Orchards in Denton County
Denton County History | Pilot Point History | Politics | Agriculture | Manufacturing
Farms and Farmers | Crops | Orchards | Livestock
Below are several charts and newspaper clippings detailing the production of orchard crops in Denton County and Pilot Point from the 1880s to 1930. While grapes may not typically be considered orchard crops, they were classified as such in census records, and that is why they are included here in this discussion. Through the charts and newspaper clippings seen below, it can be seen that Denton County produced several orchard crops. However, peaches were produced the most in Denton County.
Apples reached their peak production in Texas in 1900 and fell following that time. This trend can be seen in Denton County as well, since apple production in 1910 was approximately 10% of that in 1900. In the state, peaches reached their peak production in 1910, however it appears that Denton County peaked later on as 1920 is its peak according to census data.
Some of the leading fruit producing counties in Texas were those around Denton County -- this includes Cooke, Fannin, Grayson, Montague, and Parker counties. Thus, while Denton may not have been a leading producer, by being surrounded by them, it can be assumed that its production was, while maybe not significant, certainly not menial.
The newspapers show that Pilot Point was prime peach country. They promoted the horticultural association's findings and how Pilot Point had never had a failure of peaches or grapes. These indicate that Pilot Point was a large contributor to the overal grape and peach production for the county.
Citations:
Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, "Fruits Other Than Citrus," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook.