1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide Page: 142
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142 THE TEXAS ALMANAC.
in South Texas and the dwarf in North-
west Texas. (See also "Broom Corn.")
Sugar cane which is not properly classed
as a sorghum, is grown in the coast belt
and East Texas. (See "Sugar Cane.")
The most phenomenal crop development
in Texas during the last fifteen years has
been in the introduction of the grain sor-
ghums. Some varieties-of the grain sor-
ghums were introduced in this country
from Africa in the latter part of the last
century, but cultivation was not general
in Texas or any other State until very
recent years. Texas is now the leading
grain sorghum State and this crop usual-
iy ranks third or fourth in value among
Texas crops. The feeding value of grain
sorghums is approximately equal to that
of corn; and it is also grown for forage.
The sweet sorghums are produced pri-
marily as a forage crop, and there is also
a large production of sorghum syrup. (See
statistical tables.)
SOY BEANS.-This is grown usually as
a rotational crop, and used as a live stock
range until turned under to enrich the
soil. There is little commercial produc-
tion. This crop has been introduced dur-
ing recent years and the acreage has in-
creased rapidly. It is grown principally
in East and Central Texas.
SPINACH.P-Texas usually ranks first,
second or third as a spinach producing
State, California and Virginia being the
other two big producers. Production of
this crop begins in the autumn and runs
through the winter months. Practically
all of the crop is "commercial," that is, it
is shipped out of the county in which
grown. In fact, about 90 per cent of the
Texas crop moves to Chicago, St. Louis,
Kansas City, Cleveland, Detroit and other
consuming centers of the North. It is a
highly perishable commodity and moves
by express or fast freight. Fifty per cent
or more of the Texas production comes
from the winter garden section-Dimmit,
Zavalla, Frio, La Salle, Medina and inter-
mediate counties. There is also a large
production from Travis, Hys and Cald-
well Counties in Central Texas, and an-
other area along the lower Gulf Coast
extending from Cameron and Hidalgo
Counties in the Lower Rio Grande Valley
up through Matagorda County. Most of
the winter garden and lower valley spin-
ach is produced under irrigation, but the
greater part of the Central Texas and
upper coastal Crop is grown on dry farms.
During the season of 1925-2'6 there was
experimental production in Bowie County
in Northeast Texas and the results were
so satisfactory that there was a large
acreage in this county in 1926-27. (See
statlstrcal tables.)
STRAWBERRIES A4ND BLACKBER-
RIES.-Texas does not rank high as a
strawberry State, but there is an increas-
ing acreage. Most of the production is
from two regions. The larger is in East
Texas in Smlth, Wood, Cherokee, Rains,
Titus, Camp, Van Zandt and adjoining
counties. The other principal strawberry
area is in the vicinity of Houston. The
crop from the Houston section comes on
the market in winter and early spring,
and the East Texas crop follows in June
and July. There is strawberry production
for local markets and home consumption
throughout most regions of Texas. The
blackberry 'crop is produced principally in
Smith and Wood Counties. There is usu-ally about 5,000 acres in blackberries and
more than half a million crates are pro-
duced. There is an extensive canning in-
dustry in connection with this crop.
Heaviest shipments are from Lindale,
Mineola and Tyler. (See statistical tables.)
SUGAR CANE.-Sugar cane is grown
throughout the coastal region and in East
Texas, and is utilized principally in the
manufacture of sugar cane syrup. Much
of the sugar cane syrup is produced by
farm plants, and it is generally classed
as an agricultural rather than a manufac-
tured product. There are two sugar re-
fineries in Texas, at Sugarland and Texas
City, but they import their raw product
from the West Indies. (See statistical
tables.)
TOMATOES.-The history of the tomato
growil.t industry in Texas furnishes an
excellent example of what may be ac-
complished by persistent community ef-
fort at diversified farming. Though to-
matoes had been grown in Texas gardens
for many years, there was no commercial
crop until after 1897, when H. L. Henry,
C. D. Jarratt and others began experi-
menting with tomato production in East
Texas in the vicinity of Tyler. At present
there is a large industry centered in the
territory between Tyler and Jacksonville.
This section together with a similar re-
gion in Mississippi furnishes the United
States its tomatoes during the "interme-
diate season" between "early" production
of the subtropical sections and the "sum-
mer" production of the Northern and
Middle States. Texas has also an ap-
preciable "early" tomato movement from
the Rio Grande Valley. The "interme-
diate season" crop 'comes on the market
usually in May and June. (See statistical
tables.)
TOBACCO.-During recent years repre-
sentatives of certain American cigar man-
ufacturers have made investigations in
East Texas with a view to encouraging a
tobacco industry. On many soils of this
region tobacco grows luxuriantly and is
adaptable to the production of a high-
grade 'cigar. In the past there has been
some production on a commercial scale,
but at present there is no tobacco grown
except for purely local consumption.
Tobacco culture was. introduced into
Texas with the earliest settlements and
was grown generally throughout the east-
ern section of the State as a home prod-
uct prior to the Civil War. This general
cultivation of tobacco for home consump-
tion continued after the Civil War and in
1879 an attempt was made at Willis,
Montgomery County, to produce _a high-
grade Cuban tobacco in commercial quan-
tities. From accounts of this effort, it
was successful, but never spread beyond
the endeavors of a single individual (a
man named Pearlstein), who emigrated
to Mexico after a few years' residence
near Willis. The attempt to produce high-
grade Cuban tobacco was revived at Willis
in 1891 by John Blum and the industry
spread. By 1899 the total acreage near
Willis was 1,500.
The industry spread to Tyler, Cherokee,
Rusk, Smith, Angelina, San Augustine,
Walker, Houston, San Jacinto, Nacog-
doches and other East Texas counties,
soon centering about Nacogdoches. The
United States Government established ex-
perimental work at Nacogdoches and au-
thorities declared the Texas product equal
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1927 The Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide, book, 1927~; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123785/m1/146/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.