1788 



TEXAS 



TEXAS 



also the Honey and Peen-to type^, sucreed well. Japaii- 

 ose plums, pL-rsiinniuiis, aud vufious Americuu and for- 

 eign grapes also succeed, the latter requiring to be 

 grafted on pliyllosery-ri'sistaut 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 si-mi-tropical nature. Ever- 

 lilooming roses continue to H^'wermost of the winter. 

 Kroad-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. Tape .iasuiiiic h<.-dges, with their dark glossy 

 green fnliage and pt-arly white, caniellia-like, sweet 

 perpetual dowers, are very i)opular. Commercial plant- 

 and cnt-Jiower jj:rowers do a good business in the cities 

 of Galveston and Houston. During the winter holidays 

 they collect from the woods great *|uanlities of long 

 ("Spanish") moss, holly, magnolia, mistletoo, palmetto, 

 smilax. etc., and ship to northern rities for decoration 

 purposes. In .■\ray ;iud -Tunc they send to nnrtheru 

 florists great nuniliers ^if cape jasmine and magnolia 

 flowers. 



2. The C4reat Enst Trxas Forest Region lies just north 

 of the eastern end of t)ie Coastal Plain, tiie city of 

 Beaumont being situated in its southern extremity. 

 Extending westward from the Sabine river on the east 

 to the Navasota river on the west, over 150 miles, and 

 northward to Red river al>out 300 miles, narrowing 

 somewhat in its. northern parts, is one of the grandest 

 and richest forests in America. Three species of fine 

 lumber pines are most abundant. Numerous oaks, hick- 

 ories, elms, maples, beeches, white and black walnuts, 

 gams, poplars, pecans, lindens, magnolias, holly, persim- 

 mons, sassafras, and numerous handsome shrubs and 

 perennial flowers are found almost everywhere, but 

 especially alonii: the streams. The soil is generally very 

 sandy, underliiid 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 00 inches annually — the climate is very mild, and 

 altogether it is an almost ideal land in which to live 

 easily and have a very paradise of a home, with a 

 moderate activity of mind and boily. Owing to the 

 great lumber-mill interests, and lack of market facili- 

 ties, nearly all horticultural pursuits have been over- 

 shadowed until recently. But at Palestine, Tyler, 

 Troupe, Longview, Nacogdoches and some other points, 

 large commercial iieach 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 alto- 

 gether East Texas has a very !'ri.L,dit 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. Until recently the settlers of this 

 region were .-diiiost entirely from the older southern 

 states and not \'ory enterprising, yet very sociable, and 

 their houses, yards and gard.-ns are of the southern 

 type. They earnestly desire euterpcising, intelligent 

 people from tle^ North and East to take up their excel- 

 lent, thoui^rli chejLp lauds, ajid improve them. 



::. The Rp<l Kiver Valley is a lon.i,- extension to the 

 westward-some 2."j0 miles — of the soil, (dinuitic and 

 forest conditions of East Texas, exee]itiiig the xdnes, 

 l^ums, and some other trees in its wi'stern iinrts. 



But, as the !v'e<l rj\-er runs eastward in a broad, deep, 

 heavily timbered vnlh-y, its southern bluffs, some ."i to 

 10 miles wide, '-upiy ]iecnliar immunity from late frosts. 

 Here a). pies llourivli ;,l)oiit as well as in northern 

 Arkans;i.s, and lieaehi's have not fiiiled entirely in fruit 

 during the tweuty-hvc years of residence of the writer 

 at Denison, Texas. 



With the ex.-eption of a few of the tenderer shrulis, 

 everything is grown here as well as in East Texns, and 

 api.les, -nipes ;ind some other fruits grow better aud 

 acquire liii^her color .-umI flavor, owing to a less humid 

 atmosphere. In this belt belong the cosnK.politan little 

 cities of Texarkana. Paris. Sherman, Denison and 

 Cainesville, in which are found ni;iriy be.-uitiful resi- 

 dences and grounds, many onduirds. vineyards, ;ind 

 berry plantations. Railway facilities are excellent, and 



good nnirkets lie in every direction. Trucking is also 

 extensive. Out-flower and general nursery business 

 flourish in the places named. The people, coming from 

 everywhere, are not at all clannish, but sociable and 

 enterprising, with the northern types prevailing and 

 northern ideas generally appear in the architecture 

 and gardening, yet flne sam[iles of the southern style 

 are not infrequent. 



Similar comlitions prevail in some parts of the Trinity 

 River valley as along Red river, especially about Dallas 

 and Ft. Worth; also on the Brazos at Waco, but more 

 of the southern type. These three cities nestle in the 

 heart of the next great division. 



4. Tiie Black Waxy Prairie Region of Texas lies next 

 to East Texas on the west and to the Red River Valley 

 on the south, extending west to about 1*8° and south 

 to within 150 to 100 miles of the Gulf, a broken 

 irregular arm of the East Texas region extending 

 sonthwestwardly between it and the Coastnl Plain. 

 This region has an altitude in its southern parts of 400 

 to 500 feet and rise.s in the northwest to I,UOO feet or 

 more. The rainfall varies from 50 inches or more in 

 its eastern parts to 30 inches in the western parts. The 

 tmindation is white, chalky lime-rock, the soil very 

 black, sticky and exceedingly rich, highly adapted to 

 grains, grasses and cotton, but not suitable for most 

 fruits. The stone fruits and blackberries do best. 

 Onions are largely grown in Collin county, of which 

 McKinney is county seat. Most shrubbery does well. 

 The Bermuda grass flourishes in Texas wherever 

 grass can grow and is the almost exclusive lawn-grass. 

 Very handsome yards are nuide by some of the farmers 

 and many who live in the towns and cities; but most 

 farmers in Texas have done little or nothing to beautify 

 their homes borticulturally. Nowhere is this more ap- 

 parent than in the Black Waxy Lands, the home being 

 generally surrounded by corn-cribs, stock-pens, cotton- 

 bins, and exposed farm machinery. There are splendid 

 exceptions to these, demonstrating that very beautiful 

 homes can be made even in the black lands of the state, 

 where the richest general farming region exists. 



5. The BrowTi, or Chocolate Plains Region of Texas, 

 devoted principally to grazing and small grains, lies to 

 the westward of the Black Land Region, is about 200 

 miles wide by 600 long, extending from Oklahoma on 

 the north to the Rio Grande on the south, running from 

 1,000 feet altitude on the south and east to 3,000 feet on 

 the west, where it ends siiddenly against the cliffs of 

 the still higher Staked Plains Region. 



Horticulture is in its infancy in all this vast semi-arid, 

 high, rolling prairie country% and can do little without 

 irrigation. Yet many wealthy stockmen there have 

 lieautiful grounds surrounding their homes, and grow 

 their home supplies of very tine fruits. Of commercial 

 horticulture there yet is none. The same may be said 

 of the Staked Plains Region, but its soil is dark rich 

 loam, the country almost a dead level, except where 

 canons have cut into it, its altitude from 3,500 to 4,500 

 feet, its climate drj-- and ver}^ salubrious. Irrigation- 

 horticulture in a snuill way is sustained from driven 

 wells, which strike plenty of water at 10 to 30 feet. 

 Stock-grazing is the only commercial occupation. Five 

 or six counties northwest from Austin, in the central 

 l)a.rts of the Chocolate Belt, are very broken, hilly and 

 picturesque, well adapted to fruits. Nearly every home 

 there is supplied Avith fruits, but stock-grazing is the 

 chief occupation. 



6. The Pecos Valley lies just west of the Stnked 

 Plains, and east of a spur of the Rocky Mountains. In 

 places it is irrigoted, as at Roswell and Carlsbad, 

 N. I\r., and Pecos'City, Texas. Commercial fruit-grow- 

 ing is cmisiderable iii this valley, especially at Roswell 

 ;ind Pecos City. At the latter place is a vineyard of 40 

 ncres of the vinifera varieties, planted 8 or 10 years, 

 <ioing flnely on their own roots and very profitable, as 

 the fruit goes to market in northern cities before any 

 grapes are ripe in California. 



A vast mountainous and dry plains region extends 

 from the Pecos to the Rio Grande, devoted to goats, 

 sheep and cattle, yet at Ft. Davis, on a beautiful mesa, 

 some 5,000 feet altitude, among mountains 2,000 to 

 4.000 feet higher, are a good many very beautiful 

 homes, and fruits do flnely, as there is sufficient ram- 



