1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide Page: 119
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TEXAS LIVE STOCK INDUSTRY.
The total value of the live stock of Texas was $291,000,000, according to the 1926
estimate of the United States Department of Agriculture, and the State ranked second
on this basis. Texas is the leading beef cattle State; it also leads in number of sheep,
number- of goats, number of mules and in production of wool and mohair. The live
stock industry of Texas today is being directed at intensive, quality production. Many
years ago Texas was a great live stock State because it had practically unlimited land
for grazing purposes. With the rapid increase in population, rise in value of land and
increase in number of farms the live stock industry is leaning more and more to stock
farming while the big ranches diminish in size and number.
The most significant thing about the part of the State--an area as large as
Texas live stock industry has been the Wisconsin or Michigan-that will long
rapid increase in quality of stock. The be devoted primarily to ranching. With
longhorn and scrub have been succeeded this great area devoted to ranching and
by Jersey, Hereford and other blooded with the development of intensive stock
cattle. The razorback hog has given way farming methods in other sections of the
to the Duroc-Jersey, Poland China and State, Texas in the future should witness
other breeds, and the Rambouillet has an increase rather than a decrease in beef
taken the place of the earlier scrub sheep. production, despite the breaking up of the
Widespread Industry. great ranches.
The live stock industry is pre-eminent Beef Cattle.
in every section of the State, though some Cattle raising is the chief live stock in-
of the branches of this industry are lo- dustry of Texas and this State is the chief
calized, -particularly sheep and goat rais- beef cattle State of the United States.
ing. Throughout East Texas, the black Since the Civil War Texas has been a
land belt, Central Texas, North Central leading beef producing area. Outstanding
Texas and Midwest Texas the live stock developments in the beef raising industry
industry is conducted primarily in con- have been (1) the development of blooded
nection with crop growing. Some size- stock, and (2) the development of inten-
able ranches remain in Midwest and sive stock farming to replace the big scale
North Central Texas, but the entire terri- ranching methods of former days.
tory is devoted primarily to farming. Texas will always be a great beef pro-
Live stock raising in connection with ducing State for the reason that it offers
farming is general and increasing atten- unsurpassed advantages for stock farm-
tion is being paid to such diversification ing. The winters are mild, there is a long
of industry. Horse and mule raising is a growing season and both soil and climate
considerable industry in the entire cot- favor the production of a variety of feed-
ton growing section and there is a rapidly stuffs. The mild winters and ample pas-
developing dairy industry, especially near turage, even in territory where the big
the larger centers of population. The ranch has passed, make it exceptionally
territory of the Panhandle and the South adapted to stocker and feeder production,
Plains, until about ten years ago prima- and the location of Texas with respect to
rily a cattle country, is now largely de- the great feeding and finishing industry
voted to crop growing, but there are ex- of the Middle West gives the stock raiser
cellent opportunities for highly intensi- the alternative of shipping to this region
fied stock raising in this territory which for finishing or finishing his own product,
is free of the Texas fever tick and is an depending upon the condition of his feed
abundant producer of feedstuffs. crops and the market outlook.
Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau. Origin of Texas Cattle.
The Trans-Pecos and the Edwards Pla- The original "longhorn" stock of Texas
teau, lying southwest of the Colorado beef cattle came from Mexico and Spain,
River above Austin, are devoted primarily probably being first introduced around
to live stock raising. Approximately 60 the missions established by the Spaniards
per cent of the Angora goat growing and during the eighteenth century. There is
mohair producing industry of the United little record of a live stock industry, how-
States is located on the Edwards Plateau ever, until after the founding of the Aus-
and it is also one of the principal sheep tin Colony on the banks of the Brazos
growing regions of the country. In fact, River in 1821. The rapid movement of
Its varied plant life of grass, weeds and settlers from the United States into the
brush made it admirably adapted to both then Mexican State was accompanied by
grazing and browsing and it is a fine the influx of a great number of cattle
combination cattle, sheep and goat (mostly scrub stock, no doubt) into the
country. eastern section of Texas, while the bony,
The territory below San Antonio is an long-legged, long-horned type (apparent-
excellent combination ranching and crop ly of Spanish origin) became prevalent in
growing country. Like the Panhandle the southern and western sections of the
Plains the large ranch is yielding to crop State. The broad ranges were inducive to
and stock farm. There is a large cattle rapid development of the cattle industry,
industry on the Coastal Plains between for, as the Texas Almanac of 1858 relates,
Houston and Corpus Christi. "in Texas it costs to raise a cow about
Stock Farming, what it does a chicken."
The last two decades have witnessed Early Marketing Difficulties.
the passing of the- big ranch in most sec- But the finding of a market was as dif-
tiens of Texas and within another ten or ficult as production was easy. There was
twenty years four-fifths of Texas will de- some shipment by water from the Port of
pend primarily on stock farming in so far Indianola and possibly from Galveston in
as beef production is concerned. How- the early '50s, and it is related that there
ever, there is a region extending through- were several drives from Hefuglo and
out the Trans-Peoos and the southwestern Gonzales Counties across the continent toTHE TEXAS ALMANAC.
119
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1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide, book, 1927~; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123785/m1/123/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.