The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-06
Recent Discovery of Actual Soil
Conditions in East Texas Cause
Rapid Change of Methods.
FORTUNES MADE IN FRUIT.
Fourteen Thousand Acres in One
Tract at Morrill, Being Cleared
and Set in Peach Trees
st. Louis Men Invest.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
Tyler, Tex, June Eight hundred thou
sand dollars is the increase in the income or
the farmers Of Cherokee and Smith counties
in the last seven years" said c. II. Martin
of Jacksonville yesterday in an address to
the members of an excursion party when
visited Jacksonville and East Texas points
as guests of the Cotton Belt this week
1T took us from 1865 to 1859 to learn that
We could do better than to raise cotton.
and We wouldn't have learned ii then II cot
ton hadn't gone down to 6 cents The lana
had become so worn out at that time. by
constant cotton raising. that it wouldn't
produce enough at { cents a pound to allow
us to live.
After we learned that we would have TO
quit raising cotton 1t took US five years
more to learn what We could raise
I'VE learned that where We had been get
ting from $l2 to s2o an acre raising cotton
we could make from sl60 to 500 an acre
growing peaches and nearly as much IN TO
mato culture, while any kind of small fruit
would grow and all Of 1t bring in more to
the producer than cotton"
1t is a tale among fruit growers and men
interested in fruit culture that a commits
sion firm in Boston, which supplies the most
fastidious trade of the city, has standins
offer of 81 200 for the first car of Elberta
peaches that goes out of Jacksonville every
year This is equivalent TO 81 a bushel
Last year there were 900 cars of peaches
and vegetables shipped from this little town
alone; and the fame that follows the flavor
of the Texas liberia peach, with the won
derful yield of tomatoes and the almost in
creditable profits has caused a perceptible
turn in the tide of immigration that five
years ago was steadily TO the West ana
Northwest.
TURNING FOREST TO FIELDS.
Twenty thousand acres have been cleared
in Cherokee County alone. since 1897 and
probably three times as much has been
turned to the culture of the small fruit and
vegetables in Smith County. This is an in
crease of 300 per cent in the area under
cultivation in each of the counties in six
years.
Fifty thousand persons. it is estimated,
have gone to East Texas. since the discov-
cry of the adaptability of the soil to fruit
and vegetable culture and the inquiry has
grown SO steadily from sections of the
North and East that General Passenger
Agent La Beaume of the Cotton Belt con-
from st. Louis for the accommodation of
st. Louis and Chicago newspapers and the
agricultural journals of Tennessee. Illinois,
| Michigan and Iowa. Twenty men con-
| nected with papers in this section. were in
vited and made the trip starting from St.
Louis the first of the week.
The first stop was made at Tyler. nearly
SO miles frpm st. Louis. Stops were made
at the towns south of Tyler on the branch
! Of the road. being extended to Shreveport.
Appearances along. the road indicate a
new country; New brick blocks are going
| up at Flint Dialville and Craft
A town has been started on the old con-
vict camn sixty miles below Tyler. by G.
L. Morrill, Of Benton Harbor. Mich.
ST. LOUIS MEN INvNsT
Fourteen thousand acres in L tract was
| purchased year ago by a syndicate of st.
| Louis and Chicago capitalists. of which Mr.
| Morrill, is the head and GOO acres have al
| ready been cleared and put into fruit. A
| few miles below Neville. F. II. Br!tton OF
| St Louis has bought about 200 acres and
land, after which it will be put irto peaches
and tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and
other small fruits.
FIVE MILLIONS IN IMPROVEMENTS
1t is estimated that at least five new
| families week are going to the vicinity
| Of Craft, which is said TO be the largest ex-
clusively tomato shipping point in the
CHiteu states. One hundred and forty-twC
cars were sent out of there in less than two
weeks last year, and the average profit
SITS.
A net profit of $3.50 was made by James
| G. Boles on a farm of l0a acres four miles
east of jacksonville last year and the year
| before in peaches.
Mr.. Boles paid s2,757 for the land seven
| years ago, and after the crop was gathered
| last year he sold the premises to Wesley
| Love of Jacksonville for 5000.
l five Will tlar IL l. 1
| ing spent in Hopkins. Smith and Cherokee
counties by st. Louis and Ohio capitalists
on the showing of fruit culture since 1897
| and the expenditure Is being made after a
careful investigation of soil conditions and
| of products.
| In 1899 only 27s cars of fruit were shipped
| out of Texas. The value In the market the
! buyers being unacquainted with the quality
| was little less than $50 900.
Last year there were lSsa cars and the
| proceeds were more than $4,000