Texas Crops 1800-1940

Cotton First grown in Texas by Spanish missionaries Reports date back to 1745 Jared E. Groce brought cotton production to Texas in 1821 Settled in Lower/Middle Brazos River Valley Cotton replaces tobacco as #1 cash crop Slave-based cotton plantations South Central Texas on Lower Colorado, Brazos, and Trinity rivers Blackland Prairies and Cross Timbers of North Central Texas

Cotton Uses: Slave Plantation Cotton Gin Clothing, linens, draperies, upholstery, carpet, nitrocellulose (used in explosives), and artificial plastic

Wheat First grown commercially in Texas near Sherman about 1833 Expanded greatly in North and Central Texas after 1850 A new strain of wheat, the soft red winter wheat, spread across North West Texas between 1830 and 1890 Very durable and heat-resistant strain

Wheat Uses: Wheat was vital to the production of bread, as well as livestock feed

Sorghum Introduced to Texas in 1879 by H.B. Pratt The sorghum crop is important in the Rio Grande valley, in the coastal bend, on the Blacklands from San Antonio to Greenville, on the Rolling Plains, on the South Plains, and in the Panhandle In Texas sorghum is primarily grown as forage for cattle, sheep, and horses and as grain to feed cattle, sheep, swine, horses, and poultry.

Sorghum Mechanization in the 1930s reduced the need for grain in feeding livestock, making it possible for sorghum to be used as a grain cash crop like wheat and cotton In the 1940s sorghum became the leading cereal crop in the state for the first time

Corn (Maize) Corn in Texas dates all the way back to prehistoric times Spanish explorers of the 1500s found Indians already growing corn in East Texas and they then carried it to the Rio Grande Valley Used as a basic ingredient in tortillas, tamales, posole, and atole

Corn (Maize) Centuries later, Americans settling Texas would also rely on corn as a vital crop and incorporate it into the southern agricultural tradition The newcomers used corn as a major source of food and the #1 feed crop

Corn (Maize) They also used the cobs for jug and bottle stoppers, smoking pipes, tool handles, corn shellers, back scratchers, torches, fishing floats, firewood, and meat-smoking fuel Even the stalks and leaves were used in sub-roofing, roof thatching, scarecrows, light fencing, erosion stoppage, and emergency material for the construction of shelter. Grown primarily in the East half of Texas

Rice The first major rice farmer in Texas was David French of Beaumont in 1863 Commercial production really began in 1883 with the completion of the southern transcontinental railroad Grown primarily on the coastal prairies and milled in Port Arthur, Beaumont, Orange, and Houston

Rice Rice still remains an important crop in Texas and the state is still one of the top rice producers in the U.S. Rice Mill

Weathering the Weather Farmers have faced problems with the weather throughout Texas history Crops have suffered from too little rain some years, too much rain in others, and from damage caused by hail as well

Agricultural Pests Cotton Pests Wheat Pests Pink Bollworm Greenbug Pink bollworm – native to Asia, larvae chew through cotton lint to feed on seeds, doing damage to both fiber and seed oil Boll Weevil –native to Central America, entered US through Texas, feeds on cotton buds and flowers Greenbug – feed on small grains, causing leaf, root, and eventually plant death Russian Wheat Aphid – introduced to US in 1986, saliva is toxic to plants, causing significant losses to cereal crops Boll Weevil Russian Wheat Aphid

Agricultural Pests Sorghum Pests Corn Pests Greenbug Corn Borer Sorghum Midge – feed on the newly-fertilized ovary, preventing kernel development and causing direct grain loss Corn Borer – native to Europe, damages the ears of corn, as well as the stalks, chewing tunnels which cause the plants to fall over Rootworm Beetle – larvae feed on roots of corn plants Corn Borer Rootworm Beetle Sorghum Midge

Agricultural Pests Pest Control Rice Pests Pest control is a delicate issue because the methods have to work, be cost-effective, and safe for the agricultural product Biological control Introducing the pests’ natural predators into the ecosystem Plant-derived insecticides Insect pheromones Disrupt insects’ development Stinkbug Stinkbug – The nymphs and adults have piercing mouthparts which they use to suck sap from plants Rice Water Weevil – Larval stages feed on roots of developing rice plants, causing yield reduction Rice Water Weevil

Modern Research: Bt Cotton/Corn Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacteria in soil that produces a toxin that is effective specifically against certain insects Research in genetic engineering has allowed for the incorporation of the toxin-producing genes into cotton and corn plants, making them resistant to some important pests This modern invention has cut down on the use of dangerous pesticides in some parts of the world