Texas Almanac, 1945-1946 Page: 196
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196 TEXAS ALMANAC.-1945-1946.
WHEAT
Discovery that the soils
and climate of the Texas
Panhandle were conducive to
production of high-protein
wheat was responsible for
the fast development of this
crop, which has occurred in
the last twenty-five years.
There are three distinct
wheat belts In the state. The
major belt is in the Pan-
handle's heavy soils, where
65 to 75 per cent of the crop
is produced in an irregular
area, roughly, from Hockley
and Crosby Counties on the
south to the Oklahoma bor-
der. This is hard wheat. A
minor hard wheat belt ex-
tends from Clay and Harde-
man Counties on the Red
River south to Center,
Texas. The third belt pro-
duces soft wheat and ex-
tends south from Fannin,
Grayson and Cooke Counties
on the Red River along the
Black and Grand Prairies as
far south as Bosque and Mc-
Lennan Counties. The hard
wheat on the Panhandle,
high in protein and grown
at elevations of 2,500 to 4.000
feet, is adapted to bakery
breadmaking, the soft wheat
to pastries. The protein
wheat has found ready mar-
ket in the Southwest, where
the bakery Industry has de-
veloped, and has been
shipped to the Atlantic sea-
board in large quantities,
where it receives a pre-
mlum because of its high
protein content. Texas had
sixty-seven flour and grist
mills with a value of prod-
ucts of $41,250,858, according
to the census of 1940.
Two commonest varieties
of wheat grown in the Pan-
handle are Turkey Red-
originating in Turkestan-
and Kanred. Lately consid-
erable success has been re-
ported from two new varie-
ties, Tenmark and Coman-
che, both excellent in qual-
ity and yield.
Because the crop can be
planted, cultivated and har-
vested with mechanical
equipment, it has expanded
rapidly, and this adaptabil-
ity to mechanization has
been particularly an advan-
tage since the war because
of the labor shortages The
trend in the Panhandle in
recent years has been to
large-scale operations, with
1,000-acre farms quite com-
mon. Mechanization has
made the cost of the crop to
the producer favorable in
comparison with many oth-
ers which usually outrank it
in value. In 1940, cost per
acre of producing wheat was
$10, compared with $14.83
for corn and $20.28 for cot-
ton.
Wheat to date has been
primarily a rotation crop in
the Blackland belt and a
cash crop in North Texas
and in the Panhandle.
Of the 36.366,000 bushels of
wheat produced in 1943,3,240,000 were used for seed,
2,182,000 were fed to live-
stock and 31,467,000 were
sold. This is an average dis-
position of the Texas crop.
he average yield, 1932-1941,
inclusive, was 8.9 bushels an
acre.
The 1944 crop totaled 74,-
746,000 bushels, an all-time
high. This was twice the
1943 figure and two and a
half times the ten-year
(1932-41) average. Acres for
harvest were 3,934,000, 26
per cent over 1943, and the
yield of 19 bushels an acre
was highest since 1926. Big-
gest problems of the 1944
crop were transportation and
storage.
Following figures on Texas
wheat acreage, production
and values are from the U. S
Department of Agriculture:
(Figures in Thousands.)
Harv'd Prod'n Farm
Year- Acres. (Bu ) Value
1870 ...... 104 1.225 $2,119
1880 ...... 376 3,008 3,158
1890 ...... 511 3,575 3,396
1900 ......1,271 23,395 14,973
1905 ......1,249 11,117 9,783
1910 ...... 740 10,360 10,153
1915 ......1,600 23,200 24,824
1920 ......1,570 20,410 35,105
1921 ..... 2,072 20,720 20,720
1922 ......1,243 9,944 10,938
1923 ......1,554 16,317 16,806
1924 ......1,355 21,680 27,967
1925 ..... 962 6,253 9,692
1926 ......2,117 38,529 46,235
1927 ......2,180 21,146 25,58(
1928 ......2,393 25,844 28,428
1929 ......3,042 45,022 47,273
1930 ......3,457 38,373 26,861
1931 ......4,386 65,790 23,684
1932 .... 3,509 29,826 9,246
1933 ......2,105 14,946 10,313
1934 ......3,094 26,299 20.513
1935 ......1,639 11,473 9,637
1936 ......2,458 18.927 18,927
1937 ......3,933 41,690 40,022
1938 ......3,894 35,046 20,327
1939 ......2,765 29,032 22,064
1940 ......2,904 29,911 19,143
1941 ......2,614 27,186 25,827
1942 ......2,875 47,438 51,707
1943 ......3,306 36,366 48,730
1944 .... 3,934 74,746 104,644
CORN
Corn is the oldest and
most widely grown of all
Texas crops. The last cen-
sus (1940) showed that there
was some production in all
but seven of the state's 254
counties. Heaviest producing
region is in Central Texas,
in a belt running north
along the Blacklands from
Austin.
