Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-04
Texas Varieties fo- Texas.


Mr.. Worries P. Brown of Austin, Tex.
writing for the San Antonio Stockman
and Farmer, says of poultry that new
breeds of fowls may be made by pursu-
Ing the proper course-he would not at
tempt to gainsay this well-known fact.
The Brahma fowl is q notable instance
This noble bird differs much to-day from
what the originals are described to have
been in many essential particulars. But
1t is distinct, recognized breed, and 1t
has been made what it now is BY con-
slant care and judicious manipulation in
the hands of studious experienced fan
ciers. But when the novice appeals to
hun TO learn how that kind of thing can
be accomplished, and how he may go TO
work Ito make new breed SIS good
as can be made by crossing, ~ etc. the
only consistent reply must represent that
no new varieties have vet been established
save through years of labor, experiment.
ing and watching the results obtained by
slow degrees during the careful manipu-
lations that have been necessary to an
attainment of the desired end. Expert
ence, study and proper method in cross
ing, followed up for series of years in a
given direction, while the experimental
pursue d method that he feels assured
will give him the results he aims at IN
time, are the prerequisites TO success in
this sort Of undertaking. 1t is further
more his opinion th-t through these
proper methods as good (or it may be
better) fowls are to be produced as ''new
breeds than those we now have.
We are entirely of the same opinion.
going little further than Mr.. Brown
goes perhaps, by maintaining that far
better fowls for Texas may be worked up
than any We now have. A careful study
will! convince you that Texas Is a little
peculiar, so far as relates to varieties, in
everything she has. The thing 10 do the
very best here must be Texan in charac-
ter. The rule is not cOntin to poultry,
by any means. You find its correct ap-
pliuation wherever you look. Texas cat
tie are, all things considered, better for
Texas than cattle from any other section
OF our common country. The same may
be said of Texas horses: and even to the
cultivated crops and wild growths of
Texas IL may be made to apply with
equal force. lntroouctious from other
sections may do reasonably well-possblv
fully as well as could be expected of
them in the sections whence they came,
but when they have become Texasized
they do better. There is something
about Texas which causes her TO 1T once
fall to work upon introduced things for
the purpose of changing them into things
bearing q marked Texas peculiarly
Take our wild tTee-growths, for in
stance. While classed by batanIsts as
the same species as grow in other states
they are all strangely marked as Texas
nur bor
pearance in habit, foliage and fruit
quite different from that characterizing
the Indigenous pecan tree in other stntes
Our blackberry would be scarcely recog-
niZable as such in Kentucky, Indiana or
Illinois. Our boxelder don Il look much
like the boXelder up there; our elm is
wonderfully different from the same
species in other states, and even our post
oak. which il would seem ought 10 be the
same everyw here, has taken upon itself
variety purely Texan. III all the states
eest of the Mississippi river is presents d
tall scraggling habit with the leaves of a
pale green color, and entirely without
glaze, while here it grows compact and
low, with leaves of dark green color and
so thick, and so heavily glazed on the
upper side as to give it much the general
appearance of being an evergreen. And
Texas has doubtless made it that way.
The hypothesis would be entirely reason
able that should the Eastern post oak be
brought to Texas il would, in the course
of time reaching through many genera
tons OF the tree, take upon itself exactly
the same peculiarities as are exhibited by
our indigenous variety.
So il is with our livestock; the tend |
enoy, as already intimated, is to Texan
ize all introductlons. Knowing this to |
bs the case il ought TO BE- plain 10 every |
thinking person that improved Texas
breeds is the thing most needed IN that |
line. Something In the way OF improve |
ment may be accomplished by judicious |
crossing, though we cannot help feeling !
that the most permanent good is 10 re- |
suit from selection. All the fine strains |
of stock in the old world were built 10 |
exactly .hat way-by selection from the |
native stock. OF course We need not |
stop TO explain what is meant by selec- |
ton. II means simply picking out the |
very best and producing from that selec- |
ton. 1t is slow business, but eventu- |
ally, if carefully followed up, it would |
give us, entirely adapted TO Texas, as |
fine stock as was ever known to auy |
other portion of the world.
For the successful prosecution of this |
work there must be no back crossing. |
Select the very finest specimens from |
your herd or flock and breed them to-
gether. From the result select again as
at first. thus keeping up the work from
generation to generation. Grand and |
most profitable results may come speed |
lily, but the person prosecuting the work |
must not go into it confidently expecting |
anything of the kind. 1t is good deal |
in the character of game of chance, !
differing in the fact that nothing can be |
lost. In many cases it may be a little |
like planting pecan grove for the peo-
pie vino are to follow after US. 1t may |
take a long time TO arrive at anything of |
very special Importance, but that a move |
of this kind ''all along the liDe' must |
eventually end in great good to some
body, and TO Texas, does not admit of |
the slightest doubt.
Krauting Cabbage in Texas.