Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide for 1904 Page: 65
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THE TEXAS ALMANAC.
riers. There has, of course, also been the consideration that prosperity of
the country would redound in some measure to the prosperity of the railroad
corporations. The same may be said of the newspapers of the State in their
attitude toward this matter. With increased prosperity, influx of immigra-
tion, come opportunities for expansion of circulation and advertising patron-
age. The work is reciprocal and co-operative clear through.
To get back to the development of the western and northwestern por-
tions of the State for a moment, it is interesting to note that one of the
phases of this development is the planting of shade trees. More than 100,000
black locust trees were planted in the country traversed by the Fort Worth
& Denver City railway in 1900, largely through the suggestion of the traffic
manager of that line, and many more in other sections of the territory
referred to. This tree seems best adapted to growth "on the treeless plain."
The object in view is four fold. (1) For shade and to rest the eye; (2) to
deflect the hot winds upward and over the growing crops; (3) to promote
rainfall; (4) to eventually provide wood for posts and fuel, just as the
mesquite growth in a large portion of Texas has done voluntarily, although
that tree is not indigenous.
The fruit and truck growing industries of the State have perhaps
attracted more attention within recent years than any other crop except
rice. The progress which the fruit industry has made is shown in a measure
by a compilation of statistics made by Mr. J. W. Higginbotham of Dublin,
Texas, and read before the Texas Farmers' Congress in last July. This
gentleman stated that data gathered by him showed that there was the
following number of bearing fruit trees, January 1, 1903: Peaches, 5,425,000;
pears, 1,375,000; plums, 765,000; figs, 269,000; apples, 142,000, and persimmons,
83,800. In addition there were 5121 acres in strawberries, 1964 acres in black-
berries, 690 acres in dewberries, 9,621,000 pecan trees, cultivated and uncul-
tivated, and 16,300 acres in nut bearing trees other than pecans. Mr. Hig-
ginbotham quoted the United States census reports on fruits other than
those for which he had compiled statistics. According to that authority,
there were in 1900, in Texas, 3301 apricot trees; cherries, 36.800; walnut, 5822,
and grape vines, 1,327,975. Mr. Higginbotham further said that Texas ranked
third in the group of Southern States in the number of bearing peach trees,
and second in the number of bushels produced. The yield per acre, he said,
was about 36 bushels, and the average price to the grower about $1 a bushel.
The growing of Irish potatoes for the early market has within the past
four years become a very important industry in Texas. The United States
Department of Agriculture places the acreage in this crop in Texas in 1903
at 26,437; average yield per acre, 67 bushels; total yield, 1,771,279 bushels;
total value, $1,552,728. Sweet potatoes have been raised for many years in
Texas for home consumption, and in recent years the crop has become com-
mercially important.
A further idea of the commercial importance of the fruit and truck crops
of Texas is obtained from the reports of transportation companies.
In 1902, when there was a large crop of both peaches and tomatoes, the
railroads of Texas handled 4670 carloads of fruits and vegetables, originating
on their lines, and the express companies (Pacific, American, Wells-Fargo
and United States) handled the equivalent of 987 carloads, making a total of
5657 cars for that year.
In 1903, with a very shurt peach crop, due to a late frost, the total ship-
nments, as indicated by reports collected for this publication, from the rail-
road and refrigerator companies and from other sources, aggregated 7634
carloads.
Following are some of the details of such shipments:
The American Refrigerator Transit Company reported shipments from
Texas last year as follows: Tomatoes, 921 carloads; cantaloupes, 71 carloads;
mixed, 21.5. These were from the lines of the International & Great Northern,
St. Louis Southwestern, Texas & Pacific and St. Louis, Iron Mountain &
Southern. Refrigerator shipments on other lines are handled in the cars of
other companies.
. The Texas & Pacife railway, which crosses the State from Texarkana
and 'Shrel eport to El Paso, with a division along the Red river country
from Texarkana to Fort Worth, reports aggregate shipments of 12,376 tons.
Detailed statistics were not kept. There was shipped from points on that
line 19 cars of cantaloupes and 4 carloads of apples. The less than carload
movement of this class of fruit would make 50 to 60 carloads. The move-
ment of Irish potatoes by that line was quite large.
The Internaiioral & Great Nporthern railroad, which traverses the fruit
and truck growing regions of eastern, central and southwestern Texas-Car-
loads, peaches 4, berries 7, tomatoes 279, watermelons 210, cantaloupes 44,
potatoes 197, cabbage 9, onions 121, pears 1, cucumbers 8, mixed cars 7; total,
887. This as against 985 carloads in 1902, when 376 cars of peaches were
shipped.
St. Louis Southwestern railway, which traverses the fruit and truck
region of east Texas, and has lines into. central and northern Texas-Car-
loads, cabbage 16, watermelons 11, strawberries 29, peaches 6, tomatoes 657,
potatoes 183, cantaloupes 14; total, 916 carloads.
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Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide for 1904, book, May 1904; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth123779/m1/77/: accessed May 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.