The crop has never at-
tained a truly commercial
status like cotton and
wheat. With the usual
farmer it is a side line.
Contributing reasons are lack
of mechanization, varying
yields and prices, and cli-
matic uncertainties. Though
soils are suited, the early,
hot summers in Texas, with
recurring drouths, prevent
maturing of the crop in
comparison with the more
humid areas of the Corn
Belt and Mississippi Valley.
During good years there is
a fair movement to market,
but as a rule only about 20
per cent finds this outlet.The 1943 crop of 88.416.000
bushels found this disposi-
tion, representative of the
average year. 68,269,000
bushels fed on the farm and
used for seed, 18,867,006
bushels sold, 1,280,000 for
farm household use.
Peak production was in
1908 when 124,560,000 bush-
els were produced from
5,190,000 acres. Average
(1932-41) acreage in the crop
is 4,993,000, production 77,-
609,000 bushels and yield 15.6
bushels to the acre. Pro-
duction in 1944 was 69,622,-
000 bushels from 4,973,000
acres.
Most success in Texas has
been achieved with Ferguson
Yellow Dent, Surcropper,
Mexican June and Reese
Drouth Resister. Tuxpan has
been found very resistant to
ear worm and weevil dam-
age and grows well In the
Gulf Coast area. Planting
begins in South Texas the
last of January and pro-
gresses north at a rate of
thirteen miles a day.
Future of the crop in
Texas depends on reducing
the relatively high cost
(around $15) of production
per acre through mechaniza-
tion, increasing yields and
development of earlier ma-
turing varieties.
Following data on Texas
corn acreage, production and
value are from the U. S.
Department of Agriculture:
(Figures in Thousands.)
Harv'd Prod'n Farm
Year- Acres. (Bu.). Value.
1870 ......1,000 21,000 $22,260
1880 ......2,770 69,250 36,702
1890 ......3,080 50,820 36,590
1900 ......4,830 96,600 45,402
1905 ......4,980 109,560 53,684
1910 ......5,320 117,040 73,735
1915 ......4,930 105,995 61,477
1920 ......4,932 98,640 82,858
1921 ......6,116 110,088 59,448
1922 ......4,954 79,264 65,789
1923 ......4,112 67,848 67,848
1924 ......3,696 55,440 60,984
1925 ......2,772 31,878 35,066
1926 ......3,604 75,684 45,410
1927 ......4,866 92,454 60,095
1928 ......4,428 79,704 62,169
1929 ......4,251 69,291 58,897
1930 ......4,592 73,472 53,635
1931 ......5,050 85,850 28,330
1932 ......5,403 94,552 23,638
1933 ......5,133 66,729 34,032
1934 ......4,876 39,983 33,186
1935 ......4,583 89,368 44,684
1936 ......4,595 68,925 62,722
1937 ......4,503 72,048 46,831
1938 ......4,728 75,648 33,285
1939 ......4,586 73,376 40,357
1940 ......4,782 93,249 49,222
1941 ......4,925 73,875 53,929
1942 ......5,418 78,561 70,705
1943 ......5,526 88,416 104,331
1944 .....4,973 69,622 87,028
OATS
The Texas oat crop has
followed a pattern similar to
that of corn, commercially,
in that there is little normal
movement outside the county
in which it is produced. In
peak productive years, how-
ever, this movement has ap-
proached 40 per cent of pro-
duction.
Principal growing areas
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Texas Almanac, 1945-1946, book, 1945; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117166/m1/198/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.