TEXAS 



1961 



rainfall is abundant and all kinds of 

 fruits common to the north temperate 

 zone may be grown, except the hardier 

 varieties adapted to colder climates. This 

 region is especially adapted to peaches, 

 and John S. Kerr says that ninety per 

 cent of all the peaches grown in the state 

 are produced in this region. 



The third section, or the Red River val- 

 ley, for about 250 miles westward, has 

 about the same soil, climate and forest 

 conditions as Eastern Texas, although 

 its southern bluffs, about five to ten miles 

 wide, are practically free from forests. 

 In this strip of territory the summer 

 varieties of apples do well, and peaches 

 seldom fail. In this belt have grown 

 up flourishing towns like Texarkana, 

 Sherman, Paris, Dennison and Gaines- 

 ville. Along the Trinity and Brazos 

 rivers, there are places where the soil, 

 climate and physical conditions are sim- 

 ilar to the 200-mile strip along the Red 

 river which have developed such towns 

 as Dallas, Fort Worth, Brazos and Waco. 



The fourth section, the black, waxy 

 prairie region of Texas, lies west of the 

 East Texas forest region and extends 

 westward about 150 miles. It does not 

 include the coast region nor the Red river 

 region, but is more nearly the center of 

 the state. This region has an elevation 

 of about 400 feet in the eastern part and 

 1,000 feet in the northwest. The rainfall 

 varies from 50 inches in the east, to 30 

 inches in the west. The soil is a lime- 

 stone base mixed with decayed vegetable 

 matter, that makes it very rich and waxy. 

 It is not well adapted to fruits, but 

 grains, grasses, cotton and many veg- 

 etables are grown successfully. 



The fifth section, the brown choc- 

 olate region, lies westward of the black 

 land region, and is about 600 miles long, 

 by 200 wide. It is a semi-arid region. 

 Horticulture has not developed largely 

 in this region and will not be profitable 

 without irrigation. The same may be 

 said of the Staked Plains region, excei)t 

 that this section has a higher elevation, 

 less rainfall, and that irrigation is prac- 

 ticed on a somewhat larger scale, by 



means of water pumped from wells, 

 either by engines or windmills. This 

 region is partly underlaid with a gravel 

 base through which the water percolates, 

 and wells sunk to a depth of 10 to 30 

 feet will furnish a supply sufficient for 

 the irrigation of orchards and gardens, 

 and even field crops could be properly 

 irrigated in this manner. 



West of this is the Pecos valley, where 

 irrigation is practiced on a larger scale, 

 and there is considerable commercial 

 fruit growing. West of the Pecos valley 

 region is the dry plains region, extend- 

 ing from the Pecos to the Rio Grande. 

 This is more particularly a stock region. 

 Farming is not an important industry, 

 except in a few places where the lands 

 are irrigated, but sheep, goats and cattle 

 are grown in great numbers. There are 

 a few places where the rainfall is suffi- 

 cient for certain kinds of crops. 



In the seventh section there are var- 

 ieties of conditions. The land in this 

 section is, in considerable degree, covered 

 with mesquite brush and the clearing 

 will cost from $5 to $15 per acre. The 

 dominant feature of this section is the 

 Rio Grande valley. In the upper part 

 of the valley, Vinifera grapes are grown 

 under irrigation and put upon the market 

 in commercial quantities in August and 

 September. Further down the valley 

 toward the Gulf, near Del Rio, Eagle 

 Pass, Laredo and Brownsville, grapes of 

 the European varieties ripen in June and 

 July, and at that time have no competi- 

 tion in the markets of the cities of Texas. 



There is a section in Southwestern 

 Texas, extending from Laredo to San 

 Antonio, in which it has been proved that 

 grapes are of a very fine quality, are 

 easily grown, and the market conditions 

 are the very best. 



The following fruits have been suc- 

 cessfully grown in Texas: 



Apricots 



Apricots, not largely grown for com- 

 mercial purposes, but succeeded wherever 

 peaches succeed. There are native seed- 

 ling trees in different parts of the state 

 which seldom fail to bear and produce 

 heavy crops. 



