THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
427 
them and telling us of his wonderful achievements. They 
came to us as the direct gift of what we may call evolution— 
that wonderful unknowable power within life, that takes, 
in its own good time, a step forward in great nature’s con¬ 
structive work. Let me here remind you of generations 
long passed away to whom we are indebted. 
The old time Mississippi, Texas, or Louisiana planters 
returning to their winter or summer camps by the sea must 
have carried with them small quantities of their best nuts, ' 
and, no doubt, planted some in their gardens. From these 
trees sprang and spread thousands on thousands of trees. 
merit count, that is trees bearing nuts of marked size and 
quality such as have found a place in our price lists, could 
be restricted to a dozen, and the origin of most of these to 
the Jackson Company coast-line. 
Since coming to the coast, some 20 years ago, I have 
given some time to the search for nuts of special merit— 
I mean nuts that would be classed worthy of pro]3agation. 
Excluding varieties already well known, only one such has 
turned up. To the nurserymen in this restricted district— 
say from Scranton on the east, Mississippi City on the west 
and Ocean Springs in the center,- the public are indebted for a 
NORWAY MAPLES RUNNING FROM 8 TO 10 FEET TO 1 TO 1% INCHES CALIPER. PART OF BLOCK 
30,000 TO 40,000 AT MAPLE FARM, OF UNION NURSERIES, OUDENBOSCH, HOLLAND 
They attracted little attention, and for a long time their 
merit was held under. Nurserymen were skeptical; but 
year after year the nuts attracted attention. Propagation 
was attempted by amateur growers, with varying success 
for there was much to learn about the propagation of this 
tree not common to others, but little by little the truth 
came to light, and the improved pecan nut was born. 
Professional nurserymen took the matter up, and today 
we face a growing and pressing demand for the finest edible 
nut in the world. The Pecan nut has come to us along the 
hard road of suspicion, criticism and varied report. But it 
stands with us today a great gift of priceless value—a marked 
illustration showing superior results attained in the develop¬ 
ment of a fruit removed from its natural or original 
habitat. 
Now let me press on you the fact that out of unknown 
thousands of trees scattered along the gulf coast the actual 
conservative care and restriction to merit in the selections 
propagated that could not be surpassed. 
I am proud to know these nurserymen, as men who would 
scorn any expression or act that would induce the novice to 
plant a tree of unknown merit. Everyone now planting a 
pecan orchard must plant the best budded or grafted sorts. 
Still we who have reaped the benefit of so much seed planting 
should not altogether condemn the planting of selected 
known-seed—^remember, I do not recommend the planting 
of seed or seedling trees for orchard purposes, for it has 
brought a world of trouble to many who have; only this: 
where a seedling can grow undisturbed give it a chance 
to show its merits before removing, or top grafting. 
In our eager effort to promote the spread of improved 
trees, we should not overlook the value, quantity and quality 
of our lesser coast seedlings; as a whole they are far superior 
in size and quality to the general average of seedling nuts 
