History of Pecan-Growing 23 



Indiana, despite the general apathy, have done valiant work 

 in perpetuating choice varieties and in arousing interest in 

 pecan culture. 



By 1901 the industry in the South had grown to such an 

 extent that a number of the men interested felt the need of an 

 organization for the purpose of coordinating and disseminat- 

 ing reliable information on the subject of pecan-growing. 

 Consequently on November 21, 1901, Kobt. J. Bacon, of Bacon- 

 ton, G. M. Bacon of DeWitt, J. M. Tift of Albany, and J. F. 

 Wilson of Poulan, met in the office of R. H. Warren, on Broad 

 Street, Albany, Georgia, and constituted themselves the 

 ^^ Southern Nut Growers' Association." Robert J. Bacon was 

 chairman and J. F. Wilson was secretary. The ^^Nut Grow- 

 er," published at Poulan, was made the organ. Very soon this 

 organization was expanded into the National Nut Growers' 

 Association. With its development there was felt the need of 

 subsidiary state or sectional associations to deal with local 

 problems. As a result, the Georgia-Florida Pecan Growers' 

 Association was organized at Thomas^dlle, Georgia, in 1906. 

 Among those present were H. C. White of Putney, J. B. Wight 

 and W. C. Jones of Cairo, B. W. Stone and W. M. Parker of 

 Thomasville, R. C. Simpson and H. K. Miller of Monticello, 

 Florida. W. C. Jones was elected chairman, with R. C. Simp- 

 son as secretary. 



In Texas, the first organization of nut-growers centered 

 around a bit of sentiment and patriotism. On March 2nd, 

 1906, Gov. James Hogg, of Texas, realizing his approaching 

 end, said in conversation to friends: *'I want no monument 

 of stone or marble, but plant at my head a pecan tree and at 

 my feet an old fashioned walnut ^ * ^ and when these trees 

 shall bear, let the pecans and the walnuts be given out among 



