Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-01
TEXAS FARM AND FIELD.
The Fruits Grown in Texas-AIl Texas
q Fruit Country.
Soma Pasture Grasses = Remedies for Two
Troublesome Insecis-How to Protect the
Grape From Its Enemies.
Fruits Grown in Texas.

Fruits Grown in Texas.
For the Gazette.
There is no section in the vast common
wealth of Texas where fruits, in some of
their species, or varieties of species can
not be successfully grown. But, of
course, taking the state as whole, no
! rule can be laid down that will correctly
point out what kinds of varieties are best
adapted to Texas, owing TO existing
great diversity in local conditions, as
character of soil, climate, altitude, me-
teorology, etc. The kinds entirely suited
to one locality may fail in another, and
| vice versa. On this account il often
gets published abroad that certain fruits
cannot be made to succeed in Texas, the
| person starting the idea having in mind
only some particular portion of the state,
and allowing it to figure as representa-
tive of the whole, which it could not
| properly be, by any means.
When persons have asked US what
| fruits could be grown in the Lone Star
| state, We haye always felt safe in max
| ing our list contain all the cultivated
| fruits known to North America, with the
exception of a few strictly tropical sorts,
| and about one species peculiar to the
extreme northern portion of the north
| temperate zone-the cranberry. And we
are not by any means sure that the cram
berry might not be grown in swampy
| places on some of the high plRtesus
| among the mountains In Northwestern
| Texas.
| True there are some fruits that are not
| grown here-some OF the small fruits,
for instance, as the gooseberry, the cur
rant, and SO on. But this fact does not
at all establish it that they could not be
grown in Texas, particularly along some
] of the water courses well north. While
we do not know that either the goose
berry or currant has been tested there,
| we'd confidently expect to succeed with
| them on some of the alluvial lands of tn e
river counties up in the Panhandle.
| The whole fruit capabilities or Texas
is, as yet, comparatively little under
stood, so far as relates to species and
varieties that can be profitably grown.
| Our experiment station, under the able
| dictatorship of Professor F. A. Gulley,
| has undertaken to throw light on this
| important subject, and Bulletin No. s
| of the station, now before US, shows that
much has already been accomplished in
| that direction. In arranging for the
makeup of this bulletin, circulars were
sent out to about fifty experienced fruit
growers in the various sections of the
state, asking them to report on accord
ing to their own experience and observa-
tions, six best grapes, six best apples,
six best pears, six best plums, ten best
| peaches, three best black berries and
three best strawberries for their respec-
! tive localities. ThIrty-one reports came
in, showing fruits everywhere, but gen.
orally showing considerable variation
I
were represented as more or less extern
sively grown in the counties of Cham
bers, Victoria, Jackson, Waller, Austin.
Washington, Colorado, Grimes, Robert
son, Limestone, Smith, Wood, Denton,
Grayson, Dallas, Tarrant, Burnet, San
Saba, Nueces and Cherokee. Herbe-
mont was put down as the leading
variety, being grown in all the counties
named save Smith. Concord comes next
to Herbemont, then Delaware, and after
that there is more or less scattering as
to varieties.
Apples are quite generally reported.
In the lower counties summer apples
have the lead, but in many of the upper
counties good winter apples are grown,
among which the Ben BaYis appears to
stand nj the front.
Peaches have an extensive representa-
ton all over the state. The honey
variety is probably the most conspic-
nous, followed closely by the Alexan-
der. There are many varieties Of Texas
origin, some with only local namess andS
some not named at all. In not feEs
cases they are of excelle1t quat and
do extremely well whereFrov hey
are what is known aAaeeds Rs ads Mr..
C. N. Eley 80 han eoghi writes
|,te Coz faT,
origin. Na aE 3sas Win some day
up fregsstEsss "a Spanish seedlings.
Several variefses of plums are grown,
but Hose that have sprung from the old
33fekasaw kind give best results. Soma
s1f the Japan sorts are being tried and are
promising we'll, but they are, as yet, too
new in the country to justify saying much
about them. A few of the old-named
varieties of the pear are cultivated, and
with good success in some localities. The
La Coute and Keiffer pears are being
quite extensively planted in many parts
of tile state, but these, like the japan
plun3s, are too recent an introduction to
offer much certainty as to what they are
going to do for US. So far they are
promising very well, however.
Several varieties of the cultivated
blackberry have been giving good salts
faction, but owing to the general abun-
dance of wild blackberries and dewber-
ries few people have given the named
sorts much attention. Strawberries make
fair showing, and the range of varie-
ties cultivated may be called large.
Captain Jack is probably the leading va
riety, followed by Wilson q Albany. The
Nunan, as in most of the Southern states,
is springing into considerable popularity.
Professor 7. v. Munson of Grayson
county says Parker Earle, new variety
of his own naming, will take the place OF
all other Strawberries with him il it con-
tiDues in the future as 1t has been in the
past three years.
OF course this showing is for only few
of the fruits grown in Texas, but it is
worth great deal to us, limited as il is.
We need something 10 start our people
into looking out for kinds and varieties
best suited for culture in the section
where they live. A general interest in
fruits will coon cause that thing TO be
worked mp ali right, and when the best |
varieties are settled upon, they, in q
large per cent. of cases, win have been |
found among the novelties OF local origin. |
That's how it was with CRlifornis-to q
lar Aca - E.d