Snyder, Scurry County
Pioneer cotton breeders; aides to world fiber market, economy. Clemens Von Roeder, born 1888 in Austin County. As farmer began use of mutations, 1923, produced a long staple, big boll cotton; later added strains to resist hail, windstorm, rust. He was joined by his brother Nolan in 1934; Bentley Baize, an agricultural executive, 1940; and Nolan's son, Max, in 1957. Von Roeder-marketed seeds are Texas Mammoth and Western Prolific, for hand-picking; and Western Storm Proof, for modern mechanical harvesting. (1967)