mr. Pyeatt, president of the Gulf
Coast lines, advised all agents by
wire Thursday that Mr. Williams,
agent ot the car service commission,
lieadquartej s Washington; would be
in the Valley for the purpose of look-
ing into the car situation and want-
ed to meet as many shippers as pos
sible at San eBnito at 1:00 o’clock
p. m. Friday. A large number went
from Mercedes to meet the govern-
ment representative.
ACROWDED HOUSE
HEARS GOOD MUSIC
Entertainment by Music Club At-
tracts Capacity Houst That
Manifests High Appreciation
of Efforts of Performers
Music lovers of Mercedes experi-
enced a rare treat Thursday even-
ing when the Music club staged an
entertainment which proved to be a
most successful and interesting
event. The stage of the high school
auditorium, under the management
of Mrs. J. F. Rector and Mrs. A. W.
Shouse was transformed into a thing
of beauty, palm leaves and cut flow-
ers being used in an artistic manner.
The concert committee consisting of
Mesdames L. B. Caruthers, T. L.
Vining, and G. C. Fittz, spared no
effort in securing the best talent of
Mercedes. Mrs. Caruthers as chair-
man of the committee made a be-
fitting speech, giving a short history
Bank Deposits Increase
4331-3 Per Cent in Valley
/
BASEBALL
Mercedes Wants a Winning Team
in the Talley League
Mercedes wants pennant winners
on its team. The Valley league has
been organized, the playing schedule
arranged and the organiation is
nearly ready now for the umpire’s
thrilling cry, “Play Ball”
Mr. J. J. O’Banion, an ex-major
league ball player is in charge of
the Mercedes club and he requests
the Tribune to asls all the boys who
like to play ball to meet him with
Phenomenal Growth Disclosed by
Recent Statements of Our
Financial Institutions
INCREASE IS LOGICAL RESULT UF CONDITIONS
____ ___ ^ the i(*ea ^ having a tryout at the
of the Music club and announcing | ^r" O Banion
the numbers as they came on the
E SAN BENITO MEETING
MAY BRING SOME RELIEF
free Hundred Shippers Meet Rail-
way and Government Officials
thyDiscuss Car . Situation
pearly three hundred farmers and
Uge growers representing every
ion of the Valley met the high
of the Gulf Coast lines at
| Pastime theatre in San Benito
(Friday) afternoon in a heart
leart conference over the acute
Uion caused by the shortage of
irator cars to move the im-
crop of cabbage now in the
and oni' the railroad .right of
J '
Ezell of Donna was chosen
over the meeting and J.
editor . of the San
f;ght acted as secretary.
Pyeatt of the Gulf Coast
t’essed the meeting at length
avored to lay the cards of
|ad company upon the table.
a failure to move the crop
fear 1912, he claimed that
since that year have been
promptly without any loss
rowers and not until March
year was there a real
1 of cars.
close of the season last
said that there were more
cars on the / side tracks
h had not been loaded or
luring the season,
pyeatt declared that the pres-
has been brought about
lit of the government con-
_ railroads. He said that
yas turned back to
'March 1st there were
Aerator cars returned
rcd of these were out
jould not be used. The
Toast Lines had a contract with
R. T. 'which owns more than
Icars for the use of any or all
lem but these cars had been
Iriminately distributed through-
fevery part of the United States
by the railroad administration and
it has been as yet impossible to have
a sufficient number of tihem returned
to relieve the situation here altho
every effort had been made to do
so.
He said that there was really no
(Continued on page 4)
program. The readings by Misses
Vinnie Haynes, Lucy Vining and
Catherine Benson drew forth great
applause as did the piano solo by
Mrs. Vigness and the vocal duet by
Mrs. Carlisle and Miss Ruth Stuart.
The feature of the evening was the
‘ Victory Cantata” given by a chorus
from the Music club.
The seating canacity of the audi-
torium was exhausted, quite a num-
ber standing throughout the even-
ing. The music club as a body
wishes to express their thanks and
appreciation to the people of Mer-
cedes for their patronage and ex-
cellent appreciation of the program.
The proceeds are to be used for
books and musical material for the
club and for sending delegates to
the State Musifcal convention at.
