BULLETIN OF THE 



No. 162 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief. 

 January 13, 1915. 



HORTICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS AT THE SAN ANTONIO 

 FIELD STATION, SOUTHERN TEXAS. 



By Stephen H. Hastings, Farm Superintendent, and R. E. Blair, Scientific 

 Assistant, Office of Western Irrigation Agriculture. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Comparatively little authentic information is accessible regarding 

 the possibilities of fruit culture in the vicinity of San Antonio. Small 

 orchards are found on a few farms here and there, but most of the 

 farmers have little fruit, even for home consumption, and there are 

 no commercial orchards of consequence in the region. Many farm- 

 ers have planted orchards, but they have become discouraged because 

 of unsatisfactory results, due largely to the selection of varieties not 

 suited to the conditions or to neglect of the trees after planting. 



It is not to be expected that commercial orcharding will ever 

 become an important feature of the agriculture of the San Antonio 

 region, but there is no apparent reason why every farmer should not 

 have at least a small orchard to furnish fruit for home consumption. 

 It will be seen from the following pages that the list from which 

 the farmer may select is relatively large. 



The greater part of the fruit consumed in the city of San Antonio 

 is shipped in from outside districts. While it is to be expected that 

 the local market will continue to depend upon outside sources, many 

 fruits, such as peaches, grapes, plums, berries, and persimmons, can 

 be produced locally to good advantage and will find ready local sale. 



There are a number of factors which have operated to hinder the 

 production of fruit in this section. The climate is characterized by 

 wide extremes of temperature and precipitation, and many failures 

 can be traced directly to climatic causes. The soil is not favorable 

 to the successful growth of some kinds of fruit trees, chiefly because 

 of the excess of lime which it contains, and there are many plant 

 diseases which cause much trouble and damage. 1 



1 For detailed information regarding the plant diseases of this region, see Heald, F. D., and Wolf, F. A., 

 A plant-disease survey in the vicinity of San Antonio, Texas, U. S. Dept. Agr., Bureau of Plant Industry 

 Bui. 226, 129 p., 19 pi., 1912. 



NoTE.^This bulletin indicates the selections and cultural methods best adapted to successful fruit 

 growing in the vicinity of San Antonio and is of interest to the inhabitants of that region. 



66906°— 15 1 



