A reader pointed out that last week in the discussion of fall-blooming wild flowers I failed to mention Maximilian Sunflowers. There is a valid reason for that. I was unaware of their existence. In order to rectify that deficiency I did some research.

The first thing that I learned is that at 75 miles an hour many of what I took to be Saw-leafed Daisies may well have been Maximilian Sunflowers. These sunflowers were named for a German prince that led an expedition into the American West in the 1830’s.

These perennials are native from Texas northward into Canada. They grow upright from two to 10 feet in height. Bright yellow flowers which are as large as five inches in diameter are borne on the upper portions of the stems.

These flowers grow on the terminal ends of their own stalks or from the leaf axils (area at the base of the leaf between the leaf stem and the main stalk). The sunflower’s leaves are lance shaped being more narrow at both ends than in the middle.

The Maximilian sunflower does not seem to be very picky about the soil type in which it grows but a full sun exposure is necessary. Inadequate sun, over watering, and too much fertilizer tend to produce weak stalks that fall or blow over easily. Some growers recommend that the stalks be tied up to a fence or other support when these plants are put into the landscape.

These sunflowers can be grown directly from seeds which are available commercially from both the large mail-order houses and the major wild seed suppliers. It appears that the usual poor germination rate can be improved by placing the seeds in refrigeration over the winter. The plants are reported to bloom the first year.

These perennial sunflowers grow not only from seeds but also from underground rhizomes. Another, and perhaps more reliable method of propagation, is to divide the rhizome clump in early spring then replant and water immediately. Like many plants that reproduce from rhizomes as well as seeds the Maximilian sunflower can become invasive.

Maximilian sunflowers are grazed by livestock and the seeds produced are food for several bird species. Bees also make use of the nectar and butterflies, including Monarchs, like the nectar and a place to rest. The rhizomes were eaten raw and cooked by several Native American groups. The young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked in stir fry or soups.

Another reader asked me what I knew about Burkett pecans. My answer was that, in addition to generalized pecan information, I knew that they made good pies. That seemed to be an inadequate answer so I resorted to more research.

Burkett pecans were discovered in Callahan County in the fall of 1900 by the sons of J.H. Burkett. It was introduced into the market in 1911.  The trees are recommended by the Texas Pecan Board only for landscape trees in West Texas. It is not recommended that they be planted in the rest of Texas because of the diseases of scab and downy spot.

The female organs of the Burkett mature before the male organs with pollen shed being in the mid-season. Pecans do not come true from seed since the nut is the product of the pollination of one tree by another tree.

Like humans, the resulting offspring will be a blend of the genetics of the parents. Burketts are used by growers as the female parent of “Apache” and “Comanche” varieties. Burketts are prone to pre-harvest germination resulting in unusable nuts.

In case you are interested, according to the Texas Forest Service the original budded tree was located in Callahan County. It was on the north edge of Interstate 20 about a half mile east of Farm Road 880. The original tree was destroyed in 1910.

The beauty of writing this column is that I am always learning.

I was planning to take our little adventure north to the community of Bee Branch, which was located on the Bee Branch Creek, north of the Coon Mountains and the Devil’s Reservation Mountains, on the road north of Caddo. South of the community of Bee Branch was the small oil boom town of Midkansas and the historic communities of Oak Grove and Sandy.

Bee Branch stood just east of what was later known as the Possum Kingdom Road and the town itself was located about a half mile south of the Bee Branch Cemetery.

Unfortunately, there is nothing written about the early settlers of this community but there is some information about the school that was established there in 1886. Like most rural communities in Stephens County, the men of the community donated their time and found materials among themselves to contribute to the construction of the school, which was done in their spare time and on land donated by one of the families in the community.

The school was first named Harmony, when it began on Oct. 11, 1886, with Mr. Ernest Keithley as the first teacher. He noted in his diary that their were 27 students when the school year began, ranging from four years of age to 16. That first term only lasted until Jan. 11, 1887, according to his diary.

Next, came Josie Middlebrook, who helped Mr. Keithley during the next term and then they both left. He was paid $30 per month but she was only paid $26, which could have been because she was a woman and not paid as much as a man in those days or that she was a beginning teacher who was required to work under the supervision of a certified teacher for a term until she was fully certified. Either could have explained the difference in pay.

Often, the rural school did not start until after the harvest and ended when there was planting to be done in the spring. Weather during the winter months also could hinder attendance when students couldn’t get to the school, since they more than likely rode a horse, mule or rode a wagon to the school.

Most students got an average of three to five months of school each year. It also depended on the fact that some communities couldn’t afford to pay a teacher for more than a few months each year, dependent on if the crops came in or if they failed, due to a drought or too much rain at the wrong time.

Mr. R. W. Richardson apparently taught two years, from 1888-89, at $30 per month and was followed by Mrs. E.C. McKinney in 1891, at $24 per month and W.R. Tomlinson in 1892-93, at $22 per month. This information is found through the teacher voucher records listed for Stephens County, found at the Swenson Memorial Museum. The record lists the year and the name of the teacher, their pay and who the Trustee was who signed the pay voucher.

Other teachers who followed included: 1894 = Sallie D. Gentry ($34); 1895 = Mrs. Emma Hagaman ($35); 1896 = T.E. Huffman ($13.05)
1898-99 = W.B. Dodson ($30); 1900 = J. L. Randal ($40); 1901 = J.L. Randal ($40) and Buna Valentine ($35); 1902 = May Valentine ($35)
and  A.J. Orr (40); 1903 = A. J. Orr ($40); 1904 = Sallie McMullen ($45) and Corinne Davis ($40).

In 1907, the school name was changed from Harmony to Bee Branch, to reflect the closeness to the nearby creek, Bee Branch Creek.

The Bee Branch school lasted until 1924 and was closed. Then in 1928, that part of northern Stephens County was divided into the Cedar Common School District and the Oak Grove Common School District, which was located south of the community of Bee Branch, between the road to Ivan and the road north to Yanceyville and the Young County line.

By 1910, there were 95 rural school listed for Stephens County but at one time there were as many as 107 schools in the county. By the mid 1920s, there were only 53 schools in the county, with many now consolidated and when students reached high school, they usually went on into Breckenridge High School.

The exception was Caddo, which had 22 teachers and Parks Camp that had 15. Eliasville was the last school in the county to close and Caddo had closed right before them.

Many of the rural students that had reached high school age, especially the last two years, boarded in town during the week and went home on weekends. During these early years, high school went to the 11th grade, which was true through the mid-1930s, before it was changed to 12 grades.

Next week, we will go to Pleasant Hill. If anyone has some information about early settlers at Bee Branch or Pleasant Hill, please contact Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net.   

The WeatherBug app on my phone is predicting night time temperatures in the upper 40s to mid-50, later this week. If you have had your tropical plants outdoors this past spring and summer enjoying the sun and fresh air, it is time to get them ready to bring indoors. Or, we can sacrifice them to the winter conditions and start over next spring.

Just as plants do not appreciate a rapid change from indoors to out in the spring, they do not react well to a rapid change from outdoors to indoors in the fall. As a rule of thumb most tropical plants do not tolerate sustained temperatures lower than 50 degrees.  

The primary consideration for bringing plants indoors is assessment of the lighting you have available. Plants that need higher levels of light should be exposed to a south facing window. Those with lower light requirements can be placed in east facing windows. West windows are not generally as acceptable because of the length of time that afternoon light is available.

Also the wavelength of light that is being produced is less beneficial to the plants. North windows should not be used since they will admit only reflected light. Keep in mind, however, that any window is better than none. If acceptable window light is not an option, commercial “grow lights” are available at many garden centers and places like Walmart.

These lights produce sun-spectrum light allowing plants to be positioned anywhere.

Preparing plants for the transition to indoors involves acclimating them to lower light conditions gradually. Approximately three weeks before bringing them indoors the plants should be moved to a shaded area that still receives some indirect sunlight. A covered patio or under a shade tree gives them a chance to adjust to the lower light exposure.

After they have been under these conditions for about a week move the plants into areas of deep shade, but not absolute darkness. Taking plants directly from a bright outdoor exposure to indoors results in shock from the change in light quality, intensity, and length of exposure.

Plants can react to a rapid change from outdoors to indoors by exhibiting yellowing leaves or loss in varying degrees.

Preconditioning plants before moving them indoors encourages them to go into a dormant or semi-dormant state. Dormant plants should only be given the minimum amount of water necessary for their survival. As they move from sunlight to shade and then to deep shade, water requirements are reduced.

More indoor plants are damaged from over watering than under watering.

Dry, brown-tipped leaves can indicate under watering whereas yellowing, especially of inner leaves, may indicate over watering. Be aware of the drying effects of most home heating systems.

The purchase and use of a moisture meter to use in your plants is a worthwhile investment. There are a number of good meters available inexpensively.

Before taking conditioned plants indoors, they should be carefully checked for any signs of insects or disease. These issues should be dealt with before taking plants indoors. A simple light spraying with horticultural oil or with a mild dish soap solution may be all that is needed. Chemical insecticides and fungicides may be the treatment of choice but plants treated with these products should not be taken indoors immediately.

Check the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Some of these products are not safe for indoor use. When checking for insects and disease, check for the need to re-pot. If there is evidence of the plant’s roots circling around the bottom of the pot or growing out of the drain hole, the plant is becoming root bound.

These re-potting needs should be noted on your spring “to-do” list. This is a good time to check the drainage holes on the pot to make sure that they are clear. Poor drainage will promote root rot and cause decline of the plant. Any rotten smell is a good indicator of root rot.  

Well cared for plants indoors can brighten up a dreary winter and help purify the air.      