San Antonio in the near future.
-o-
Special meeting of the Mercedes
Farmers association will be held at
the school house Saturday night at
8 o’clock. Matters of great impor-
tance will come before the body and
a full attendance of members is de-
sired.
E. E. OLSON, President.
is of the opinion that there is mucfti
ball talent here and he wants to
meet the boys from the farms as
well as those from town who can
play the game. The desire is to pick
winners from the best talent partici-
pating in the tryout. Mr. O’Banion
may be seen personally at Hadden’s
Pharmacy or a telephone appoint-
ment can be made with him there:
The tryout wil loccur next week.
Towns represented in the Valley
league are: San Benito, Harlingen,
Mercedes, Donna, San Juan, McAllen
and Mission.
Population Is Increasing Rapidly, While Agriculture
Has Brought Great Returns — Believed that
Resources Today Are Even Larger Than
Those Shown in This Report
BUSINESS HOUSES ENLARGED
Appreciable extensions, necessita-
ted by rapidly growing business have
been1 completed at the stores of E.
Manautou and Wynne G. Garrison,
making it possible to more effect-
ively place theif goods and render
improved service to their patrons.
Mr. Garrison has augmented his
space considerably by double-deck-
ing a part of the new completion
hnd besides carrying some reserve
stock, maintains his business office
upstairs.
TIMELY FARM TOPICS
By 1L H. HARRINGTON
IRCEDES HOTEL 1$
SOON TO BE OPENED
of Remodeling- Will Commence
[txfc Week and Be Hurried to
Completion
T. Hoyt returned Wednes-
a three weeks trip to
Laiact eastern points during
le \he attended the annual
oi^ Delco Light dealers at
lio.
he purchased the fur-
for the Mercedes Hotel and
[expected to arrive here within
7iext few weeks. The work of
[modeling tills hotel will be com-
[enced early next week and rushed
completion.
I The plans include the making of
lei present court at the center of
[e building into a spacious lobby
tli glass roof and front, concrete
loor and a fountain in the center.
] All of the rooms will be provided
|ith running hot and cold water and
number of new rooms with private
ith are to be added.
| Work on the construction of the
3w dining hall will also be com-
[enced within the next week. It
expected that the hotel will be
lady to open to the pubilc within
next six weeks, altho a portion
t may be available before then.
Buying Seeds and Citrus Trees on
Co-Operative Elan.
The farmers on the American Rio
Grande Land and Irrigation Compa-
ny’s canal should take into consider
ation at this time the importance of
ordering their truck crop seeds for
another season. Two important ad-
vantages would accrue from this.
First, you could buy the seeds cheap-
er now than you could buy them
later, even though you may be buy-
ing individually and- not collectively.
Second, by buying collectively you
could buy them still cheaper and
by a conference you could determine
the best varieties to buy. There
seems to be less and less certainty
of getting specific varieties of seed
of any crop, and therefore there is
more and more necessity of exercis-
ing care and caution in the, pur-
chase. Any man who has gone
through the cabbage fields this sea-
san and noticed a great number of
different varieties appearing, in one
field, the seed for which were sup-
posed to be of one variety only, will
see the importance of giving atten-
tion to this matter of . selection of
seeds.
It is also important that we should
begin to give more attention to the
common adoption of certain varie-
ties; not only in truck crops but
in field crops also. v If we have for
the market one principal variety and
then properly pack it, we will soon
be able to establish a premium on
the market for our goods. I ex-
pect to take this matter up with
some of the farmers in the near fu-
ture and get their views as to the
best way of arriving at the amount
of seed that will probably be need-
ed and the best plan of cooperating
to get them. In the meantime, it will
be well for the individual farmers to
begin planning their crops for next
fall and winter. Not that a man
will be able to determine this far in
advance just what acreage he ex-
pects to plant ip. a crop, nor is it ex-
pected that he will order all the
seed that he should need, but if he
determines only an) approximate one
half of the seed that he will need,
that will leave him better off in de-
terininixig his total acreage in the
several crops and the seed to be or-
dered later on.
What has been said of seeds also,
applies to citrus fruit, trees. Thou-
sands of dollars will be spent this
year for citrus trees on this canal.
