Rural Life in Texas

Between 1846 and 1860, nearly all Texans lived on farms, so the number of farms in Texas grew from 12,000 to 43,000. The land was cheap and available, so most farmer grew on their own land, rather than working for someone else and paying them most of your profit. Most of these farmers grew food crops, the most common of these was corn. They also grew wheat, oats, and sweet potatoes. Though they grew all these, few farmers could make a profit. The other item farmers grew were cash crops. The primary cash crop was cotton, but sugar cane was also commonly grown for profit. The Final aspect of rural life was raising livestock. The main animals raised were milk cows, sheep, hogs, and chickens.