As we travel along through Stephens County and visit one historic community after another, it becomes more difficult to find information about who lived in those small communities and sometimes it can be told through the school that was built there for their children.

One such place is the Clear Fork community. Originally, the school was located on the south bank of the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, in the northwest corner of Stephens County. Pay voucher records date back to 1892 and have Mary Belding teaching that first year and  in 1893.

In 1894, Fannie Stevens taught the next two years of 1894-95. C. S. Greer taught from 1896 to 1900.  

Much later, Gwendolyn Brooks Peacock was a teacher at the Clear Fork School and left an account of her time there. She said that the first school burned, which was the one she taught in, from 1929 to 1934. The new school was built before there was any insulation and she taught there from 1937 to 1942.

There were three schools in that district, which included Clear Fork, Bethel and Baker. Historic records indicate that the Clear Fork School was moved about a half mile to a mile from the original location. This school was also known as “Possum Trot School,” which may have just been a nickname or possibly, the original school was named that. No one seems to know for sure.

Drinking water was obtained from an underground cistern, when there was water, otherwise, students had to bring their own drinking water from home. The teacher and students maintained the grounds and as a result, the students very rarely threw anything down because they would have to be the ones to pick it up eventually.

On occasion, the parents would get together and put on a play as the entertainment at one of the school gatherings. One time, the play was, “Here Comes Charley.” It was a huge success. The community always came to the school for Easter and Christmas programs and other special occasions. When the Clear Fork River would rise, the men would go catch a batch of fish and then there would e a big fish fry after school. The women would come in after school and bring their big pots and hog lard and all the trimmings for the big fish fry. When the weather was pleasant, sometimes they would bring quilts and everyone would spend the night on the river. On these occasions, Uncle Forest Hughes was the acting Santa Claus and would always have candy for each child at any of these gatherings.

The Clear Fork School was located on land owned by the Harris family and they eventually took over the property and found a banner up in the rafters that the teacher used to cover the blackboard prior to a test. The banner was displayed at the previously named Citizen’s National Bank, now Breckenridge InterBank, by Scott Harris, since his father, T.C. Harris attended the school at one time. The former school is now used as a barn.

The school at Pleasant Hill can be defined by one day in the early history and is explained in one tragic episode, on the evening of June 12, 1925, when a sudden storm erupted a chicken dinner at the school. The men and boys had just completed a tour of some nearby irrigation projects. After the tour, everyone gathered back at the school for a picnic and speeches. Everyone was on the school grounds, when the sudden rain storm erupted and drove everybody into the school building.

The storm grew worse and shook the building. At about 9 p.m., a sudden lightning bolt crashed through the ceiling, at the chimney, and caused a fireball that raced through the one-room schoolhouse and out the door, which had been opened by Clyde Perry. One witness, E.R. Maxwell said, “It was throwing off sparks like a giant sparkler.”

The dead and injured were left on a heap and when it was all untangled, there were three dead: Earl Ledbetter, age 22; Millard E. Broyles, age 13; and Harvey L. Broyles, age 11, who were brothers. The injured included a sister to the two Broyles boys, Gwendolyn Broyles, Clyde Perry, Leona McMinn, Annie Dye, Selwyn (Buddy) Broyles, Jack Richardson, John Blackburn, Lillian Blackburn, Albert Thackerson and the McIntire baby. It was well after midnight by the time the last of the injured was finally taken to Breckenridge by ambulance because during the storm, the nearby creek had risen, which further hindered the removal of the injured.

One of the injured was Gwendolyn Broyles, who was standing between her two brothers, who were killed. Later, they found out that one of the men, Mr. Russell, who owned the feed store in Breckenridge, had grabbed her that night and rolled her in the red mud, which was the best thing to do when someone was struck by lightening. She was unconscious for the next 48 hours and didn’t remember much about the storm for months afterward. Her left arm was weakened and one eye was affected, which needed surgery later, by a Dr. Hale, in Cisco. She missed all but nine weeks of ninth grade but was helped to catch up by her teacher, Mrs. Millie Blackburn.

More than 35 years later, when her older brother, Selwyn (Buddy) Broyles, had to have surgery, the doctors found that his appendix and surrounding tissues were all welded together enmasse. At the time of the lightning strike, his trouser leg in back was ripped from the knee down and the back of his shoe was cut down to the heel and he had trouble walking for quite some time afterwards.

A witness in the Wayland community, five to six miles away, said they watched the storm cloud and the lightning ran back and forth horizontally all during the storm until it struck the school house, as if it was gathering momentum.

Next week I will most likely complete our travels to the small communities of the county and begin on our next adventure exploring Stephens County history.

If anyone has historic photos or stories to share, contact Jean Hayworth at:  jhay@suddenlink.net.
 

The proximity of Halloween has brought the subject of bats to mind. Bats have gotten an undeserved reputation in this country of being creepy, blood-sucking, disease ridden, winged rats.

However, in Cuban and Spanish lore, bats are symbols of good health, good fortune, and family unity. In spite of all their negative press, bats are the gardener’s friend. Like most things, it depends on perspective.

Over 1,000 species of bats can be found worldwide. They are found everywhere except the arctic regions, extreme desert areas, and some islands. In fact, according to the Defenders of Wildlife organization bats make up about one-quarter of all mammalian species on earth. Bats range in size from the giant flying foxes of Indonesia with wing spans of up to six feet to the bumblebee bat that is only one and a half inches long and weighs 0.07 ounces. Of the 47 species of bats found in North America, 32 occur in Texas. The largest known colony of bats in the world is found at Bracken Cave north of San Antonio and contains nearly 20 million bats.  The largest urban colony of bats in North America is the one under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. This is a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats consists of an estimated 1.5 million bats.

This high flying colony is reported to eat 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night. Some bats may fly up to 31 miles to find food. The free-tailed bats re one of the migrating bat species. They summer under the bridge but migrate to Mexico in the winter. Other species of bats either hibernate or go into a state of torpor which is a short-term hibernation.

Because of their nocturnal habits, bats have attracted a cloak of mystery and are surrounded by a number of myths. The myth that bats are flying mice or rats is totally false. Bats are the only mammal capable of true powered flight but they are more closely related to humans and other primates than to rodents. Bats do not “carry” rabies. They can catch the disease just as any other mammal but a very low percentage of bats actually contract rabies. In fact, bats are less likely to be infected with rabies than are skunks and raccoons. As with any animal, a grounded bat or obviously sick one should be avoided and never handled without protection. Bats are not dirty and spend as much time grooming their fur as cats do. Bats are not aggressive toward people and are actually rather gentle and avoid human contact whenever possible.

All bats are not blood-suckers. Of the over 1,000 species of bats in the world, only three are vampires and those are limited to South America. One species feeds on cattle while the other two feed on other animals. They lap up the blood, not suck it from a vein. The amount of blood they take is generally not sufficient to harm or be fatal to the donor animal.

Bats are known to be efficient pollinators. Mexican free-tailed bats eat moths, beetles, dragonflies, flies, midges, mosquitoes, mayflies and ants. They eat enough insects to reduce the need for pesticides in some cases. That is enough to make them welcome in my yard.

In order to attract bats to the garden water, food, and shelter must be available. Evening blooming and highly fragrant flowers will attract the insects on which the bats feed. Some of the suggested plants are evening primrose, phlox, fleabane, goldenrod, salvia nicotiana, moon flowers, honeysuckle, lemon balm, mint, borage and white jasmine. A birdbath or child’s wading pool can supply water. Bat houses can be made or purchased to provide shelter. Plans for bat houses can be found in several books or online at such sites as the Bat Conservation

International www.batcon.org or the Organization for Bat Conservation www.batconservation.org or by searching for “bat houses.”  Bat houses are often sold at garden centers or other stores that specialize in bird feed and other birding supplies.

Perhaps the most significant thing the gardener can do for the bats is to garden organically. A pesticide in their food source is harmful to the bats (just like it is for humans). Just reducing the mosquito population is reason enough for me to encourage the bats.

As we continue our travels throughout the historic communities of Stephens County, it is incumbent that we stop at Baker, which has only the Baker Cemetery remaining to mark it’s place in the history of Stephens County. There are 50 graves in the Baker Cemetery, with 14 unmarked. The oldest grave is that of N.J. Squyers, who was born Oct. 19, 1841 and died Aug. 28, 1902, at the age of 61.

Baker is barely in Stephens County located near the Shackelford County line. In fact, a visitor has to go into the neighboring county on highway 180 and then turn back to the north and swing back into Stephens County to find the Baker Cemetery located on the western shores of Hubbard Creek Reservoir, about 10 miles west of Breckenridge.

The Baker community was nestled between McDowell’ Creek to the north and Hubbard Creek to the south of the town and was presumably named after a resident family named Baker, who were among the early settlers of that area. Additionally, other families who settled at Baker included Bridges, Chaffin, Dorman, Fade, Harris, Harrison, Lawrence, Martin, Mize, Moberly, Pannell, Ruff, Squyers and Thomas.

This community, like most in rural Stephens County, had a school, which must have been located across the creek from where most of the families lived. Old timers from this area said that school would be dismissed early when it rained in the area to allow the students to cross the creek safely before it rose and made the crossing more dangerous for the little ones. Students in these rural communities often started school at age four.

One of the early families to settle in this area was the Fade family who moved into Stephens County from DeLeon, in Comanche County. Initially, they settled at Crystal Falls but after a few years, the whole Fade family moved to a farm near Hubbard, just south of the community of Bethel and north of Baker and Squire’s Chapel to the southeast, which was almost on the Shackelford County line. and 15 miles northwest of Breckenridge.