If it is important that we should
eliminate the middle man as far
as possible or practicable in the sale
ot our farm products in order that
we may obtain a part of his profits,
it is equally important that we should
go to tlve nurseryman direct for our
trees and as far as possible elimi-
nate the agent who prospers at our
expense in furnishing trees to tihe
Valley. I am not writing an ar-
raignment of the agents. Their work
is entirely legitimate and in many
instances commendable, because they
frequently do for the indifferent or
indecisive^ farmer what he would not
do for himself. Execept for the
agent, this class of farmers would in
many instances never have any trees
or any orchard; but I am more near-
ly arraigning the farmers for not
organiing and buying trees in car
organizing and buying them among
themselves, thus saving the large
commission, rather than depending
entirely upon, the agent to furnish
him his trees. It would save the
farmers of this canal several thou-
sand dollars if they would send a
representative to California or to
Florida, or to both places and make
contracts this summer for delivery
of trees next spring. Of course a
man would have to decide in ad-
vance what size orchard he expected
to put out, and he would have to
put the money in the bank to pay for
tihe trees before the contract wa;
definitely closed. He would lose
the interest on the money for a few
months, but he would gain many
times on the total cost of his trees.
Pinto Beans.
Out in New Mexico and Colorado
they have been growing pinto beans
for several seasons. They have an
established market and have been
found very profitable in these states.
They have been tried out in the
Valley and have proven successful
and either they or pink beans would
be a very good crop to follow a late
cabbage crop; but they should be
gotten out by the 15th day of April.
Neither of them require much water
and are important farm crops in
semi-arid countries.
Conclusive evidence of the wonder-
ful development which the Lower Rio
Grande Valley has experienced dur-
ing the past three years and of the
great prosperity which the farmers
here are now enjoying is presented
by the condition of the local banks
of the Valley.
According to the Brownsville Her-
ald total resources of $15,750,000
and total deposits of $12,250,000, in
round numbers is the combined fi-
nancial strength of the twenty-five
banking institutions of the Lower
Rio Grande as shown by the latest
statements and by specially prepared
statements in several cases where
organiaztion was too recent to com-
ply with the latest state and fed-
eral calls for statements.
The banks of the Valley—from
Rio Grande City to the coast—have
shown by the most remarkable
growth in the period from the sum-
mer of 1916 to date. In that time
tihe total deposits have increased by
the startling figures of 433 1-3 per
cent, and the total resources have
increased in a correspondingly me-
teoric fashion. Bankers point out
that the increase is not due to sud-
denly acquired wealth—such as that
brought bv oil or similar booms—but
is due to the increased crop produc-
tion through new colonization and
consequent expansion of the irrigated
and tilled acreage in the Valley.
In the summer of 1916 the total
bank deposits in the Valley were $2,-
978,000, among eighteen banking
institutions. At that time not one
bank in the Valley showed deposits
of more than three-quarters of a
million dollars. Today there is one
with over a .million, another with
nearly two millions, and a third with
more than two and a half millions.
Only two banks in the Valley have
less than $100,000 in deposits, and
these are located in the two samllest
communities having banking houses.
Between the extremes are any num-
ber of institutions with, deposits
ranging from $200,000 upwards.
Okra
It, is still time to put in this crop,
but I doubt if it is as proiftable as
a spring crop as some-of the other
crops which you have already un-
der way; notably the tomato*crop. T
am referring to it now merely to ask
you to keep it in mind as a fall crop.
Okra planted at such a time as to
come on the -market in the fall af-
ter the frosts have killed that pro-
duced to the niorth of us, usually
brings a very satisfactory price. Like
tihe #e~o: plant and Lsweet peppers,
there is of course a limited demand,
but it should be regarded as a prof-
itable fall crop especially.
Plant Food Removed From an Acre
by Head Lettuce and Cabbage
I have in a previous communica-
tion spoken of the importance of
maintaining the virgin fertility of
this soil, and of the heavy demand
made upon it in a strictly truck crop
system of farming. I realize that
most farmers do not give much at-
tention to the fertility of their soil
until nature forces them to do so.
