Texas Almanac, 1952-1953 Page: 199
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TRUCK CROPS. 199
WATERMELONS.-Forty-two Texas coun-
ties shipped watermelons on carload scale
during 1950. Usually grown without irriga-
tion the crop is produced on a wide variety
of sandy and some heavier soils, principal
areas being the sandy land region below San
Antonio, East Texas and sandy lands of the
West Cross Timbers of the Parker-Erath-
Eastland-Comanche area. Leon was the heav-
iest shipper in 1950 with 452 cars. Wood was
second with 359; and other counties with
more than 100 cars were Anderson, 159; Frlo,
130; Grimes, 154; Henderson, 121; Houston,
182; Morris, 167; Robertson, 184, and Wilson,
159. Total Texas movement was 3,044 cars.
The movement begins in May and continues
through August. Ten-year average, 1939-1948,
was 52,760 acres, 8,319,000 melons. Data for
selected years:
Harvested Production
Year- Acres. (Melons). Value.
1930 ........ 35,000 8,178,000 $1,227,000
1940 ... .... 43,900 7,244,000 869,000
1945 ..... 75,000 12,375,000 5,198,000
1949 ........ 64,000 12,480,000 2,633,000
1950 ........ 56,000 8,400,000 2,419,000
CAN TALOU PES.-Heaviest movement is
from Reeves and Presidio Counties, which
shipped more than half of the 1950 crop of
431 cars. There are also considerable move-
ments from Hidalgo, Starr, Webb and Zavala
Counties, and from El Paso arid Deaf Smith
Counties. The Pecos melon is widely known
for its flavor. Ten-year average, 1939-1948,
was 6,220 acres, 274,000 crates. Data for
selected years:
Harvested Production
Year- Acres. (Crates). Value.1930 ........
1940 ......
1945 ........
1949 ........
1950 ........3,580
5,700
7,500
5,100
7,200252,000
382,000
315,000
332,000
468,000MI
$386,000
382,000
866,000
996,000
1,802,000XED
WASTE
LETTUCE AND ROMAINE.-This crop is
produced principally in the Lower Rio Grande
Valley, and on the High Plains. Out of a
total of 2,317 cars in 1950. Hidalgo shipped
774, Cameron 482, Deaf Smith 439, Uyalde
204, Zavala 111, and Dimmit 99. There was
also production from Lubbock. Jeff Davis,
Presidio, Hale and Webb Counties. The crop
moves to market beginning in October and
ending in January in the southern part of
the state and during the autumn months in
West Texas. There were 525,000 crates pro-
duced in 1949 and 1,360,000 in 1950, valued
at $1,732,000 in 1949 and $3,944,000 in 1950.
MISCELLANEOUS TRUCK CROPS.-Other
truck crops produced on commercial scale in
Texas, during 1950, sent carloads to market
as follows: Broccoli, 50; cauliflower, 120;
celery, 2; eggplant, 17; escarole, 4; greens
(except spinach), 21; Persian melons, 5;
turnips and rutabagas, 12. Most of this pro-
duction was from the irrigated areas of the
Rio Grande Valley and the Winter Garden
and Coastal Bend.
MIXED VEGETABLES.-There is a large
movement of mixed vegetables from the
South Texas truck areas, amounting to 8,263
cars in 1950. Principal shipping counties were
Hidalgo,' 5,276 cars; Cameron, 1,988; Willacy,
367; Webb, 273, and Nueces, 181.
Motor-Truck Movement.
While carlot movements indicate in general
way the volume and points of origin of fruit
and vegetable movements, there is also a
large motor-truck movement which is not
fully covered in government reports. This is
notably true where the vegetable can be
shipped without refrigeration and where the
producing area is close to the larger Texas
consuming markets. Most of the melons of
the Parker-Eastland area move by motor
truck.RAGS
PAPERUNITED
WASTE MATERIAL CO.
301 NO. WALTON I
DALLAS, TEXAI . - I
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Texas Almanac, 1952-1953, book, 1951; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117137/m1/201/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.