John Breckenridge Fade married Martha Ruff, from another family that settled at Baker, and they had 10 children: Sam, Tennie, John Ross (who died as an infant), William Wesley (known as Bud), Annie, Ruby, Luther (called Pat), Walter (known as Polk), Floyd (called Dick), and J.B. (known as Jay). It seems that all the boys had nicknames in this family. Also included in this already large household was Mr. Fade’s mother, Elizabeth Riffle DeWeese Fade; his half brother, Ike Fade; and Mary Lou Ruff, his wife’s spinster sister.

Mr. John B. Fade’s wife, Martha (Mattie) Ann (Ruff) Fade, died in 1908 and is buried in the Baker Cemetery. Ike Fade died at age 69 and Mrs. Elizabeth Fade died in 1914, all three are buried in the Baker Cemetery.

About 1919, Mr. John B. Fade and sons; Pat, Dick and Jay, moved into Breckenridge and built the Fade Hotel, located in the 200 block of North Court, across from the Fire Station. During the oil boom years, beds were rented out for eight-hour shifts, around the clock, at the local hotels and boarding houses. One of those that followed this practice, of the shift schedule, was the Fade Hotel.

During the Depression years of the 1930s, the Fade Hotel - located just a half block from the courthouse - was used by the local judges to sequester the jury there for the noon meal. When the cook had everything prepared for the meal, Mr. Fade would step out on the hotel front porch and ring a hand bell to notify the judge that the noon meal was ready and on the table.

The judge would then announce a recess and the Police Chief or Sheriff would escort the jury over to the Fade Hotel dining room for their prepared lunch.

J.B. Fade was affectionately called “Uncle John” by friends and all those who met him. He made his home at the hotel and played games of dominos in his daily routine until he died in January of 1948. He also was buried at the Baker Cemetery.

Another early settler was T.C. Harris and his wife, Rebecca (Stiles) Harris. In 1876, T.C. Harris and his brother, William F. Harris, wanted to come further west and pursuing that plan, came to Stephens County to find land for their families in anticipation of moving here from Bosque County, where they had moved when they left Georgia. The two brothers found river bottom land south of the Clear Fork River, west of highway 183, north of Breckenridge.

His description of the land to his family was described “as tall grass that reached the stirrups of their horses. with an abundance of water and fresh game prevalent throughout the area.” He also mentioned that there were enough trees along the river and creeks to furnish firewood.”

The two brothers were excited about the land that they saw and set about to purchase it, representing their combined families. The land they found was ideal for their combined families and made the required preparations to purchase the large tracts they required. They returned to Bosque County and made preparations for the big move west to Stephens County, which was finally put in motion by 1886, 10 years after the original purchase.

By this time, both brothers had married and had small children and they also brought their widowed mother, Mrs. Mary Harris, along with their other two brothers, Josh and Jim, and sisters; Belle, Nannie, Rachel and Anne. Mrs. Mary Harris also brought her niece, Ann Bunch, who was the child of her dead sister.

This is a rather lengthy story so we will stop there and continue with the T.C. Harris family next week located in the Clear Fork area, which will take us through three generations to Scott Harris, who has been associated with the formation of Citizen’s National Bank and the present-day Breckenridge InterBank.

If you have additional historic photos or stories about the Baker, Bethel or Clear Fork communities contact Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net.

If you are planning to remodel, totally renovate, or simply add on to your landscape, now is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs. Some experts recommend spring planting but there is a lot to be said for fall planting. By planting in the fall the tree is given the opportunity to establish a root system.

A good root system is necessary for the plant to supply nutrients for the new growth that occurs in the spring. Roots will continue to grow in soil that is above 40 degrees. In our area the soil at the root level rarely gets that cold. Besides, the weather is generally cooler making the hole-digging chore less traumatic. Trees and shrubs are dormant in the fall and winter, even the evergreen ones. This dormant state reduces the plants’ requirements for water and nutrients.

Trees and shrubs are available from suppliers in three forms. Bare rooted plants are exactly what you would expect. They are shipped and stored with all the soil removed from their roots. Container plants have either been grown from infancy in pots or have been transplanted to containers and have been growing in them for a period of time. Balled and burlap plants are dug from the field retaining soil around a root ball. They are then wrapped in burlap or other material that keeps the soil around the roots. Ideally this material is compostable (will rot after planting). Container and balled and burlap plants give the gardener a higher chance of success.

When you are buying plants for your landscape choose healthy plants from a reputable dealer. Research the needs of the plants you are considering. Many plant suppliers will include this information on a tag attached to the plant. Garden center employees, Extension Agents, or the Internet can supply this information. Consider the soil type the plant needs, whether it needs sun or shade, and its water requirements. Also, it is important to determine the mature size of the plant. A shrub with a mature width of eight feet should not be planted one foot from a building or fence. Check out the tendency of the plant’s roots to invade sewer or septic lines.

When preparing to plant a new tree or shrub make sure that the plant is watered thoroughly before beginning the process. In the past it was suggested that the hole be dug twice as large as the container or ball.

Recent recommendations are that the hole be the same size as the root ball going into it or large enough to allow no more than six inches on each side of the ball. The depth of the hole should be such that the tree sits slightly higher than the soil surface to allow for settling.

Carefully remove the plant from its container or remove wires from the burlaped root ball. Situate the plant so that the soil line of the root ball is slightly higher than the ground level.

Remove the top half of the burlap. A root ball that is broken up and has the soil falling away from the plant is almost certain to damage the roots significantly. Handle the plant by the intact root ball, not by the trunk.

Place the root ball in the hole so that it sits on the bottom of the hole. Fill the hole approximately half full of water to make sure there are no air pockets. Back fill the hole with the native soil that was removed from the hole. It is not recommended to add any soil amendments to the hole.

This will allow the growing roots to adapt to the surrounding soil. Continue to fill the hole pressing the soil into place to support the tree. Water the plant thoroughly after planting. Make a trough around the tree to contain water. Water thoroughly every seven to ten days.

Infrequent, deep watering is preferred above more frequent shallow watering. Deep watering promotes deep roots which will sustain a healthy plant. After planting is complete spread a four to six inch layer of mulch around the plant to keep down weeds and conserve moisture.

Keep the mulch away from the trunk, however. This can encourage disease and critters. An approximate two inch distance from trunk to mulch is appropriate. It may be necessary to construct a collar of some type to keep the mulch back.

Staking the newly planted tree may be necessary in our high winds. Staking the plant provides enough support to keep it from rocking which can damage young roots but should still allow enough “give” to allow normal swaying which strengthens the trunk.

Last week, I introduced the two Harris brothers who came west from Bosque County in 1876, in search of land for their combined families, which they found south of the Clear Fork River, west of highway 183 and north of Breckenridge.

It was nearly 10 years later in 1886, before they managed to get all of the family assembled for the trek west. At first, the whole family lived in the stone house, known as the Stover place. As time went by, the brothers built homes for their respective families on individual tracts of land.

One of the brothers of T.C Harris and William F. Harris, the original purchasers of the land for the family interests, was Josh Harris, had built a home for his mother and sisters on thrie tract of land, which was later purchased by Eugene Tipton. The brother’s mother, Mary Harris, died in 1897 and is buried in the Clear Fork Cemetery. The sisters married and moved off with their husbands, which left that tract of land and home to Josh Harris, who remained single and continued to live on the land until health issues forced him to move to Albany, where he died in 1940.

T.C. Harris and wife Rebecca (Stiles) Harris had a son John and two daughters, Dora and Mollie, prior to moving to Stephens County. After living here they had daughter Lottie, in 1888, and son T.C. Harris Jr., in 1890. His family lived on the eastern part of survey 122, near the Clear Fork Cemetery. In 1891, brothers, T.C. and William F. Harris, deeded an acre of land of this survey for a school and church and the Clear Fork School was built. This first school later burned. After fire destroyed the school, the school was rebuilt and the children in that area attended it until 1942 when it was closed.

In 1892, T.C. Harris sold his interest in survey 122 to his brother William F., who had been with him in 1876 when they purchased the original tracts of land for their families. T.C. bought another tract of land nearby and built a home on it in 1916, for his family. His young son, T.C Harris II, continued to explore along the Clear Fork River and the areas nearby and attended the Clear Fork School, where sessions revolved around the needs of the nearby farms for planting and harvesting, because most of the children were need to work in the fields.

Their daughter, Lottie Nelms Warren, married Frank Nelms, who died in the flu epidemic of 1918. She later married Ernest Warren. Their oldest son, John Harris, married Ethel Crudgington and they had a son, J.T. Harris, who continued to live in Stephens County before moving on to Eastland County.

All their supplies were purchased in Albany, which required a two-day round-trip by wagon. All family business was conducted in Albany. There was even a Pecan tree on the Harris land known as the “Banker Pecan” tree because the family banker came there periodically to gather pecans.

Cotton was an important cash crop for the family in those early days, prior to the Boll Weevil that struck the county and surrounding areas about 1910-11. Near to the Harris family cotton fields there is the remains of a stagecoach way station.

The younger T.C. Harris II went on to attend the Hankins Normal College n Gorman and then returned home to work on the family farm along side his father until he entered the U.S. Army in 1918. During this time, he was sent to France with the 81st Division AEF and served there from Aug. 1918 to shortly before his discharge in April 1919. This was during World War I.

After that, the young T.C. II. returned to the family ranch and later married Gladys Mahan, in 1923. Subsequently, they had a daughter, Maxine, and a son, T.C. Harris III, who was born in 1927.