I met an old Iowa farmer a (few
years ago who had gone to Iowa ini
the pioneer days and he told me that
they made a great success out there
raising wheat for a number of years,1
and gave no attention to corn and i mated in soil calculations.
live stock; but they suddenly dis-
covered that they were rapidly ex-
hausting their soil to a point be-
low the proiftable production1 of
wheat, and they necessarily had to
turn to live stock and corn: so that
today Iowa is the banner corn state
of the Union and, acre for acre, per-
haps the most prosperous agricultu
ral state in the Union. I am not a
sentimentalist as to any systerh of
farming that will transmit the farm
from father to son, in as high state
of productiveness as the father found
it; but I am an advocate of the fa-
ther taking care of himself; and that
.by the way is about the best way to
take care of the son. I believe it is
a good practice in farming methods
from a purely selfish standpoint to
plant such catch crops in the sum-
mer as will .maintain the fertility
of the soil for winter truck crops.
Eight tons of head lettuce vinll
carry off about 40 pounds of nitfo
gen, 13 pounds of phosphoric acid
and 72 pounds of potash; while ten
tons of cabbage will carry off 42
pounds of nitrogen, 14 pounds of
phosphoric acid and 56 pounds of
potash. The amount of nitrogen ano
phosphoric acid removed by a heavv I , , , .
crop of lettuce or cabbage, it will j The Tribune has been requested to
be noticed, are practically the same; ; aski the men of Mercedes and vicin-
but the lettuce carries off more pot- j ity who served in the late war to
ash. It would be considered a high j meeq at the Community House in
grade fertilizer that container 5 perl , , ......
cent of nitrogen, 16 per cent of | £Ierfcedej? 011 Thursday night, April
phosphoric acid and 9 per cent of j 8> for P^pose ot oiganizmg a
potash—that is—this many pounds; po?f. of the, American Legion. All
of these ingredients to the 100 sodhe!'sV sailt,>fcs and marines
pounds of fertilizer. Although the sfrV?? lhe col9l'S dJuring the waV
***' . : _ . . dlioihlp tn lmn tinin jht A'vrnpr*!'0q
TO ORGANIZE POST
OF AMERICAN LEGION
Fall Issued for Meeting of Men Mho
Served for Thursday Night
April 8th
marines who
snvcu llic during the wai&yire
percentage of phospTioric acid would eligible to join and are expected to
be somewhat low and the fertilizer Cl° S0;
would not be well balanced; being
excessively high in potash and com-
paratively high in nitrogen. It would
take 800 pounds of such a fertilizer
to restore to the soil the amount of
plant food which one crop of eight
tons of head lettuce would remove.
This- fertilizer would probably cost
him $30.00 at the present prices. A
ten ton crop of cabbage would hr
only slightly less exhausting than
the lettuce, and the cabbage crop i:
the one that receives our main cOp-
siderataion. In other words, we are
removing from every acre that we
put in cabbage, annually at least
$25.00 worth of cor&nercial fertilizer.
It is no wonder that corn does not
,do well following a cabbage' crop.
If we plant cow peas, soy beans, or
velvet beans on this cabbage land
through the summer and plow the
crop under, it will not be necessary'
for a long term of years to give it
any other treatment to maintain its
fertility; but otherwise,.. it will be
necessary.
The heavy demand of these crops
on the soil is further emphasized by
the fact that they are surface feed-
ers. Most of this food is removed
from the first four or five inches of
top soil. The loss of plant food is
not distributed through a depth of
one foot as the loss is commonly esti
The total capitalization of the
twentyfive banks, including surplus
and undivided profits is $1,744,541.01
The largest single capitalization is
$200,000, and the smallest institution
carries capital and surplus and un-
ivided profits of $12,000.
By individual banks the figures
are as follows, the first figure in-
cluding capital, ■ surplus and undi-
vided profits, the second figure be-
ing deposits and the third figure re-
sources :
Raymondville State Bank—$31,-
845,46; $157,698.40; $197,313.80.
Cameron County Bank, La Feria:
$27,261.11; $152,009.25; $179,270.36.
Planters State Bank, Harlingen:
$28,779.36; $282,189.62; $310,968.97.
Harlingen State Bank: $51,049.26;
$214,586.09; $265,635.35.
First State Banks Lyford: $16,-
926.44; $84,001.16; $105,787.77.
