The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
'^NTER-OFFICE LETTER
FOR MR. I. H1. KEMPNER DATE June 10, 1953
SUBJECT Pecos Trip (Page 2) -52 5M 60099
WRITE ON BUT ONE SUBJECT TO BE USED BY ALL OFFICERSOR DEPARTMENT
ON THIS SHEET HEADS FOR INTER-OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE
Presidio Farm Company - This, according to Wilson, is a corporation
with a one-third interest owned by T. C. I. This unit has 200
acres of cotton and 160 acres of cantaloupes, all in good shape.
Cantaloupes started moving in a small way the early part of last
week and, as I recall, the first lot brought $8.00 per crate.
Balmorhea Farm & Ranch Company - This company, according to Wilson,
is a corporation, owns approximately 30,000 acres, and T. C. I. has
a 11 interest in this concern. They have approximately 1200 acres
of cotton, a considerable acreage of alfalfa, and the 37 acre
permanent pasture experiment. The cotton and alfalfa look good
and the permanent pasture experiment looks o.k., but the open
pasture is in terrible shape and unless they get rain almost
immediately, in my opinion, the cattle (some 1200 cows plus calves
and bulls) will have to either be sold or fed. The cows we saw
were just average and in only fair condition. We saw only one
bull and he was far from the type of bulls we have here. He was
quite thin and Wilson said he left the bulls in with the cows
the year round. There appeared to be quite an age range in the
calves and, in our opinion, quite a few of the old calves should
be taken off the cows and sold.
The permanent pasture experiment at Balmorhea looks good
but, in our opinion, it will take several years to definitely
determine just how this will work out in that country. As you
know, it is a rather expensive pasture, but if it will carry the
number of head, it could prove rather inexpensive grazing. I
believe Mr. Dan has the literature we brought back on this perma-
nent pasture deal and I am enclosing 3 small pamphlets herewith
which might be of some value.
All of the lands around Barstow and Grandfalls are idle
due to the fact that salt water developed in the wells and there
is no water at all in the Pecos River. The only crop on any of
this land, according to information furnished by Wilson, is 70
acres of alfalfa on the Barstow Farm Company land. Some experi-
menting is under way with "blue panic grass", irrigated with water
from the salt water wells. What we saw did not look so hot, and
if it is planned to hold on to this land, we think it would be
well to have the water analyzed to see just how much salt it contains
and then handle with A. & M. College, the U. S. D. A., and possibly
others, to 'try to find some crop, or crops, that can be raised
profitably on this land irrigated with salt water. 0C course,
Wilson may be working on this, but the only information he gave
us was on the "blue panic grass". As I understand it, practically
all of this land is subject to irrigation from the Pecos River
and just when there will be enough water in the river to irrigate
these lands is anyone's guess.