TEXAS 



5770 



TEXAS 



Rio Grande to 56 in the "Panhandle," the 

 northwest corner between New Mexico and 

 Oklahoma. The Gulf winds temper the heat 

 of summer and modify the winter cold, and the 

 mild, delightful winters of Southern Texas have 

 made that section a popular winter resort. Dur- 

 ing the winter months occasionally there are 

 disagreeable northwest winds called northers, 

 accompanied by sleet and heavy rains. See 

 NORTHER. 



The rainfall is heaviest in the northeastern 

 sections, where it averages from fifty to sixty 

 inches a year. The precipitation decreases to- 

 ward the south and west, and in the extreme 

 western part of the state the annual average is 

 only ten to twenty inches. Irrigation is neces- 

 sary throughout the western and west-central 

 sections. On the coast the autumn months are 

 wettest, but in the north the spring is the rainy 

 season. 



Agriculture. The great fertile area of Texas 

 makes it one of the most important agricul- 

 tural states in the Union, even though its vast 

 resources and possibilities are still far from 

 their full development. It is surpassed only by 

 Illinois and Iowa in the value of crops. There 

 are in the state over 112,500,000 acres of culti- 

 vated land, an area equaled in no other state, 

 and there is scarcely any known crop of the 

 temperate zone that cannot be raised some- 

 where within the boundaries of Texas. 



The chief crop is cotton, which is most ex- 

 tensively grown in the coastal plain and central 

 and northern prairies. In 1916 the crop was 

 3,775,000 bales, valued at $350,796,000, and Texas 

 has for some years ranked first among the states 

 in the production of both cotton and cotton- 

 seed. 



The cultivation of rice has become an impor- 

 tant industry along the coast, where the fields 

 are flooded by water pumped from the lagoons 

 and streams. The rice fields embrace an area 

 as large as the state of South Carolina, and 

 they yield a crop second only to that of Louisi- 

 ana. The fertile valleys of the lower Brazos, 

 Trinity, Colorado and Guadalupe rivers are 

 among the finest sugar regions in the United 

 States, and Texas follows Louisiana and Georgia 

 in the production of sugar cane. Among the 

 cereals corn is the most important crop. Texas 

 is also one of the leading corn states of the 

 Union, and it produces more kafir corn than 

 any other state. The corn crop was 131,100,000 

 bushels in 1916, according to United States 

 government estimates. The state also produces 

 large crops of wheat, oats, rye, barley, alfalfa, 



hay, tobacco and potatoes. Truck gardening 

 is important, and large quantities of vegetables 

 are shipped to Northern markets. The fruit 

 of Texas, especially the Elberta peach, is noted 

 for its excellent quality. In 1915 the peach 

 crop was valued at $3,680,000. Apples, pears, 

 plums and grapes are also grown, and in the 

 production of figs and in nursery products 

 Texas is one of the leading states in the Union. 



The Cattle Ranches. The nutritious grasses 

 of the far-reaching plains furnish pasturage for 

 immense herds and flocks, and in the number 

 and extent of cattle ranches Texas surpasses 

 all of the other states. The live stock in the 

 state in January, 1916, was valued at more than 

 $400,000,000. Much of the live stock is slaugh- 

 tered in Texas, but large shipments are also 

 sent to the packing centers at Kansas City, 

 Saint Louis and Chicago. 



Irrigation. Under an irrigation law of 1913, 

 Texas was divided into three water divisions, 

 and a board of engineers was created to have 

 charge of the water resources of the state. The 

 arid region along the Upper Rio Grande is 

 included in the Texas-New Mexico Federal 

 reclamation project, and there are over 28,400 

 acres watered by this system. The Lower Rio 

 Grande and the numerous artesian wells of the 

 south and east-central region furnish water for 

 many private irrigation systems. 



Forests. One of the chief sources of the great 

 wealth of Texas is its timber. The yellow pine, 

 which is the most important timber of the 

 United States, is the principal lumber product. 

 Hard woods are found along the western edge 

 of the dense pine forests ; dark cypress swamps 

 border the Trinity, Neches and Sabine rivers, 

 and groves of pecan, walnut and other nut bear- 

 ers are also found along the eastern streams. 

 The stunted blackjack of the east-central region 

 and the gnarled . mesquite of the western plains 

 are used extensively for firewood. In the value 

 of timber products, Texas ranks fifth among 

 the states. In 1915 the state provided for the 

 appointment of a state forester and board of 

 forestry, and also for the purchase of forest re- 

 serves and cooperation with the Federal gov- 

 ernment in forest-fire protection. 



Fisheries. Oysters, clams and shrimp abound 

 in the shallow waters along the coast. The 

 oyster culture in Matagorda Bay is under state 

 supervision and is of special importance. The 

 redfish caught in the deeper waters of the Gulf 

 are also one of the important fisheries products. 



Minerals. The mineral resources of the state 

 are being developed rapidly, but the produc- 



