Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-04-13
HORTICULTURE IN BROWNSVILLE
Horticulturist Gives People OF This City Sound Advice In
Growing Citrus Fruits, Date Palms, Pecan Trees,
Urges A "City OF Date Palms."

Harry 4. Stiles. horticulturist. who i,
now in the city. directing the work Of -
Publishing the Fibre Nursery and Plan
tation east of Brownsville. III diSt ussine
Abe Horticultural and agricultural oat
look in the Lower Rio Grandc country
says unequivocally that the situation pre-
s,.ts no really discouraging features;
but that handsome profits are fully a
great a. he or amy others Of the conscrg-
alive developers ever believed.
lie said: Some Of the fcvcrish dreams
Of producing wholly impossible products.
and of producing others on the bonanza
basis purely. by the easy golden road Of
just planting any type or strain of trees,
plants or seeds that had the name of the
desired product aud expecting that once
having planted the only further require
lnent was to wait a few months without
labor for the wonderful harvest. are now
dispelled.
1t is now shown that certain Of the
1ropic and scmi-tropic products are
scarcely practical Citrus fruits will have
10 he treated with the same measure Of
protection as in California and Florida.
If this is done and methods of culture
and care. and proper and intelligent Sc
lection of stocks and varieties Il prac-
1iccd. we may expect handSomcr profits
than in California ~ Florida. The grape
fruits of Texas are I, , finest produced in
the United States.
There is u list of G. Arcmely valuable
and profitable products of The >cmi-trop-
ics that are now well proven. safe and
sure. These are besides of such unique
hess aud charm. and possible 10 produce
practically in 50 few sections. that this
fact. added 10 their charming appear
ancc. gives them great value for the
Brownsville country and they viii do
much To attract winter tourists. and in
vestors seeking a pleasant country 10
make homes.
Among these products are the agavc.
which the we'll known scientist and dis
covercr of MANY new Texas plants. Pro
1cssor :. w. Sianficld Of the Southwest
Texas Normal. has given the specific
name: agavc textile. meaning the fibre
producing agavc. II j. an agavc that j.
cvidcntl, one of natures hyhridS. with a
strain Of blood from another eeno OF I,
bre producing plants that il harder than
any agave: for | discovered il i'm a sec
1ion Of the State whore il had been for
MANY years unnoticcd and unused. and en-
during temperatures a low aS zero Fair
cnhcit. There remains. then no question
ss 10 its safety and ability to endure this
climate. where H. found les frost than
In any portion of the state. II was ut one
time believed. or al least hoped. ANA the
hope was allowed To- bccomr the father
Of the belief that hcnucquin and papulpe
would succeed here. hut il was shown.
several wears ago. that ncith,r of these
would bc safe. or a dependence for an ~
dustry requiring capital expenditure. any
where i'm Texas. unless. perhaps 10 the
section cast of Brownsville: IN fact. they
come in tho same list ~ spinrlcss cactus
so called. which will successfully endure
nowhere else IN Texas.
1T is we'll 10 realize that the failure Of
several of these semi tropic plants 10 en-
durc here are the same temperature they
meet safely in Southern California. is not
from the low temperatures ~ this sec
tion 50 much ~ il j. from the very warm
weather coming Immediately before. This
j. what causes the injury 10 the citrus
fruits. about once ia seven wears. or oft
cncr. and those will hc made practical
only by providing tcntS for each trc" for
use nj rare intervals. and the utility If
the tents i quite ~ much T. protect from