After the death of his parents, the older T.C. Harris II bought out the interests of his brother and sisters and then went on to acquire some of the adjoining land. He continued to be very active in pursuing the conservation of the soil and water and the wildlife and established one of the first herds of Angus cattle in Stephens County. He retired in 1960 but continued to live on the home place until his death in 1972. He was always active in the agricultural operations with his son.

T.C. Harris III attended the Clear Fork School through to the seventh grade, where his father had attended before him. He remembers one teacher, Laura Bonner, his father’s cousin, who lived with the family while she taught at the school. This was a customary practice in the rural areas. Other teachers included Ruth Fulton and Gwendolyn Peacock.

After graduation from high school, in 1944, he joined the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Atlanta, in the Pacific Ocean, until after the end of World War II. After his discharge from the U.S. Navy, in 1946, like his father before him, he came home to help run the Harris family ranching operation at the Clear Fork Ranch. He also took on the operation of the leased acreage, the Mark Guest Ranch, located near the Frankell community, in the southern part of Stephens County and continued this until 1976. At that time, he and his wife, Rosalie (Gilland) Harris built a home on the Clear Fork Ranch and he confined his ranching interests to that enterprise only.

We will stop there for this week and continue the saga of T.C. Harris III next week.

If you have additional stories or historic photos of any of the small communities in Stephens County, contact Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net. I will be wrapping up the visits to the small, historic communities in Stephens County shortly, so if someone has any information they would like to share please contact me.

Mosquito hawk, skimmer, horse stinger, devil’s darning needle, snake doctor, and eye poker are all names given to dragonflies in various parts of the world. These predators have great eyesight and are agile, fast fliers making them a benefit to the gardener.

Dragonflies and their cousins damselflies belong to the insect order Odonata but to separate sub-orders. The two are often confused but are actually easily differentiated. Dragonflies have stout, substantial bodies but damselflies are more delicately built. Dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontal and perpendicular to their bodies and damselflies rest with their wings parallel to their bodies, folded over their abdomens. Dragonfly flight is direct and powerful and they have been known to migrate across oceans. Damselfly flight has been described as “fluttery.”  Damselflies have distinctly separate eyes but the dragonfly’s eyes are large, multifaceted and cover most of their head surface.

Dragonflies are poor walkers in spite of having six legs. Their legs are primarily for grasping prey and holding on to plant stems. In contrast to their walking ability dragonflies are reported to be the fastest fliers in the insect world. They have a cruising speed of ten miles an hour and a top speed of thirty-four miles an hour. They can fly 100 body lengths per second forward and three body lengths per second backwards. Not only are they fast but are extremely agile being able to fly forward, backward, up, down, right, left, and hover. They have been documented to accelerating linearly at four Gs and at nine Gs in sharp turns when pursuing prey. This ability makes them a formidable predator and allows them to elude most bird pursuers.

Dragonflies are predatory in both their immature and adult stages making them the gardener’s friend. Females deposit their eggs in one of two ways. Some families slit open a stem or leaf on or near the water and push the eggs inside. In other families the female lays eggs by tapping the surface of the water with her abdomens shaking the eggs out of her abdomen as she flies along or by placing the eggs on vegetation in the water. The eggs may hatch in as few as seven to nine days but may require several months to hatch. These immature forms live in the water and this actually makes up the major part of the insects’ life cycle. During this time they eat the larvae of other insects, especially mosquitos, as well the nymphs of smaller dragonflies. The larger nymphs will even eat small fish or tadpoles. When the nymph’s development is complete it climbs out of the water and sheds its skin and emerges as an adult dragonfly. The adult dragonfly’s lifespan is usually only a couple of months. During this time it searches for a mate and eats small insects including flies, mosquitoes, bees, ants, midges, and sometimes butterflies. The mating process of dragonflies is a complex and precisely choreographed activity. The pair mates in flight and can be seen in a heart or wheel configuration flying together.

Fossils of dragonfly ancestors have been found in rocks from the early Permian era with a thirty inch wingspan. Modern dragonflies range in wingspan from over six inches of a dragonfly found in Australia to the seven tenths of an inch wingspan of the genus Agriocnemis.

Dragonflies have unique positions in the cultures of the world. In Japan dragonflies are called “invincible insects” because of the fierce way males protect their territory. They are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness in Japan. European folklore presents them in a more sinister light as indicated by the names devil’s darning needle and snake doctor. For some Native American cultures dragonflies represent swiftness, activity, and pure water.

Large dragonflies have been known to bite but are not able to break the skin.

A hobby similar to birding and butterflying is known as ”oding” (from their order Odonata) and is reported to be especially popular in Texas where 225 different species of Ordonates can be found. I have not met any “oding” folks, however.

I had the honor of meeting with the almost nonagenarian, T.C. Harris III, this past week and got a bit more information about his family settling in the Clear Fork area in northwestern Stephens County. On March 24, 2017, T.C. Harris III will turn 90 years young.

Harris said that when his grandfather, T.C. Harris I, originally came to Stephens County in 1876, he was accompanied by his brothers William F., Josh and Jim and his sister Anne’s husband to check out the land and each made arrangements to purchase adjoining tracts of land for their respective families.

The reason there was such a delay in bringing their families back to their land was because Indian raids were still prevalent in this area, which contributed to the 10 year delay until 1886, in bringing their young families to Stephens County.

Initially, his grandfather, T.C. Harris I and Uncle Bill(William F.) purchased 480 acres including the Bud Stover Place, which included a large home that accommodated the families until respective homes could be built on their individual tracts of land. Harris and wife Rebecca (Stiles) Harris lived in the basement of the Stover Place until their children had built homes on their respective tracts of land.

In 1892, Harris purchased an additional 320 acres of land that he later built his own home on. The most impressive information about this particular tract of land was that there were no rocks on it. Harris very carefully surveyed the 320 tract and found no rocks.

The tract of 320 acres that was between the tract of T.C. Harris and William F. Harris, was fenced and used for pastures and corn cribs were built there to store the corn crop.

In 1907, Harris and wife, Rebecca, built a wood bungelow and later, in 1941, it was covered with native stone. That house now sits across the road from the home that T.C. Harris III built for his wife, Rosalie, and family. Just down the road a short distance was the Clear Fork School and the small Clear Fork Cemetery, where the Harris kin are buried and those of several Tubbs, including native son Jerry Tubbs.

When T.C. Harris II returned from serving in France during World War I, he married Gladys Mahan, in 1923, and they had a daughter Maxine and son, T.C. Harris III, who is soon approaching his 90th year.

The young T.C. Harris III served in the U.S. Navy near the end of World War II, on the USS Atlanta, in the Pacific Ocean. His first night aboard ship, the war ended. Their ship became a troop ship and headed to Nagasaki, Japan, where the A Bomb had been dropped. Their ship picked up American military officers and took them on to China. At that time, he saw a bit of the devastated area of Japan. By 1946, he was discharged and headed back to Texas, where he married Rosalie Gilland from Wayland. Her grandparents had settled there as pioneers just as the Harris family had done near the Clear Fork. They had two sons, Mitchell and Scott, who is associated with Breckenridge InterBank. Mitchell is retired from working in the Farm Credit System and has lived in Lubbock and Stevenville. Scott is due to retire from the banking business at the end of December and be more available to help with the Harris ranching operation.

The senior Harris thinks the drought of the 1950s was the worst for ranchers. At that time, he and his wife moved into Breckenridge for a few years, which turned into 19 years, while their sons were in grade school and he worked in town. His wife, Rosalie, worked as secretary at the First United Methodist Church a few years and then worked in the ACS office for 10 to 12 years and then for Judge Harrell and attorney, Bill Thompson. Meanwhile, Harris was able to keep his land and re-invest. The two sons went on to college at Tarleton State University.

T.C. acquired some additional acreage when he bought out his sister Maxine’s share of 160 acres. That was added to the 800 acres he had acquired by then and then he bought another 300 acres across the Clear Fork River, which now gives him 1,260 acres and he leases another 900 acres. He has invested in about 90 mother cows, which he said must have about 25 acres per head. Harris said, “in a good year, a rancher can get by with 10 acres per head but you should plan on having 25 acres per head for good measure.

In 1976, he followed a soil conservation program of removing Mesquite trees and planting grass for cattle through a government program that paid about one-fourth of the cost and the rancher paid the remaining three-fourths of the cost.

“You can always tell land that has been overgrazed because it has an abundance of prickly pears and Mesquite trees,” said Harris. “Some big money fellows come out here from Dallas or Fort Worth and don’t know how to take care of the land properly that they have acquired.”

“This past drought has caused the loss of many Pecan trees because there was no sub-moisture to keep the trees watered,” said Harris. “That is a problem when you have a long drought that we experienced because there was not enough rain to soak deeply into the soil to keep trees alive. There are no native Pecan trees left. We also lost many Elms and Oak trees.”

I will wrap up my visit with the senior Harris next week and then move on to more Stephens County history. If you have historic photos or stories, get in touch with Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net.

Cold frames in their simplest form are bottomless boxes with tops constructed of a light transmitting material. They take advantage of passive solar energy storage to protect plants. They can be mobile or stationary; temporary or permanent. The gardening guru Eliot Coleman says that “the basic cold frame is the most dependable, least exploited aid for the four-season harvest.”   Cold frames have been referred to as the poor man’s greenhouses because of their ease and economy of construction.

Cold frames have four general uses that benefit the gardener. They can be used to overwinter dormant plants. They will not encourage lush growth over the winter, but they will provide the right conditions to encourage a gentle dormancy. The plants will be ready for growth again when spring arrives.

A cold frame in our zone 7 can reliably overwinter plants that are hardy to zones 8 or 9 and occasionally zone 10 if the winter is mild or adequate additional protection is provided. Plants should be pruned back before the first frost.

Plants in pots can be packed closely for mutual protection or even sunk into the soil inside the cold frame. Dormant plants do not require as much water as actively growing ones and over watering can cause rot.

In the spring seeds can get a head start from being planted in a cold frame. Seeds can be planted directly in the soil under a mobile frame or in flats. Cool-season crops can be planted in the fall and harvested all winter.
Broccoli, beets, cabbage, chard, green onions, lettuce, mustard, radish, and spinach are good candidates for winter growing in a cold frame. Young plants that have been grown indoors can be put into a cold frame to harden off.

Opening and closing a cold frame is easier than lugging flats in and out of doors. The growing season can be extended past frost by enclosing growing plants in a cold frame. The same is true for extending the spring season.

Cold frames can be easily constructed from readily available materials or can be purchased as kits. The sides of the frame can be made from hay bales, bricks or cinder blocks, or wood planks. The frame should be located on the south side of a structure that will provide protection from the north wind. Ideally, the transparent top will slope 45 degrees toward the south to take advantage of the angle of the winter sun. This transparent top can be glass, Plexiglas, plastic sheeting, or fiberglass panels. Some authorities suggest not using tempered glass such as that found in storm doors and some shower doors.

Others do not have a problem with tempered glass. As a general rule on sunny days that are 35°F to 40°F the lid will need to be propped partially open to keep the interior temperature low enough not to fry the plants. On sunny days 45°F to 50°F the lid should be opened completely. During times of unusually cold nights the frame can be covered with a blanket or with leaves to insulate the structure.

The interior of the frame will stay warm for the plants, but it will also provide an inviting environment for critters. Frequent inspections will avoid many problems.

A high-sided raised bed can be adapted to become a cold frame. The bed can be covered with a glass or plastic cover that can be raised or lowered to allow ventilation.

Loops can be made from PVC or conduit by securing the ends on the sides of the bed and then covering the hoops with plastic. Cold frame plans can be found on the internet or in most gardening books.

Just as a reminder, on an average year there is a 50 percent chance that we will have our first frost on or after Nov. 9, and there is a 90 percent chance of having a frost by Nov. 23. Of course, this has not been an average year so far, but I have already put tender plants into the greenhouse just in case.

Last week I wrote about my visit with almost nonagenarian, T.C. Harris III, who will turn 90 years young on March 24, 2017.

Harris has slowed down considerably this past year when he had an accident that totaled his pickup. As a result, he doesn’t make his occasional trips into Breckenridge but now relies on sons and family to take him places.

Harris said his grandfather started out with Angus cattle, some of the first in Stephens County, and later had some Hereford cattle. Harris recalls that ranching has changed considerably during his lifetime. Before, a rancher dealt with screw worms and horseflies that bit the horses but now the rancher can spray for horn flies, ticks and heel flies, which have been mostly eliminated.

Mechanized machinery now allows a farmer or rancher to plant 32 rows at a time. Before, his grandfather planted one row at a time with a horse drawn plow. Then came the tractor and many improvements leading to the modern machinery of today. “Ranching or farming is a big operation today,” said Harris.

According to Harris, Stephens County has suffered from the saltwater that was/is injected into drilling operations, which can go down as low as 1100 feet or more and invaded the water table in the county. “Now we have fracking to contend with that appears to generate some earthquakes, like in the Snyder area and other places,” said Harris. “All this has affected the well water and the water table in Stephens County.”

“In the 1920s, there were no regulations to oversee drilling operations, which led to the saltwater problem in our water table throughout Stephens County,” said Harris. “Presently, leasing land can be as high as $25,000 to $30,000 and gas prices are at $2 to $3 and the price of oil per barrel fluctuates.”

Harris reflected on the teachers he had at the Clear Fork School, with Ruth Futon, G. Broyles Peacock, Laura Bowner, who was a cousin and lived with the Harris family, while she taught at the school. She also owned 80 acres in the Clear Fork area through family. Also, Lulu Brockman, who began her extensive teaching career at the Clear Fork School and went on to become the School Superintendant for Stephens County rural schools.

In 1992, the Harris Clear Fork Ranch qualified for the 100 years of land ownership, which was recognized by the Texas Family Land Heritage program. Even though the original Harris tracts of land were purchased in 1876, the Harris families did not occupy and participate in continuous operation on the land until 1886. However, it was the 320 acres T.C. Harris I purchased in 1892 that qualified their land under the continuous occupation and agricultural production on the land, for 100 years or more. That distinction qualified the Harris family to apply to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the Texas Family Land Heritage program that awarded the Harris family the Texas Land Heritage plaque, which T.C. Harris III proudly displays at his front door of the house he and his wife built in 1976. The original homeplace, the wood framed bungalow, that has since been covered with native stone, sits just across the road.

At the conclusion of our visit, Harris also provided me with information on the Possum Trot School, which I had been attempting to locate in the county. The Possum Trot School was located about two miles from Ella McCarty Carlise’s grandfather’s farm in Stephens County.

The building was composed of one large room with the typical wood stove in the front center, to keep everyone warm in the colder weather. There also was a well for drinking water and was kept cleaned out by those who lived close by. Some rural schools did not have drinking water close by and had to be hauled in or brought by the students on a daily basis.

The benches were placed around the teacher’s desk, with blackboards on the wall behind her. The younger girls sat on the benches, with a two-person desk in front of them that had an ink well and a slit for pencils for each student. According to Ella McCarty, her desk partner was Vera Harbison and also attending were her brother, Dale, and sisters; Hazel and Erma.

The boys were similarly located on the other side of the center aisle and the older students had individual desks. Most of the students lived close by and walked or rode a horse to school.

McCarty also recalled that her first teacher was Miss Robby May Powers, who had an upstairs bedroom at her grandparents house. McCarty said that both the single men, Ted Hughes and T.C. Harris dated the teacher. T.C. also dated her second teacher, who was Miss Beryl Powers. The tall, neatly dressed T.C. Harris had a nice buggy pulled by his horse named Rabbit. The Harris buggy was often hitched at her grandfather’s fence post.

The Downing family lived across a large field from the school, with their children, Clara, Wade and Wayne Downing attending. Just across a fence was Erb and Effy Anderson and their daughter, Zoneta Anderson. Other students that attended Possum Trot School, when McCarty and Harbison did, included Ted and Eva Tipton; Ima, Joanna, Gaines and Eugene Stover; and the Hughes children that included; Inez, Eunice, Nina Bell, Geraldine, Roy and Willie Lee Hughes.

Ella McCarty’s sister, Gypsy, was in charge of their lunch pail, which was a lard bucket, and had a jar full of beans, with spoons and saucers. The lunch also included boiled eggs and an apple for each girl. Sometimes there was a biscuit and honey included.

The routine of the classroom involved reading, writing the letters and working with numbers. That was interrupted only by lunch and recess. At recess, the girls played such games as; Auntie Over, Pop the Whip and Steal-a-Step. The boys mostly played ball but sometimes they would play Red Rover with everyone involved.

Next week we will be off to a new adventure. If you have historic photos or stories of family, contact Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net.
 

The WeatherBug app on my phone is predicting night time temperatures in the upper 40s to mid-50, later this week. If you have had your tropical plants outdoors this past spring and summer enjoying the sun and fresh air, it is time to get them ready to bring indoors. Or, we can sacrifice them to the winter conditions and start over next spring.

Just as plants do not appreciate a rapid change from indoors to out in the spring, they do not react well to a rapid change from outdoors to indoors in the fall. As a rule of thumb most tropical plants do not tolerate sustained temperatures lower than 50 degrees.  

The primary consideration for bringing plants indoors is assessment of the lighting you have available. Plants that need higher levels of light should be exposed to a south facing window. Those with lower light requirements can be placed in east facing windows. West windows are not generally as acceptable because of the length of time that afternoon light is available.

Also the wavelength of light that is being produced is less beneficial to the plants. North windows should not be used since they will admit only reflected light. Keep in mind, however, that any window is better than none. If acceptable window light is not an option, commercial “grow lights” are available at many garden centers and places like Walmart.

These lights produce sun-spectrum light allowing plants to be positioned anywhere.

Preparing plants for the transition to indoors involves acclimating them to lower light conditions gradually. Approximately three weeks before bringing them indoors the plants should be moved to a shaded area that still receives some indirect sunlight. A covered patio or under a shade tree gives them a chance to adjust to the lower light exposure.

After they have been under these conditions for about a week move the plants into areas of deep shade, but not absolute darkness. Taking plants directly from a bright outdoor exposure to indoors results in shock from the change in light quality, intensity, and length of exposure.

Plants can react to a rapid change from outdoors to indoors by exhibiting yellowing leaves or loss in varying degrees.

Preconditioning plants before moving them indoors encourages them to go into a dormant or semi-dormant state. Dormant plants should only be given the minimum amount of water necessary for their survival. As they move from sunlight to shade and then to deep shade, water requirements are reduced.

More indoor plants are damaged from over watering than under watering.

Dry, brown-tipped leaves can indicate under watering whereas yellowing, especially of inner leaves, may indicate over watering. Be aware of the drying effects of most home heating systems.

The purchase and use of a moisture meter to use in your plants is a worthwhile investment. There are a number of good meters available inexpensively.

Before taking conditioned plants indoors, they should be carefully checked for any signs of insects or disease. These issues should be dealt with before taking plants indoors. A simple light spraying with horticultural oil or with a mild dish soap solution may be all that is needed. Chemical insecticides and fungicides may be the treatment of choice but plants treated with these products should not be taken indoors immediately.

