The National Nurseryman. 
FOR GROWERS AND DEALERS IN NURSERY STOCK. 
Copyrighted 1903 by The National Nurseryman Publishing Co.. Incorporated. 
Vol. XIII. ROCHESTER, N. Y., SEPTEMBER, 1905. N o < 
History of the Nursery Business in Texas, 
BY PROFESSOR T. Y. MUNSON, DENISON, TEXAS. 
In compliance with the request of the Editor of the 
National Nurseryman for me to write a sketch of the origin 
and development of the nursery business in Texas, I prepared 
and sent to all the older nurserymen of the State the following 
letter: 
Denison, Texas. 
Dear Sir: —Being called upon by the editor of The 
National Nurseryman for a brief history of the beginning 
and development of the nursery business in Texas, and wish¬ 
ing to be accurate and impartial as possible, I kindly ask of 
you, at your earliest convenience, a brief statement of the 
date and place of your beginning in the nursery business; 
its development, character, associates in business, change 
of place, firm, etc., etc. Also please mention others in the 
state who had entered the business before you, or at about the 
same time, at what points. 
Thanking you in advance for what you may say, I am, 
Very truly yours, 
T. V. Munson. 
The clipping immediately following, taken from The 
Farm, and Ranch and the responses to my letter with a few 
interspersed remarks by myself will constitute this history. 
From Texas Farm and Ranch of March 15, 1890. 
OLDEST NURSERY—FIRST NURSERY. 
Mr. Jesse Walker moved to this state in 1836 and located in 
the eastern part of the Red River county. Mr. Walker 
returned soon afterwards to Tennessee and brought back a 
start of the best fruits he could procure, and in 1838 estab¬ 
lished a nursery, and from that time until 1851 did a flourish¬ 
ing business, supplying the country far and near with fruit 
trees. After 1851 he let the business go down, owing to 
extreme ill health of his wife. These facts I learn from a 
daughter and son of Mr. Walker and am quite sure are correct. 
For over thirty-five years I was intimately acquainted with 
J. Q. A. Walker, a son of Mr. Jesse Walker. Mr. J. Q. A. 
Walker learned the nursery business with h s father and in 
1862 established the “Lamar Nursery” four miles east of 
Paris. Dying in February 1888-the nursery went down also. 
In 1850 Mr. Perry H. Fleming established a nursery in the 
north-west part of Red River County and up to the beginning 
of the war did a good business. He had an orchard of forty 
acres in apples, ten in peaches and two in pears. Many apple 
trees in his old orchard, forty years old, are still doing good 
service. This proves Northern Texas to be well adapted to 
apples, provided suitable varieties are planted. 
Mr. Fleming’s first experience was with Northern trees 
that proved complete failures, while those of Southern origin 
were quite successful. My only reason for writing this is 
that honor may lie given to whom honor is due. 1 claim 
that Mr. William Watson’s nursery, now twenty-one years’ 
old, is the oldest nursery hi the state. I also claim that Mr. 
Jesse Walker established n Red River county in 1838 the 
first nursery in the state. If any one can break this record 
I would like to hear from him. 
Paris, Texas. W. W. Stell. 
VALUABLE 
INFORMATION 
LOW 
POMOLOGIST. 
] ROM A VETERAN 
SR TEXAS. 
During the forties Mr. tfleck of Mississippi, had a fair 
tree trade in this lower portmi of Texas. Some time in the 
early fifties he transferred lis enterprise to Eastern Texas, 
Washington county, I be' 
strated to his mind that t 
ve. It was very soon demon¬ 
material of the old pomology 
was unsuitecl to the condi ons of our peculiar climate and 
Mr. Afleck’s enterprise w|s therefore discontinued. 
None of us could say whje we should find material adapted 
to our climatic conditions. It then became us to experiment 
with any material that je could obtain and especially to 
study the indications of <lr own forests and the cultures of 
climates similar to our on. 
gt of this county began experi- 
ancl wild Texas fruits, as well as 
About 1851 Herman V 
ments with both Mexica 
varieties from widely difrent regions. In 1857 I began to 
consult him and studypis operations, which soon gave 
some hints of the direetjn in which final success might be 
attained. 
I began the nursery d Mission valley in Victoria county, 
Texas, and made quitd all of my experiments there. In 
1859 I planted my firsjexperimental vineyard based upon 
Mr. Voigt’s results. \| then occupied adjacent premises 
and freely imparted tojach other all information obtained. 
He was in search of marial from which he could successfully 
produce fruit in his srcial lines. I was in search of mis¬ 
cellaneous material um which to construct a list of fruits 
and ornamental growdl adapted to the general coast region. 
I started a small nuijry in 1866—a scant list with scant 
material—and much J it of doubtful value. 
About that time I Irned that Captain Jones of Gonzales 
county was gaining she success in pear and apple culture. 
Also Ammon Burr vl beginning on a small scale, at Port 
Lavaca. All of us ms engaged learned all that w^e could 
from each othes, aspll as from our own experiments, and 
freely imparted to eh other all that we learned. 
About 1869 WillL Watson had started a nursery at 
Brenham, in Washipon county. 
