Pecan Seedlings and Care of the Native Grove 29 



some from seedlings planted by man with little or no knowl- 

 edge of inherent characters, while others were obtained by 

 cross-breeding existing varieties. 



The marked variation in pecan seedlings has played well 

 into the hands of the experimenter who is seeking new varie- 

 ties. Among every lot planted, he stands a chance of securing 

 an offspring different and superior in some essential points 

 from existing improved varieties. A very large percentage 

 of the improved varieties of pecans catalogued in America 

 today has originated from such seedlings planted by man. 



The earliest varieties introduced, however, were individual 

 tree selections, from choice seedlings of the native or wild 

 pecan forests. One of the first was the Centennial. The origi- 

 nal tree w^as a wild seedling on the east bank of the Missis- 

 sippi River, Louisiana, early in the nineteenth century. It 

 was given the name of Centennial because the nuts took the 

 premium as the best pecan exhibited at the Philadelphia Cen- 

 tennial Exposition in 1876. 



The Halbert was a native seedling tree on the plantation 

 of H. B. Freeman in the Colorado Eiver bottom near Milburn, 

 Texas, sometime before 1891. 



The San Saba was found as a wild seedling at the junction 

 of the San Saba and Colorado rivers near San Saba, Texas, 

 and was introduced by E. E. Eisien about 1893. 



The original tree of the ^Yalford was discovered in the Wil- 

 son creek bottom, by E. AV. Kirkpatrick, near McKinney, 

 Texas, about 1898. 



The Claremont, which also originated as a wild seedling, 

 was found on the Pecania plantation, near Ferriday, Louisi- 

 ana, and was propagated by H. E. Van Deman about 1907. 



The Indiana, which is one of the northern varieties of pecans, 