Check the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Some of these products are not safe for indoor use. When checking for insects and disease, check for the need to re-pot. If there is evidence of the plant’s roots circling around the bottom of the pot or growing out of the drain hole, the plant is becoming root bound.

These re-potting needs should be noted on your spring “to-do” list. This is a good time to check the drainage holes on the pot to make sure that they are clear. Poor drainage will promote root rot and cause decline of the plant. Any rotten smell is a good indicator of root rot.  

Well cared for plants indoors can brighten up a dreary winter and help purify the air.      

As we travel along through Stephens County and visit one historic community after another, it becomes more difficult to find information about who lived in those small communities and sometimes it can be told through the school that was built there for their children.

One such place is the Clear Fork community. Originally, the school was located on the south bank of the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, in the northwest corner of Stephens County. Pay voucher records date back to 1892 and have Mary Belding teaching that first year and  in 1893.

In 1894, Fannie Stevens taught the next two years of 1894-95. C. S. Greer taught from 1896 to 1900.  

Much later, Gwendolyn Brooks Peacock was a teacher at the Clear Fork School and left an account of her time there. She said that the first school burned, which was the one she taught in, from 1929 to 1934. The new school was built before there was any insulation and she taught there from 1937 to 1942.

There were three schools in that district, which included Clear Fork, Bethel and Baker. Historic records indicate that the Clear Fork School was moved about a half mile to a mile from the original location. This school was also known as “Possum Trot School,” which may have just been a nickname or possibly, the original school was named that. No one seems to know for sure.

Drinking water was obtained from an underground cistern, when there was water, otherwise, students had to bring their own drinking water from home. The teacher and students maintained the grounds and as a result, the students very rarely threw anything down because they would have to be the ones to pick it up eventually.

On occasion, the parents would get together and put on a play as the entertainment at one of the school gatherings. One time, the play was, “Here Comes Charley.” It was a huge success. The community always came to the school for Easter and Christmas programs and other special occasions. When the Clear Fork River would rise, the men would go catch a batch of fish and then there would e a big fish fry after school. The women would come in after school and bring their big pots and hog lard and all the trimmings for the big fish fry. When the weather was pleasant, sometimes they would bring quilts and everyone would spend the night on the river. On these occasions, Uncle Forest Hughes was the acting Santa Claus and would always have candy for each child at any of these gatherings.

The Clear Fork School was located on land owned by the Harris family and they eventually took over the property and found a banner up in the rafters that the teacher used to cover the blackboard prior to a test. The banner was displayed at the previously named Citizen’s National Bank, now Breckenridge InterBank, by Scott Harris, since his father, T.C. Harris attended the school at one time. The former school is now used as a barn.

The school at Pleasant Hill can be defined by one day in the early history and is explained in one tragic episode, on the evening of June 12, 1925, when a sudden storm erupted a chicken dinner at the school. The men and boys had just completed a tour of some nearby irrigation projects. After the tour, everyone gathered back at the school for a picnic and speeches. Everyone was on the school grounds, when the sudden rain storm erupted and drove everybody into the school building.

The storm grew worse and shook the building. At about 9 p.m., a sudden lightning bolt crashed through the ceiling, at the chimney, and caused a fireball that raced through the one-room schoolhouse and out the door, which had been opened by Clyde Perry. One witness, E.R. Maxwell said, “It was throwing off sparks like a giant sparkler.”

The dead and injured were left on a heap and when it was all untangled, there were three dead: Earl Ledbetter, age 22; Millard E. Broyles, age 13; and Harvey L. Broyles, age 11, who were brothers. The injured included a sister to the two Broyles boys, Gwendolyn Broyles, Clyde Perry, Leona McMinn, Annie Dye, Selwyn (Buddy) Broyles, Jack Richardson, John Blackburn, Lillian Blackburn, Albert Thackerson and the McIntire baby. It was well after midnight by the time the last of the injured was finally taken to Breckenridge by ambulance because during the storm, the nearby creek had risen, which further hindered the removal of the injured.

One of the injured was Gwendolyn Broyles, who was standing between her two brothers, who were killed. Later, they found out that one of the men, Mr. Russell, who owned the feed store in Breckenridge, had grabbed her that night and rolled her in the red mud, which was the best thing to do when someone was struck by lightening. She was unconscious for the next 48 hours and didn’t remember much about the storm for months afterward. Her left arm was weakened and one eye was affected, which needed surgery later, by a Dr. Hale, in Cisco. She missed all but nine weeks of ninth grade but was helped to catch up by her teacher, Mrs. Millie Blackburn.

More than 35 years later, when her older brother, Selwyn (Buddy) Broyles, had to have surgery, the doctors found that his appendix and surrounding tissues were all welded together enmasse. At the time of the lightning strike, his trouser leg in back was ripped from the knee down and the back of his shoe was cut down to the heel and he had trouble walking for quite some time afterwards.

A witness in the Wayland community, five to six miles away, said they watched the storm cloud and the lightning ran back and forth horizontally all during the storm until it struck the school house, as if it was gathering momentum.

Next week I will most likely complete our travels to the small communities of the county and begin on our next adventure exploring Stephens County history.

If anyone has historic photos or stories to share, contact Jean Hayworth at:  jhay@suddenlink.net.
 

The proximity of Halloween has brought the subject of bats to mind. Bats have gotten an undeserved reputation in this country of being creepy, blood-sucking, disease ridden, winged rats.

However, in Cuban and Spanish lore, bats are symbols of good health, good fortune, and family unity. In spite of all their negative press, bats are the gardener’s friend. Like most things, it depends on perspective.

Over 1,000 species of bats can be found worldwide. They are found everywhere except the arctic regions, extreme desert areas, and some islands. In fact, according to the Defenders of Wildlife organization bats make up about one-quarter of all mammalian species on earth. Bats range in size from the giant flying foxes of Indonesia with wing spans of up to six feet to the bumblebee bat that is only one and a half inches long and weighs 0.07 ounces. Of the 47 species of bats found in North America, 32 occur in Texas. The largest known colony of bats in the world is found at Bracken Cave north of San Antonio and contains nearly 20 million bats.  The largest urban colony of bats in North America is the one under the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. This is a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats consists of an estimated 1.5 million bats.

This high flying colony is reported to eat 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night. Some bats may fly up to 31 miles to find food. The free-tailed bats re one of the migrating bat species. They summer under the bridge but migrate to Mexico in the winter. Other species of bats either hibernate or go into a state of torpor which is a short-term hibernation.

Because of their nocturnal habits, bats have attracted a cloak of mystery and are surrounded by a number of myths. The myth that bats are flying mice or rats is totally false. Bats are the only mammal capable of true powered flight but they are more closely related to humans and other primates than to rodents. Bats do not “carry” rabies. They can catch the disease just as any other mammal but a very low percentage of bats actually contract rabies. In fact, bats are less likely to be infected with rabies than are skunks and raccoons. As with any animal, a grounded bat or obviously sick one should be avoided and never handled without protection. Bats are not dirty and spend as much time grooming their fur as cats do. Bats are not aggressive toward people and are actually rather gentle and avoid human contact whenever possible.

All bats are not blood-suckers. Of the over 1,000 species of bats in the world, only three are vampires and those are limited to South America. One species feeds on cattle while the other two feed on other animals. They lap up the blood, not suck it from a vein. The amount of blood they take is generally not sufficient to harm or be fatal to the donor animal.

Bats are known to be efficient pollinators. Mexican free-tailed bats eat moths, beetles, dragonflies, flies, midges, mosquitoes, mayflies and ants. They eat enough insects to reduce the need for pesticides in some cases. That is enough to make them welcome in my yard.

In order to attract bats to the garden water, food, and shelter must be available. Evening blooming and highly fragrant flowers will attract the insects on which the bats feed. Some of the suggested plants are evening primrose, phlox, fleabane, goldenrod, salvia nicotiana, moon flowers, honeysuckle, lemon balm, mint, borage and white jasmine. A birdbath or child’s wading pool can supply water. Bat houses can be made or purchased to provide shelter. Plans for bat houses can be found in several books or online at such sites as the Bat Conservation

International www.batcon.org or the Organization for Bat Conservation www.batconservation.org or by searching for “bat houses.”  Bat houses are often sold at garden centers or other stores that specialize in bird feed and other birding supplies.

Perhaps the most significant thing the gardener can do for the bats is to garden organically. A pesticide in their food source is harmful to the bats (just like it is for humans). Just reducing the mosquito population is reason enough for me to encourage the bats.

As we continue our travels throughout the historic communities of Stephens County, it is incumbent that we stop at Baker, which has only the Baker Cemetery remaining to mark it’s place in the history of Stephens County. There are 50 graves in the Baker Cemetery, with 14 unmarked. The oldest grave is that of N.J. Squyers, who was born Oct. 19, 1841 and died Aug. 28, 1902, at the age of 61.

Baker is barely in Stephens County located near the Shackelford County line. In fact, a visitor has to go into the neighboring county on highway 180 and then turn back to the north and swing back into Stephens County to find the Baker Cemetery located on the western shores of Hubbard Creek Reservoir, about 10 miles west of Breckenridge.

The Baker community was nestled between McDowell’ Creek to the north and Hubbard Creek to the south of the town and was presumably named after a resident family named Baker, who were among the early settlers of that area. Additionally, other families who settled at Baker included Bridges, Chaffin, Dorman, Fade, Harris, Harrison, Lawrence, Martin, Mize, Moberly, Pannell, Ruff, Squyers and Thomas.

