Wheat

Wheat for grain is one of the state's most valuable cash crops, usually exceeded in value only by cotton lint, sorghum, and rice. Wheat pastures also provide considerable winter grazing for cattle. Wheat was first grown commercially in Texas near Sherman about 1833. The acreage expanded greatly in North Central and East Texas after 1850 due to the rapid settlement of the state and the introduction of the Mediterranean strain of wheat. In 1850 the wheat crop was less than 50,000 bushels, but by 1867 it reached 6,000,000 bushels with a market value of a dollar a bushel. At that time the crop was transported to market on ox wagons. Some planting was done by grain drills, and reaping machines were being used on most farms. Threshers could thresh and clean from 150 to 300 bushels a day. A major family-flour industry developed in the Fort Worth-Dallas-Sherman area between 1875 and 1900. In 1879 about 104,000 acres of wheat produced 1,224,000 bushels. In 1903 acreage had increased to 1,483,595 acres with a yield of 19,880,175 bushels. The 1930 crop from 3,457,000 acres was valued at $115,394,000.