THE PECAN 
THE PECAN 
A Orove of Fine Seedling Trees, .Most <if Whii-h Are IteiiriiiK Vrotltabic Crops. Seedlins IVcan Trees, I^ike Other Nut and Fruit Trees, Are 
Now Considered ho Unreliable in Coming: Into Bearing and In Size of Crops That Very Few Are Set in Orchards at This Time 
Difficulties Met and 
Overcome 
NEW husiness enter]>ri.ses are usiuilly disap- 
|)oiiiting in that realization rarely equals 
antici])ation. Most of the enchantments 
of youth lose their glamour as the years come 
and go; but in this instance it has been different. 
Today the pecan business appears more promis- 
ing than it did the day when the first ])ecan nuts 
were (ilanted to start an orchard. Whatever suc- 
cess has come to me, at least financially, is due 
more to pecans than to all other agencies com- 
bined. But many liard lessons had to be learned, 
and many mistakes were made. Only seedlings 
were .set at first; and much valuable time has 
been required to undo the work of these early 
years either in taking out worthless trees, or in 
cutting off a worthless head and })udding on a 
better one! Mistakes were also made in setting 
trees on lands unsuited to them, in improper 
cultivation, in using varieties unadapted to 
Georgia, and the like. Suffice it is to say that it 
would have been worth ten.s of thousands of 
dollars to have known in the beginning what it 
has required years of costly experience to learn. 
Such mistakes need not be repeated by future 
pecan growers. 
The Situation Changed 
IT was about twenty-five years ago that the 
art of budding pecan trees was begun by Mr. 
William Nelson, of Xew Orleans. Grafting 
came a few years later. \ ery few things are 
more uncertain than seedling pecan trees. As a 
consequence, few commercial orchards were set 
up to that time, the dependence for nuts being 
upon the wild trees of the southwest, particu- 
larly Texas. Since the art of liudding and graft- 
ing pecan trees has been learned the proposition 
is much more favorable to pecan growing. By 
choosing varieties which are known to be early, 
prolific, and regular bearers, there is as much 
certaintv as to the time of coming into bearing 
Page sixteen 
Page seienleen 
THE PECAN 
.V ?35,00O Pecan Tree, Because It Started Mr. Wight 
in the I*ecan DiislnesN Many YearM Ago 
as there is with apple or peach trees. Further- 
more, as every tree of a good variety produces 
nuts, many more pounds of nuts per acre will be 
]iroduced at a given age. For this reason he who 
sets a ti-ee or a grove now has an immense advan- 
tage over him who, beginning years ago, was 
restricted to the use of seedlings. 
Three Requisites to Success 
THERE are three requisites to success in 
pecan growing. First: Good trees must be 
set of such varieties as are adapted to the 
section in which they are to grow. Second: The 
best land only should be used for pecans; for a 
crop of such value can well be given the best. 
Third: After .setting, the trees should be well 
cared for. No weeds, grass or other vegetation 
should be allowed to grow near the trees. It is, 
however, entirely proper, in fact it is best, to 
plant some crop between the trees, reserving a 
space around the tree which should be kept 
clean by means of the hoe or jilow. These cro]>s 
Page eighteen 