First State Bank, Rio Hondo: $12,
000; $69,060.44; $86,060,44.
San Benito Bank and Trust Co.:
$69,070.13; $658,727.14; $737,797.27.
Farmers State Guaranty Bank: San
Benito: $56,896.82; $555,739.24; $684
986.06.
Mercedes Bank of Commerce:
(newly organizeed) $26,250; $107,-
.665.19; $133,915.19.
The Hidalgo County Bank, Merce-
des: $63,687,28; $881,322; $945,009.-
28.
The Edinburg State Bank;- $54,-
110.69; $669,978.59; $771,079.28.
First State Bank, Donna: $43,-
294,92; $471,523.24; $514,818.46.
Alamo State Bank: $27,500; $60,--
000; $100,000.
Farmers State Bank, Donna: $35,-
000; $202,000; $258,000.
San Juan State Bank and Trust
Co. $155,024.11; $526,156,43; $921,-
466.75.
First State Bank, Pharr: (newly
846.44; $210,378.15; $366,327.76.
First tSate Bank, Pharr; (newly
organized—: $25,196.16; $60,888.04;
$86,084.20.
First State Bank and Trust Co.,
McAllen: $112,000; $984,498.79; $1,-
096,489.79.
First National Bank, McAllen:
$59,000; $301,006.12; $425,006.12.
First State Bank, Mission: $31,-
439,06; $425,000.
First National Bank, Mission: $35,-
461.55; $253,569.88; $331,546.06.
First State Bank, Rio Grande City:
$52,331.39; $403,420.89; $455,742.28.
State Bank and Trust Company,
Brownsville: $113,661.93; $807,270.13;
$920,932.06.
First National Bank, Brownsville:
$212,323.88; $1,901,207.22; $2,276,395.-
60.
Merchants National Bank, Browns-
ville: $353,585.03; $2,615,422.98; $3,-
171,164.61.
The actual totals are: Deposits,
$13,055,580.94; resources, $15,719,949.-
17. However, it is pointed out that
most of the figures are for the pe-
riod ending February 28, 1920, since
which time large crop sales have un-
doubtedly brought the totals to well
over the round numbers given in
the opening paragraph.
--o—--
Aside from the fraternal spirit that
such an organization will peTpetu
ate, there are other benefits to be
derived. The Legion will be in posi-
tion to assist or advise in regard to
war risk insurance aid in exchanging
same for other protection or in re-
instating that which may have been
permitted to lapse. The bonus prop- Lower Rio Grande Chapter A. A. of
MEETING OFENOINEERS
TO BE HELD APRIL 10
osition is before congress, all the ex-
soldiers should be advised in regard
to this. j
The Legyon can be most helpful
to the .men who served and the 250
of more ex-soldiers residing in and
near Mercedes are expected to he
strongly represented at the meeting
next Thursday night.
Woman’stCoancil Will
lave Clean-up Day
The civics department of the Wo-
man’s Council have set the dates of
April 23rd and 24th for the Clean-
up campaign.
Th city will be divided into dis-
tricts, a captain and nufriber of as-
sistants will have charge of each
district and a general clean-up will
be inaugurated throughout the city
on those days.
E. M ill Be Held at Llano Grande
Elan(ati<>n Mhere New Mork
Mill Be Inspected
The next meeting of the Lower Rio
Grande Chapter of American Asso-
ciation of Engineers will be held Sat-
urday afternoon, April 10, at the
Llano Grande Plantation.
The meeting will be of especial in-
terest to the engineers as they will
inspect the construction work now
being prosecuted there. The work
is in connection with the installation
of a complete electric unit which
will develop sufficient power to op-
erate the pumps of the plantation
at the river and provide current for
other purposes on the plantation, be-
side power to sell. Mr. R. A. Tru-
fant, so well known here, is the en-
gineer in charge of the work. The
plantation is the property of Wm.
Bancroft of New Orleans.
After the meeting the engineers
will enjoy a smoker in the evening.
I
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Hoyt, L. T. Mercedes Tribune (Mercedes, Tex.), Vol. 7, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, April 2, 1920, newspaper, April 2, 1920; Mercedes, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1017458/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Library.