Texas Almanac, 1943-1944 Page: 108
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108 TEXAS ALMANAC -1943-1944.
flower is a source of supply for the honey
bee.
Black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehr.) is
found in Eastern Texas and in some of the
mountains in West Texas. A Southwestern
black cherry is found in the Guadalupe
Mountains. Of great commercial value, it is
nevertheless of too limited growth in Texas
to be greatly utilized.
The cottonwood, or Carolina poplar (Popu-
lus deltoides virginiana Sudw.) is found in
many parts of Texas growing along streams
in nearly every part of the state. It is largely
used as a shade and ornamental tree, though
by many not considered desirable for this
purpose. There are several species growing
along the streams in West Texas, particularly
in the Canadian Valley, where this tree has
been utilized commercially to a limited ex-
tent.
The best known of native Texas elms is the
American or white elm (Ulmus americana
L.). As throughout the nation, it is probably
the most popular shade tree in Texas. It
grows generally on well-drained land and is
found in the central, northern and eastern
portions of the state. It is not of sufticiently
dense growth at any place in Texas to be of
great commercial value. One of the Texas
elms is the winged elm (Ulmus alata Michx.)
found in Eastern Texas and throughout South
Texas to the valley of the Guadalupe, growing
both on the uplands and in the bottoms. The
slippery or red elm (Ulmus fulva Michx.)
grows over much of the same territory cov-
ered by the winged elm, but extending
farther west, and the cedar elm (Ulmus crass-
ifolia Nutt.) which is widely distributed
throughout Texas, grows on a variety of soils
and extends to the Pecos River. Where found
in sufficient quantities, all of these elm trees
are of commercial value for the manufacture
of implements and furniture.
The Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia
Britt.) is found in limited quantities in the
Trans-Pecos mountains. Though of great
commercial value in the Pacific Northwest, it
is not of sufficient growth in Texas to be of
commercial value.
The gum elastic tree, also known as chit-
tam wood (Bumella lanuginosa Pers.), ls
found in East and South Texas and over the
Edwards Plateau and Grand Prairie, reaching
its largest size in the coastal regions
The Hawthorn is also known as the white
or red haw or thorn bush. This tree grows
in many parts of the state on a variety of
soils. It is of little commercial value.
The mimosa, a beautiful, small tree (Leu-
caena gre gii S. Watson) is found in a lim-
ited area in the Central Edwards Plateau re-
gion.
The red mulberry (Morus rubra L) is
found throughout Eastein Texas and west-
ward through Central and Middle Western
Texas, growing usually along streams. The
berry is relished by birds. It has been plant-
ed frequently as a shade tree. The Mexican
mulberry (Morus microphylla Buckley) is
found south of the Colorado River in West-
ern Texas.
The pecan (Hicoria pecan Britton) is found
throughout the great central portion of the
state along water courses. (See "Pecan" in
index, for reference to agricultural chapter.)
It is of great economic importance. The
bitter pecan (Hicoria texana Britt.) is found
in the lower Brazos Valley. The pecan is the
state tree of Texas by legislative enactment.
The Mexican plum, known also as the wild
plum (Prunus mexicana S. Watson) is a
small tree growing in thickets in the southern
and southwestern parts of the state.
The little redbud tree, barely above the
shrub size, also called the Judas tree (Cercis
canadensis L.), is known for its beautiful
flowers of bright purple red which come on
the heels of winter's frost. The Texas redbud(Cercis reniformis Englm.) is a similar plant
producing thick clusters of bright flowers,
found in Eastern, Central and Southern
Texas.
The Texas ebony is a small evergreen
(Pithecoloblum flexicaule (Bentham) Coul-
ter) found along the coast from Matagorda
Bay into Mexico, particularly noticeable in
the lower Rio Grande Valley. The seeds are
used by Mexicans as a substitute for coffee.
The wood is valuable and utilized to some
extent.
The black walnut (Juglans nigra L ) is
found on bottomlands and fertile uplands as
far west as San Antonio. Its wood is valu-
able and the nuts are edible.
The wild china, also called the soapberry
(Sapindus drummondii Hook. & Arn ) is
found in many parts of Texas in dry lime-
stone soils, ranging to the Rio Grande and
the New Mexico border.
The black willow (Salix nigra Marshall) is
found along streams throughout Texas. Where
found in sufficient quantities it is used in
manufacture of charcoal. The so-called desert
willow (Chilopsis linearis D. C.) is found in
the Rio Grande Valley and Southwest Texas.
LUMBER-OTHER FOREST PRODUCTS.
The most important industries depending
upon East Texas forests for their raw mate-
rials are those manufacturing lumber and
paper, and wood preserving plants. Other im-
portant forest products include fuel wood,
veneer, cooperage, poles and piling, fence
posts and railroad crossties.
Texas has two pulp mills, one of which is
the only one of its kind, a newsprint mill
which manufactures newsprint from Southern
pine. The forests of East Texas support in-
dustries employing more than 21,000 laborers.
According to the 1939 census, about 15 per
cent of all the workers employed in the
state's manufacturing industries received
their income directly from the preparation of
forest products for the market. The wages
and salaries paid by these forest-products in-
dustries in 1939 totaled over sixteen million
dollars. Most of the forest industrial plants
are located in small towns and in rural areas.
Lumber manufacture alone accounted for
most of the forest industry employment.
Lumber Mills.
Although the number of primary forest in-
dustrial plants in East Texas, according to
the most recent information available, fol-
lows, the figures probably are not entirely
accurate as to the current operations due to
the changes brought about by the increase
in production demands due to the war.
Sawmills cutting 25 million bd. ft. or more
annually ............................... ... 7
Sawmills cutting 15-25 million bd. ft. or more
annually ... ........... ......... 15
Sawmills cutting o10-15 million bd. ft. or more
annually ....... .. .......... ...... .... 191
Sawmills cutting 5-10 million bd. ft. or more
annually ......................... 28
Sawmills cutting 1-5 million bd. ft. or more
annually ............ ................ 179
Sawmills cutting under 1 million bd. ft. or
more annually ...... ... .......... 300
Treating plants (for poles, prices, crosstie s,
etc ) ................................... 10
Veneer plants .. ............. ...... 26
Stave and heading plants (cooperage stock)... 5
Pulp mills (using only wood) ................ 2
Small dimension plants .. ................ 6
Miscellaneous wood-using plants .............. 63
Value of Forest Products.
The cost or value of individual forest prod-
ucts varies greatly with many factors. The
census for 1939 showed that the materials
produced by the primary forest-products in-
dustries in East Texas during that year were
valued at more than fifty million dollars.
Lumber Production.
The data on 1942 lumber production for
Texas were not available at time of publica-
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Texas Almanac, 1943-1944, book, 1943; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117165/m1/110/: accessed April 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.