2252 NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



NORTH AMERICAN STATES 



(1) The Gulf Coastal Plain; (2) The East Texas 

 Forest region; (3) The Red River Valley; (4) The Black 

 Waxy Prairies; (5) The Brown or Chocolate Plains; 

 (6) The Staked Plains; (7) The Pecos Valley; (8) The 

 Rio Grande Valley; (9) The Mountain region. 



The Gulf Coastal Plain, extending out 50 to 75 miles 

 from the Gulf of Mexico, varies in altitude from a few 

 feet along the low sandy beach, to 50 and rarely 100 

 feet inland. Its surface in places is timbered with live- 

 oak and pine, but mostly it is a level, black-sandy 

 prairie. The streams are bordered in southeastern 

 Texas with timber and undergrowth of many species, 

 including the grand magnolia, holly, palms and many 

 other beautiful flowering trees, shrubs, and perennial 

 herbs. The rainfall in the southwestern extension of 



Peaches 



Apples 



Oranges 



! American Grapes 

 |O n Ool European. Grapes 

 i Strawberries 



Sou.! or Miu : 



2523. Texas, to show the main horticultural areas. 



this belt is much less than in the eastern, where it 

 averages about 50 inches annually, and the growth and 

 cultural conditions vary accordingly. In trucking, 

 celery, cabbage, strawberries, tomatoes and melons are 

 the leading items. On the southern end of Padre 

 Island, near Brownsville, bananas, oranges and pine- 

 apples are grown to some extent. Oranges were suc- 

 cessfully grown and fruited along the Gulf coast for 

 several years, but in November, 1911, a severe freeze 

 occurred, before the wood was ripe, and killed all the 

 trees back to the hardy trifoliata stock, where not pro- 

 tected by a mound of soil. Those mounded-up were 

 uninjured below the soil, and made fine growth the 

 summer following. This promised to be an important 

 industry in southern Texas, but will be checked some- 

 what in its progress by this disaster. To permit of 

 mounding-up safely, growers recommend budding and 

 grafting not over 2 or 3 inches above ground, but 

 never below, as the Satsuma would get onto its own 

 root, and be more tender. Figs flourish everywhere 



in the coast country. The canned-fig industry is 

 developing and promises to become very profitable. 

 Dewberries grow to perfection, and wild varieties are 

 marketed in considerable quantities. The Le Conte, 

 Kieffer, and Garber pears do better in this region than 

 elsewhere. Some of the Chinese Cling group of peaches, 

 also the Honey and Peen-to types, succeed well. Japa- 

 nese plums, persimmons, and various American and 

 foreign grapes also succeed, the latter requiring to be 

 grafted on phylloxera-resistant roots, which are found 

 in the numerous wild vines of the state. 



Ornamental horticulture, in all its branches, is here 

 characterized by a profusion and luxury of growth in 

 foliage and flower of a semi-tropical nature. Ever- 

 blooming roses continue to flower most of the winter. 

 Broad-leaved evergreen trees and shrubs, known in 

 the North only in conservatories, are here seen in all 

 well-appointed private grounds, and in parks and ceme- 

 teries. Cape jasmine hedges, with their dark glossy 

 green foliage and pearly white, camellia-like, sweet 

 perpetual flowers, are very popular. Commercial plant- 

 ana cut-flower-growers do a good business in the cities 

 of Galveston and Houston. During the winter holidays 

 they collect from the woods great quantities of long 

 ("Spanish") moss, holly, mag- 

 nolia, mistletoe, palmetto, 

 smilax, and the like, and 

 ship to northern cities for 

 decoration purposes. In May 

 and June they send to north- 

 ern florists great numbers of 

 cape jasmine and magnolia 

 flowers. 



The great East Texas For- 

 est region lies just north of 

 the eastern end of the Coastal 

 Plain, the city of Beaumont 

 being situated in its south- 

 ern extremity. Extending 

 westward -from the Sabine 

 River on the east to the 

 Navasota River on the west, 

 over 150 miles, and north- 

 ward to Red River about 

 300 miles, narrowing some- 

 what in its northern parts, is one of the grand- 

 est and richest forests in America. There spe- 

 cies of fine lumber pines are most abundant. 

 Numerous oaks, hickories, elms, maples, beeches, 

 white and black walnuts, gums, poplars, pecans, 

 lindens, magnolias, holly, persimmons, sassafras. 

 and numerous handsome shrubs and perennial 

 flowers are found almost everywhere, but especi- 

 ally along the streams. The soil is generally very 

 sandy, underlaid with red and yellow clay, and 

 well adapted to fruits of almost all kinds. The 

 altitude varies from 100 to 600 feet. The rainfall is 

 ample from 40 to 60 inches annually and the climate 

 is very mild. Owing to the great lumber-mill interests 

 and lack of market facilities, nearly all horticultural 

 pursuits have been overshadowed until recently. But at 

 Palestine, Tyler, Troupe, Longview, Nacogdoches and 

 some other points, large commercial peach orchards, 

 berry plantations and canneries have been in very 

 successful operation for a number of years and these 

 interests are rapidly increasing. Railway facilities are 

 growing, and altogether east Texas has a very bright 

 horticultural future. Trucking of nearly all kinds, and 

 fruit-growing, with berries, peaches, plums, apples 

 (especially in northern parts), and pears, could hardly 

 ask for better natural conditions. 



The Red River Valley is a long extension to the 

 westward some 250 miles of the soil, climatic and 

 forest conditions of east Texas, excepting the pines, 

 gums, and some other trees in its western parts. But, 

 as the Red River runs eastward in a broad, deep, 