This community, like most in rural Stephens County, had a school, which must have been located across the creek from where most of the families lived. Old timers from this area said that school would be dismissed early when it rained in the area to allow the students to cross the creek safely before it rose and made the crossing more dangerous for the little ones. Students in these rural communities often started school at age four.

One of the early families to settle in this area was the Fade family who moved into Stephens County from DeLeon, in Comanche County. Initially, they settled at Crystal Falls but after a few years, the whole Fade family moved to a farm near Hubbard, just south of the community of Bethel and north of Baker and Squire’s Chapel to the southeast, which was almost on the Shackelford County line. and 15 miles northwest of Breckenridge.

John Breckenridge Fade married Martha Ruff, from another family that settled at Baker, and they had 10 children: Sam, Tennie, John Ross (who died as an infant), William Wesley (known as Bud), Annie, Ruby, Luther (called Pat), Walter (known as Polk), Floyd (called Dick), and J.B. (known as Jay). It seems that all the boys had nicknames in this family. Also included in this already large household was Mr. Fade’s mother, Elizabeth Riffle DeWeese Fade; his half brother, Ike Fade; and Mary Lou Ruff, his wife’s spinster sister.

Mr. John B. Fade’s wife, Martha (Mattie) Ann (Ruff) Fade, died in 1908 and is buried in the Baker Cemetery. Ike Fade died at age 69 and Mrs. Elizabeth Fade died in 1914, all three are buried in the Baker Cemetery.

About 1919, Mr. John B. Fade and sons; Pat, Dick and Jay, moved into Breckenridge and built the Fade Hotel, located in the 200 block of North Court, across from the Fire Station. During the oil boom years, beds were rented out for eight-hour shifts, around the clock, at the local hotels and boarding houses. One of those that followed this practice, of the shift schedule, was the Fade Hotel.

During the Depression years of the 1930s, the Fade Hotel - located just a half block from the courthouse - was used by the local judges to sequester the jury there for the noon meal. When the cook had everything prepared for the meal, Mr. Fade would step out on the hotel front porch and ring a hand bell to notify the judge that the noon meal was ready and on the table.

The judge would then announce a recess and the Police Chief or Sheriff would escort the jury over to the Fade Hotel dining room for their prepared lunch.

J.B. Fade was affectionately called “Uncle John” by friends and all those who met him. He made his home at the hotel and played games of dominos in his daily routine until he died in January of 1948. He also was buried at the Baker Cemetery.

Another early settler was T.C. Harris and his wife, Rebecca (Stiles) Harris. In 1876, T.C. Harris and his brother, William F. Harris, wanted to come further west and pursuing that plan, came to Stephens County to find land for their families in anticipation of moving here from Bosque County, where they had moved when they left Georgia. The two brothers found river bottom land south of the Clear Fork River, west of highway 183, north of Breckenridge.

His description of the land to his family was described “as tall grass that reached the stirrups of their horses. with an abundance of water and fresh game prevalent throughout the area.” He also mentioned that there were enough trees along the river and creeks to furnish firewood.”

The two brothers were excited about the land that they saw and set about to purchase it, representing their combined families. The land they found was ideal for their combined families and made the required preparations to purchase the large tracts they required. They returned to Bosque County and made preparations for the big move west to Stephens County, which was finally put in motion by 1886, 10 years after the original purchase.

By this time, both brothers had married and had small children and they also brought their widowed mother, Mrs. Mary Harris, along with their other two brothers, Josh and Jim, and sisters; Belle, Nannie, Rachel and Anne. Mrs. Mary Harris also brought her niece, Ann Bunch, who was the child of her dead sister.

This is a rather lengthy story so we will stop there and continue with the T.C. Harris family next week located in the Clear Fork area, which will take us through three generations to Scott Harris, who has been associated with the formation of Citizen’s National Bank and the present-day Breckenridge InterBank.

If you have additional historic photos or stories about the Baker, Bethel or Clear Fork communities contact Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net.

If you are planning to remodel, totally renovate, or simply add on to your landscape, now is the perfect time to plant trees and shrubs. Some experts recommend spring planting but there is a lot to be said for fall planting. By planting in the fall the tree is given the opportunity to establish a root system.

A good root system is necessary for the plant to supply nutrients for the new growth that occurs in the spring. Roots will continue to grow in soil that is above 40 degrees. In our area the soil at the root level rarely gets that cold. Besides, the weather is generally cooler making the hole-digging chore less traumatic. Trees and shrubs are dormant in the fall and winter, even the evergreen ones. This dormant state reduces the plants’ requirements for water and nutrients.

Trees and shrubs are available from suppliers in three forms. Bare rooted plants are exactly what you would expect. They are shipped and stored with all the soil removed from their roots. Container plants have either been grown from infancy in pots or have been transplanted to containers and have been growing in them for a period of time. Balled and burlap plants are dug from the field retaining soil around a root ball. They are then wrapped in burlap or other material that keeps the soil around the roots. Ideally this material is compostable (will rot after planting). Container and balled and burlap plants give the gardener a higher chance of success.

When you are buying plants for your landscape choose healthy plants from a reputable dealer. Research the needs of the plants you are considering. Many plant suppliers will include this information on a tag attached to the plant. Garden center employees, Extension Agents, or the Internet can supply this information. Consider the soil type the plant needs, whether it needs sun or shade, and its water requirements. Also, it is important to determine the mature size of the plant. A shrub with a mature width of eight feet should not be planted one foot from a building or fence. Check out the tendency of the plant’s roots to invade sewer or septic lines.

When preparing to plant a new tree or shrub make sure that the plant is watered thoroughly before beginning the process. In the past it was suggested that the hole be dug twice as large as the container or ball.

Recent recommendations are that the hole be the same size as the root ball going into it or large enough to allow no more than six inches on each side of the ball. The depth of the hole should be such that the tree sits slightly higher than the soil surface to allow for settling.

Carefully remove the plant from its container or remove wires from the burlaped root ball. Situate the plant so that the soil line of the root ball is slightly higher than the ground level.

Remove the top half of the burlap. A root ball that is broken up and has the soil falling away from the plant is almost certain to damage the roots significantly. Handle the plant by the intact root ball, not by the trunk.

Place the root ball in the hole so that it sits on the bottom of the hole. Fill the hole approximately half full of water to make sure there are no air pockets. Back fill the hole with the native soil that was removed from the hole. It is not recommended to add any soil amendments to the hole.

This will allow the growing roots to adapt to the surrounding soil. Continue to fill the hole pressing the soil into place to support the tree. Water the plant thoroughly after planting. Make a trough around the tree to contain water. Water thoroughly every seven to ten days.

Infrequent, deep watering is preferred above more frequent shallow watering. Deep watering promotes deep roots which will sustain a healthy plant. After planting is complete spread a four to six inch layer of mulch around the plant to keep down weeds and conserve moisture.

Keep the mulch away from the trunk, however. This can encourage disease and critters. An approximate two inch distance from trunk to mulch is appropriate. It may be necessary to construct a collar of some type to keep the mulch back.

Staking the newly planted tree may be necessary in our high winds. Staking the plant provides enough support to keep it from rocking which can damage young roots but should still allow enough “give” to allow normal swaying which strengthens the trunk.

Last week, I introduced the two Harris brothers who came west from Bosque County in 1876, in search of land for their combined families, which they found south of the Clear Fork River, west of highway 183 and north of Breckenridge.

It was nearly 10 years later in 1886, before they managed to get all of the family assembled for the trek west. At first, the whole family lived in the stone house, known as the Stover place. As time went by, the brothers built homes for their respective families on individual tracts of land.

One of the brothers of T.C Harris and William F. Harris, the original purchasers of the land for the family interests, was Josh Harris, had built a home for his mother and sisters on thrie tract of land, which was later purchased by Eugene Tipton. The brother’s mother, Mary Harris, died in 1897 and is buried in the Clear Fork Cemetery. The sisters married and moved off with their husbands, which left that tract of land and home to Josh Harris, who remained single and continued to live on the land until health issues forced him to move to Albany, where he died in 1940.

T.C. Harris and wife Rebecca (Stiles) Harris had a son John and two daughters, Dora and Mollie, prior to moving to Stephens County. After living here they had daughter Lottie, in 1888, and son T.C. Harris Jr., in 1890. His family lived on the eastern part of survey 122, near the Clear Fork Cemetery. In 1891, brothers, T.C. and William F. Harris, deeded an acre of land of this survey for a school and church and the Clear Fork School was built. This first school later burned. After fire destroyed the school, the school was rebuilt and the children in that area attended it until 1942 when it was closed.

In 1892, T.C. Harris sold his interest in survey 122 to his brother William F., who had been with him in 1876 when they purchased the original tracts of land for their families. T.C. bought another tract of land nearby and built a home on it in 1916, for his family. His young son, T.C Harris II, continued to explore along the Clear Fork River and the areas nearby and attended the Clear Fork School, where sessions revolved around the needs of the nearby farms for planting and harvesting, because most of the children were need to work in the fields.

Their daughter, Lottie Nelms Warren, married Frank Nelms, who died in the flu epidemic of 1918. She later married Ernest Warren. Their oldest son, John Harris, married Ethel Crudgington and they had a son, J.T. Harris, who continued to live in Stephens County before moving on to Eastland County.

All their supplies were purchased in Albany, which required a two-day round-trip by wagon. All family business was conducted in Albany. There was even a Pecan tree on the Harris land known as the “Banker Pecan” tree because the family banker came there periodically to gather pecans.

Cotton was an important cash crop for the family in those early days, prior to the Boll Weevil that struck the county and surrounding areas about 1910-11. Near to the Harris family cotton fields there is the remains of a stagecoach way station.

