The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-27
TEXAS FRUIT.
Experience of One East Texas Fur,
ner with Peaches.

mcr with Peaches.
Dallas. Texas. August 26.-Edward Sells
division agent of the American Refrigerator
Rapid Transit company believes with many
others that Texas is destined to become the
greatest fruit growing section of the globe.
Mr.. Sells says tho following letter received
from r. B. Alexander of Bullard. Texas Is
a fair specimen of many others he has re-
ceived from East Texas fruit growers:
Tho writer ten years ago, in small way,
began to plant peach trees to grow peaches
for market and not having the money to
buy all the trees i wanted to plant bought
ten bushels peach seed at cost of 90 cents
bushel planted them in the fall ana the next
summer | had from those ten bushels 2o,eoo
pretty Seeding trees that | budded myself,
and by the next fall had about l5.OOO nice
1-year-od budded trees which would have
cost me at any OF the nurseries $3.50. But |
was like everybody else-was afraid to plant
many of my trees / thought by the time
they would bear the markets would all be
gl,ltted sold most of my trees and see now
where / made the mistake. for instead of
selling trees at cents each, If had planted
them they would have paid me before now
81 or So tree.
own trees, have kept it up every year since,
huvine few bushels of seed. and doing the
most OF the work myself, l grow several
thousand each year at a very small cost And
1 can always sell what l don't want to pant
myself.
/ only propagate ten or twelve varieties OF
peaches, for / find that even SIX or eisut
kinds. we'll selected Will give fruit through
the season. Il mean the shipping season.
which lasts from May 20 to July ~, tnat siV es
| stDtN
Triumph. followed by Alexander. Rivers
Early. St John. Mt. Rose, EIberton ana NIX
cling. And / have a few varieties later TO
marhet by express IN Texas, s,u, ros.,,h,es
| also have been growing few Vese'aples
for the early Northern market, such as to-
matoes. potatoes drish) and snap beans
Last years experience was not very satis
factory; the crop was fine. but our expert
ence in marketing was very limited ,onse-
auently did not get much more than eA-
penses out of the stun. .
This years crop was not so GOOD ana .ns
acreage was somewhat reduced. nut uroulh
at competitive points In Mississippi caused US
to realize handsome profits on all our STUN
that was iudicouslv marketed
Alexander Bros. began shipping tomatoes
from Mt. selman about June "A by the car,
load Notice this is somewhat late) ana
shipped five cars, which netted them aoou.
AZ cents per crate tfour-basket crate): Up 10
the date that we commenced to load cars we
sent by express 1900 four-ba crates, winch
netted us near 81 per crate. After the Nolth-
ern markets were supplied by nome srowh
we sold our tomatoes to the canning factory
at Jacksonville at 30 cents s-snel. and
realized enough out of what we sold to the
canning factory to about nav Tor expshse OF
raising the crop. On each acre of land IN
tomatoes we realized about $loo net we com ,
menced to ship potatoes MAY 20; snlppeu
three cars which netted us about 90 cents
bushels AS soon as potatoes were on we pui
the same land into late tomatoes which VII
bs ready TO market now soon. Ihe ltte
tomatoes arc always good price IN IeNas
markets. shipped by express.
Have been growing the late crop FOR nve
years and have shipped them fresh on tAe
vine in December twice during that time.
Now. in conclusion will say that from
experience and observation that do not pc
lieve this country can be beat for peaches
and tomatoes. We are week or ten dnys
sooner than Georgia Our Elbertas are FTP
and marketed before the Georgia crop u
ripe The Elberta here is on the m mar
before the California Crawford Is RIPE. s liner,
is difference in favor of the tomatoes sroWr
here over any other section. which amount I'M,
to 10 to Is cents crate. TINS alone WI.
about pay for expense of raising crop Of
tomatoes.