History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 190

... tI~---R01_ TX S

McLennan county, a distance of about 135
miles, and has an average width of from ten
to fifteen miles, interspersed at irregular intervals
with small prairies.
The "Upper Cross Timbers" leaves Red
river at a point further west, passing south
through Montague county, at the lower edge
of which it divides, the eastern portion passing
south through Wise and Parker counties
to the Brazos river, the western veering
farther west and extending south into Erath
county.
The timber growth of the Cross Timbers
is principally post and black-jack oaks. On
the streams and lowlands ash, hackberry,
pecan and cottonwood trees-are found.
On the gray sand hills in eastern Texas
the timber growth is mainly scrubby post
and black-jack oaks. On the black sandy
land the timber is generally of the same kind,
but of more perfect growth. The red lands
are covered with hickory, red and post oaks,
with a few sweet and black gum and elm
trees interspersed.
In Newton, Jasper, Tyler, Orange, Hardin,
and parts of Sabine, Angelina, Trinity, San
Augustine, Nacogdoches, Polk, San Jacinto,
Shelby and Panola counties, long-leaved pine
grows in great abundance.
Short-leaved pine, interspersed with hickory
and the various oaks, is found from
Bowie county, on the Red river, south along
the eastern edge of the State, finally merging
into the long-leaved pine region. The area
of the pineries, both long and short leaved,
is estimated at 25,000,000 acres, capable of
* producing 64,587,420,000 feet of merchantable
lumber. Along the streams, especially
the larger ones, walnut and ash timber is
abundant. In the southern part of thp State,
near the gulf, and west, bordering on the
plains, the live oak is a prominent growth.

It is found singly or in clumps on the prairies
and in the edges of the bottoms.
The mesquite is a tree found more generally
in western Texas than any other. It is
a common growth on the prairie. A prairie
with a growth of mesquite six or eight years
old resembles a peach orchard very much in
appearance. The mesquite is a small, scrubby
tree, and produces a bean similar in size and
appearance to the common cornfield bean.
It is very nutritious and highly prized as
food for horses and cattle. It has spread
rapidly over the prairies within the last few
years, and now furnishes firewood in many
localities where a few years ago there was
not a stick of any kind of fuel to be found.
Cedar of stunted growth also forms a large
part of the timber north and west of the
Colorado river, and it is usually found on the
sides and apexes of the hills and mountains.
The pecan tree, which produces the delicious
pecan nut, is found on nearly all the
streams, but more abundantly in southern
and western Texas, where there are numerous
pecan groves in the valleys and on the uplands.
Gathering and marketing the pecan
crop forms no inconsiderable adjunct to the
industries of that section. The pecan crop
of 1887 was estimated at 9,000,000 pounds,
valued at $540,000.
West of the one hundredth meridian the
timber growth is very limited, being almost
exclusively confined to the ravines and waterways
until the outlying ridges of the Rocky
mountains are reached.
The mesquite tree is a species of gumArabic
tree (Acacia), has very durable wood
that shrinks but little in drying, and is thus
well fitted for posts, rails, certain part of
wagons, carriages and furniture. The bean
is nutritious, fattening live-stock. This tree
is taking possession of prairie tracts and

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RISPORY~ OB' TEXASrlB