The younger T.C. Harris II went on to attend the Hankins Normal College n Gorman and then returned home to work on the family farm along side his father until he entered the U.S. Army in 1918. During this time, he was sent to France with the 81st Division AEF and served there from Aug. 1918 to shortly before his discharge in April 1919. This was during World War I.

After that, the young T.C. II. returned to the family ranch and later married Gladys Mahan, in 1923. Subsequently, they had a daughter, Maxine, and a son, T.C. Harris III, who was born in 1927.

After the death of his parents, the older T.C. Harris II bought out the interests of his brother and sisters and then went on to acquire some of the adjoining land. He continued to be very active in pursuing the conservation of the soil and water and the wildlife and established one of the first herds of Angus cattle in Stephens County. He retired in 1960 but continued to live on the home place until his death in 1972. He was always active in the agricultural operations with his son.

T.C. Harris III attended the Clear Fork School through to the seventh grade, where his father had attended before him. He remembers one teacher, Laura Bonner, his father’s cousin, who lived with the family while she taught at the school. This was a customary practice in the rural areas. Other teachers included Ruth Fulton and Gwendolyn Peacock.

After graduation from high school, in 1944, he joined the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Atlanta, in the Pacific Ocean, until after the end of World War II. After his discharge from the U.S. Navy, in 1946, like his father before him, he came home to help run the Harris family ranching operation at the Clear Fork Ranch. He also took on the operation of the leased acreage, the Mark Guest Ranch, located near the Frankell community, in the southern part of Stephens County and continued this until 1976. At that time, he and his wife, Rosalie (Gilland) Harris built a home on the Clear Fork Ranch and he confined his ranching interests to that enterprise only.

We will stop there for this week and continue the saga of T.C. Harris III next week.

If you have additional stories or historic photos of any of the small communities in Stephens County, contact Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net. I will be wrapping up the visits to the small, historic communities in Stephens County shortly, so if someone has any information they would like to share please contact me.

Mosquito hawk, skimmer, horse stinger, devil’s darning needle, snake doctor, and eye poker are all names given to dragonflies in various parts of the world. These predators have great eyesight and are agile, fast fliers making them a benefit to the gardener.

Dragonflies and their cousins damselflies belong to the insect order Odonata but to separate sub-orders. The two are often confused but are actually easily differentiated. Dragonflies have stout, substantial bodies but damselflies are more delicately built. Dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontal and perpendicular to their bodies and damselflies rest with their wings parallel to their bodies, folded over their abdomens. Dragonfly flight is direct and powerful and they have been known to migrate across oceans. Damselfly flight has been described as “fluttery.”  Damselflies have distinctly separate eyes but the dragonfly’s eyes are large, multifaceted and cover most of their head surface.

Dragonflies are poor walkers in spite of having six legs. Their legs are primarily for grasping prey and holding on to plant stems. In contrast to their walking ability dragonflies are reported to be the fastest fliers in the insect world. They have a cruising speed of ten miles an hour and a top speed of thirty-four miles an hour. They can fly 100 body lengths per second forward and three body lengths per second backwards. Not only are they fast but are extremely agile being able to fly forward, backward, up, down, right, left, and hover. They have been documented to accelerating linearly at four Gs and at nine Gs in sharp turns when pursuing prey. This ability makes them a formidable predator and allows them to elude most bird pursuers.

Dragonflies are predatory in both their immature and adult stages making them the gardener’s friend. Females deposit their eggs in one of two ways. Some families slit open a stem or leaf on or near the water and push the eggs inside. In other families the female lays eggs by tapping the surface of the water with her abdomens shaking the eggs out of her abdomen as she flies along or by placing the eggs on vegetation in the water. The eggs may hatch in as few as seven to nine days but may require several months to hatch. These immature forms live in the water and this actually makes up the major part of the insects’ life cycle. During this time they eat the larvae of other insects, especially mosquitos, as well the nymphs of smaller dragonflies. The larger nymphs will even eat small fish or tadpoles. When the nymph’s development is complete it climbs out of the water and sheds its skin and emerges as an adult dragonfly. The adult dragonfly’s lifespan is usually only a couple of months. During this time it searches for a mate and eats small insects including flies, mosquitoes, bees, ants, midges, and sometimes butterflies. The mating process of dragonflies is a complex and precisely choreographed activity. The pair mates in flight and can be seen in a heart or wheel configuration flying together.

Fossils of dragonfly ancestors have been found in rocks from the early Permian era with a thirty inch wingspan. Modern dragonflies range in wingspan from over six inches of a dragonfly found in Australia to the seven tenths of an inch wingspan of the genus Agriocnemis.

Dragonflies have unique positions in the cultures of the world. In Japan dragonflies are called “invincible insects” because of the fierce way males protect their territory. They are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness in Japan. European folklore presents them in a more sinister light as indicated by the names devil’s darning needle and snake doctor. For some Native American cultures dragonflies represent swiftness, activity, and pure water.

Large dragonflies have been known to bite but are not able to break the skin.

A hobby similar to birding and butterflying is known as ”oding” (from their order Odonata) and is reported to be especially popular in Texas where 225 different species of Ordonates can be found. I have not met any “oding” folks, however.

I had the honor of meeting with the almost nonagenarian, T.C. Harris III, this past week and got a bit more information about his family settling in the Clear Fork area in northwestern Stephens County. On March 24, 2017, T.C. Harris III will turn 90 years young.

Harris said that when his grandfather, T.C. Harris I, originally came to Stephens County in 1876, he was accompanied by his brothers William F., Josh and Jim and his sister Anne’s husband to check out the land and each made arrangements to purchase adjoining tracts of land for their respective families.

The reason there was such a delay in bringing their families back to their land was because Indian raids were still prevalent in this area, which contributed to the 10 year delay until 1886, in bringing their young families to Stephens County.

Initially, his grandfather, T.C. Harris I and Uncle Bill(William F.) purchased 480 acres including the Bud Stover Place, which included a large home that accommodated the families until respective homes could be built on their individual tracts of land. Harris and wife Rebecca (Stiles) Harris lived in the basement of the Stover Place until their children had built homes on their respective tracts of land.

In 1892, Harris purchased an additional 320 acres of land that he later built his own home on. The most impressive information about this particular tract of land was that there were no rocks on it. Harris very carefully surveyed the 320 tract and found no rocks.

The tract of 320 acres that was between the tract of T.C. Harris and William F. Harris, was fenced and used for pastures and corn cribs were built there to store the corn crop.

In 1907, Harris and wife, Rebecca, built a wood bungelow and later, in 1941, it was covered with native stone. That house now sits across the road from the home that T.C. Harris III built for his wife, Rosalie, and family. Just down the road a short distance was the Clear Fork School and the small Clear Fork Cemetery, where the Harris kin are buried and those of several Tubbs, including native son Jerry Tubbs.

When T.C. Harris II returned from serving in France during World War I, he married Gladys Mahan, in 1923, and they had a daughter Maxine and son, T.C. Harris III, who is soon approaching his 90th year.

The young T.C. Harris III served in the U.S. Navy near the end of World War II, on the USS Atlanta, in the Pacific Ocean. His first night aboard ship, the war ended. Their ship became a troop ship and headed to Nagasaki, Japan, where the A Bomb had been dropped. Their ship picked up American military officers and took them on to China. At that time, he saw a bit of the devastated area of Japan. By 1946, he was discharged and headed back to Texas, where he married Rosalie Gilland from Wayland. Her grandparents had settled there as pioneers just as the Harris family had done near the Clear Fork. They had two sons, Mitchell and Scott, who is associated with Breckenridge InterBank. Mitchell is retired from working in the Farm Credit System and has lived in Lubbock and Stevenville. Scott is due to retire from the banking business at the end of December and be more available to help with the Harris ranching operation.

The senior Harris thinks the drought of the 1950s was the worst for ranchers. At that time, he and his wife moved into Breckenridge for a few years, which turned into 19 years, while their sons were in grade school and he worked in town. His wife, Rosalie, worked as secretary at the First United Methodist Church a few years and then worked in the ACS office for 10 to 12 years and then for Judge Harrell and attorney, Bill Thompson. Meanwhile, Harris was able to keep his land and re-invest. The two sons went on to college at Tarleton State University.

T.C. acquired some additional acreage when he bought out his sister Maxine’s share of 160 acres. That was added to the 800 acres he had acquired by then and then he bought another 300 acres across the Clear Fork River, which now gives him 1,260 acres and he leases another 900 acres. He has invested in about 90 mother cows, which he said must have about 25 acres per head. Harris said, “in a good year, a rancher can get by with 10 acres per head but you should plan on having 25 acres per head for good measure.

In 1976, he followed a soil conservation program of removing Mesquite trees and planting grass for cattle through a government program that paid about one-fourth of the cost and the rancher paid the remaining three-fourths of the cost.

“You can always tell land that has been overgrazed because it has an abundance of prickly pears and Mesquite trees,” said Harris. “Some big money fellows come out here from Dallas or Fort Worth and don’t know how to take care of the land properly that they have acquired.”

“This past drought has caused the loss of many Pecan trees because there was no sub-moisture to keep the trees watered,” said Harris. “That is a problem when you have a long drought that we experienced because there was not enough rain to soak deeply into the soil to keep trees alive. There are no native Pecan trees left. We also lost many Elms and Oak trees.”

I will wrap up my visit with the senior Harris next week and then move on to more Stephens County history. If you have historic photos or stories, get in touch with Jean Hayworth at: jhay@suddenlink.net.