Texas Almanac, 1949-1950 Page: 228
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lege at an experiment farm and laboratory total of twelve cars of plums and prunes
between Bowie and Montague in Montague moved to market from Grapeland, in Houston
County. Excellent results have been obtained County. In that vicinity the commercial plant-
with a number of species, ing of Bruce plums has expanded since the
This experiment station and a federal grape 1945 census, and the crop moves to eastern
experiment station at Woodward, Okla., have markets in early June as the first plums of
helped growers. Wineries at Del Rio, New- the season. A considerable portion of the
castle and Fredericksburg process a small crop is for local sale and home canning.
part of the Texas crop, but most of it is for PECANS
local sale and home consumption. The crop The Texas pecan crop of 1949 was placed at
comes off in August and September. 36,000,000 pounds by the official estimate of
BERRIES Aug. 12, 1949.
Texas has scattered production of straw. The 1948 pecan crop, totaling 43,000,000
berries, blackberries, dewberries and logan- pounds, was the largest since 1944 and third
berries. The strawberry is the most impor- largest on record. At an average price of 11.3
taqt. Production in 1948 totaled 63.000 cents a pound, it was worth $4,860,000. This
24-quart crates; price was $9 a crate, total compared with 21,000,000 pounds valued at
value $567,000, This was a substantial gain $4,486,000 in 1947. Average annual production
over 1947 production of 39.000 crates valued (1937-46) was 26.815.000 pounds. Texas is
at $376.000. Average annual acreage (1937-46) usually the nation's leading pecan state, pro-
was 1,360, but it gained slightly to 1,400 in ducing about 30 per cent of the crop. Georgia
1948. Main producing areas are Smith and is next. Texas' crop is nearly all of the seed-
Wood Counties, in East Texas, in the coastal ling variety, while most of Georgia's is of
area below Houston and in the Winter Gar- improved pecans. The pecan is the Texas
den. and dewberries row wild in state tree.
blackberries and dewberries grow wild in Trees of all ages, according to the 1945
some areas but are produced mainly in Smith census, were 3,212,633. The crop is grown on
and other East Texas counties. Annual pro- 44,000 farms. Production is on most streams
duktion (tame only) averages around 3,500,000 in Texas except west of the Pecos. but heavi-
quarts on some 4,400 farms. East Texas origi- est growth is along the middle courses of the
nates a few cars annually of blackberries, Colorado, Trinity and Brazos Rivers and in
devberries and loganberries. (For data on the upper and middle courses of the Guada-
ac eage, production and value, see p. 214.) lupe, San Saba and other streams originating
x h CHERRIES in the Edwards Plateau. Brown, Kimble, Tom
exas has a small cherry crop, averaging Green, Guadalupe, San Saba and Lampasas
around 60.000 pounds a year. In 1948 it are among the leading counties. Drouths,
dropped to 25.000. due to the freeze. It is scab diseases, case bearer and weevils have
concentrated in Wheeler. Lipscomb and Old- hampered production in the past. Spray
ham Counties on the High Plains. It is mostly schedules set up by Texas Agricultural &
a sour pie cherry, used in homes and for Mechanical College have been effective
limited local sale. Early Richmond is an im- against insect and disease pests. In the West
portant variety. Texas areas, Western Schley and Burkett are
FIGS among leading varieties; in East Texas areas,
Success, Desirable, Mahan and Stuart.
Texas produces about 1000 tons of figsth or ImDroved varieties of Texas pecans amount
market each year, valued at more than to 3,000,000 pounds a year. They go mostly
$75,000. Most figs are grown south and south- to consumers. Most of the seedlings go to
west of Houston. but there is scattered pro- shelling, candy-making and packing plants,
duction in Tarrant, Parker and Dallas Coun- ice-cream makers and other processors. Lead-
ties for the fresh fruit market. The Magnolia ing shippi cers for pe s eshl
fig s gownforcaningandtheTexs Eer. ng shipping centers for pecans in the shell
fig is grown for canning and the Texs Ever are San Sa Brownwood, San Angelo and
bearing for the fresh market. Wharton. San Antonio is the leading shelling
PLUMS center, but plants are also located in Tyler,
Texas produces between 160,000 and 200,000 Comanche, Clarksville. Taylor. Denison, Fort
bushels of plums a year on some 40,000 farms. Worth, Dallas and San Angelo. A plant in
Production is principally in the East Texas Weatherford processes shell and other pecan
counties of Houston. Smith. Wood. Upshur. wastes into oil and tannin as a base for tannic
Rusk, Van Zandt and Cherokee. Red and acid. (For data on acreage, production, and
yellow plums are most popular. In 1948 a value, see p. 214.)
Miscellaneous Crops
About sixty crops are grown commercially a promising crop to go on land taken out of
in Texas, and an additional hundred or more cotton. There is some cultivation in Leon
for home consumption, small local sale and County, sold for valuable root stocks, shipped
experiment. Eventually they may become to Florida and other southeastern states
commercially valuable, as most crops begin where plantings of ramie for fiber is under
for home or local consumption and develop way. Ramie has been called the world's
as market, transportation and other condi- strongest vegetable fiber and a major com-
tions warrant. petitor with cotton.
The Black walnut (known commercially as
American walnut) is grown to some extent Minor Truck and Fruit Crops.
in the Blacklands, around Houston and in Among miscellaneous vegetables in Texas,
Central West Texas and the Panhandle. around 80 to 140 cars of broccoli move to
There is a demand for nuts and also for market annually, shipments beginning in
wood. sales of which total 500,000,000 to 750,- December and tapering off in March. Move-
000.000 feet annually to the furniture indus- ment is from the Lower Rio Grande Valley,
try. Almonds and chinquapin and hickory Webb and Willacy Counties. In the winter
nuts are grown in small amount. about 100 to 150 cars of cauliflower move
Hemp can be grown in large areas of East from Bexar, Cameron, Maverick and Willacy
and South Texas. but legality of growing the Counties, and from the Lower Valley and
crop is doubtful because the drug, marijuana, Webb County a few cars of eggplant are
consists of the dried leaves and flowers of shipped.
hemp. Hemp has been proved valuable as a Other shipments include escarole, turnips
basis of plastics. Other crops will be used and rutabagas and to a lesser extent endive,'
for plastics, however, unless a variety of greens, parsley, parsnips, radishes, root
hemp can be developed without the narcotic. parsley and squash. Miscellaneous fruits
Ramie has been discussed more recently as grown in scattered localities and hithertoTEXAS ALMANAC.-1949-1950.
228
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Texas Almanac, 1949-1950, book, 1949; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117167/m1/230/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.