Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-14
TYLER.
One Of the Nest EnserprisIng Cities In
Eastern TexGs-What Some Of the
Live Business Men SAFE
one OF the Banner Fruit Counties OF the
sts.e-Rstlways Built by homo Capital
A Section Whore Money can be Made.

InlDk our Zip WCulO De complete WltnOu|
visiting the city of Tyler. Tyler, the
county seat of Smith county, occupies
the hills which fern the divide between
the watersheds Of the Sabine and Neches
rivers, and has an altitude of 600 feet
above sea level. It is city Of abou;
1000 population, comprising social, re-
fined and enterprising class of people
Tyler is surrounded by timbered and
well watered country. The business
portion of the city is built around q
square, while her streets in she resident
portion OF the city are broad and planted
with shade trees, and that, with the gen.
tle undulation of the ground on which
the city is built, makes it really pic
turesque. Few cities OF its size in the
stste can boast more elegant and impos-
ing residences and better kept Yards.
While the city has an excellent system Of
water works, her natural water facilities
are superior in many points. Tyler is
considered one Of the heslthiest locAli-
ties in East Texas, and fortunately has an
enterprising class OF business men who
never let an opportunity slip by which
they can benefit their city or develop
their county. And, too, like other towns,
she is unfortunately hampered with that
class who love TO boast that they never
advertise nor take any stock in any sort
Of enterprises aside from an assignment
or "closing out sale" Among the live
business men Of Tyler who have made
her what she is are the following: Bon
ner & Bonner, bankers, one Of the most
solid institutions in the country, and hiss
the confidence OF every business firm in
the state. The Bonner brothers are solid,
practical busiSess men, to whom much OF
the present prosperity Of East Texas is
attributable. Then comes the First Ms
ttonal Bank withG pIidup capital Of $780,
900. The stockholders and officers of the
bank, comprising some of the most sub
stsnttai business men in the city, is suffi-
Client guarantee for its solidity. E. G.
Williams & Co. also do general banking
business and are among the enserprising
lights OF the city. Among the merchants
who are always ready to share the bur-
dens Of all public enterprises are: T. J.
Clay & Co., wholesale and retail grocers;
Christian Willett & Co., the leading boot
and shoe dealers; ]. a. Fielder, dealer in
grain and feed stuff; E. L. Clay & Co.,
wholesale and retail grocers; Abe Harris,
the leading dry goods dealer. This
firm handles an immense stock
OF fancy dry goods and millinery; J. II.
Brown & Co., grocers and cotton brokers;
S. S. McLendon, dealer in books, Sta
tioneTy and musical instrument Mr..
Mel endon is q rising young business man
and very popular. L. A. Starley, also
dealer in books, stationery, musical in
struments and wall paper, which he
makes s speciality. Mr.. Starley is also
agent for the Fort Worth Daily GAZETTE
Major up. Douglass, msnsger of the
Yo6kuhY Seed Company, has an eye single
to every kind of enterprise that looks to
the benefit of Tyler. DR.. Yoakum, an
enthusiastic horticulturist, and one of the
oldest citizens OF Tyler, furnished your
correspondent with some valuable infor-
nation on the possibilities of Smith
county. The doctor has secured room In
the city hall for opening up q museum,
where samples Of Smith county fruit and
geological specimens will be placed on
exhibition. The Hon. W. S. Herndon,
the largest real estate holder in the
county, gave NE much light upon The
undeveloped resources of East Texas, more
especially Smith county. In speaking OF
the sdsptSbility Of the soil and climate Of
Smith county to fruit culture, Colo
mel Herndon said
"There are cases in this county where
individuals have earned in this business,
having fair orchards of fruit and berries,
as much as $4,000 in single year. No
lHborer can do this in the leading staple
products, however much he tolls. It Is
estimated that Smith county produced
this year over three hundred Thousand
bushels of fruit, mostly peaches, and
marketed one hundred thousand bushels,
st an average of 75 cents per hushel, re-
ceiviug . gross sum OF SIS, 000' The two
steam canning factories located here
handled all they could buy and ran on
half time. They can manufacture two
million cans Of fruit il the people will
raise ii and sell to them.
"Here is an Industry that cannot be
overdone! The world generally does not
produce these fruits. Only this part Of
Texas can do so. This favored strip Of
land grows them to perfection. Hence
the fear Of production and lower
prices may be dismissed. II 8 thousand
people produced fruits and grapes here
where only one does now, the price would
increase, freight be reduced, and the
business prove more profitable.
Can poor man engage in this busi-
ness? Why not? He can cultivate the
lSnd and grow about as much as usual on
1t until his fruit begins to earn money.
The cost of land, say So per acre, grated
fruit trees SIS EACH, seedlings l cent, al
orchard for one man will not require
more than $500, with sn earning CAPACITY
as above described. II offers superior
inducements to s poor man, andlt Is 9
business that the females of the isuiiy
may give much help to, and t1as find
profitable employment. sss
"But while we have inside figures on q
one.man crop, the field is much more
promising for larger capital, because the
cost decreases with sn increase Of acre
age and appliances furnished by capital.
I submis that II capital finds 1t profitable
80 pay as high 80 $1,000 per acresin South
ern California for land on which to raise
oranges and lemons that do not produce
IS much money per tree as our fruits, and
cross the desert with the product to the
same markets we sell in, thetit msy find
1t more profitable to paw IS to $40 per
acre here and grow fruit on large scale.
"n these same lands were located in
Southern California, growing the same
fruits, they would sell at from $500 to
$1,000 per acre. But they are more
fAvorablY located; you are nearer the
great markets of demand, with cheaper
transportation, no hot deserts to Cross,
that often rot the cargo shipped; ard,