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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
EDITORIAL WANDERINGS 
The Coming of the South 
A journey from Ithaca to North Florida during the latter 
part of January and the early part of February revealed the 
fact that the cold wave which was then blanketing the New 
England and Northeastern states was exceedingly widespread 
in area and influence. It usually follows that a cold winter 
in the North means a proportionate lowering of temperature 
in the South. A letter from a friend in Ottawa, Canada, 
recently^ says that they are experiencing the coldest winter in 
fifty years.- While no severe damage has resulted in the 
South from the low temperatures, nevertheless weather has 
been continuously and markedly cooler than usual. In the 
vicinity of Washington the amount of ice noticed was excep¬ 
tionally large. For instance, it is unusual to find the Potomac 
River frozen from bank to bank, as is the case at this writing. 
In the hotels in Georgia and Florida, one finds the heaters 
in the rotundas of the hotels and the fireplaces in the homes 
very popular places of resort. The fact that these fireplaces 
are more cheerful than satisfying is also impressed upon the 
visitor from the North. The region in which steam-heated 
houses are found is gradually widening its boundaries. 
The periodical visitor to the South cannot fail to notice 
increasing activity in all agricultural lines. This activity is 
more pronounced than in other lines of industrial effort. 
The crop situation from the farmer’s standpoint is somewhat 
unsettled in the Gulf States, especially with reference to 
cotton. There are two factors affecting this. One is the 
steady and apparently uncontrollable approach of the boll 
weevil from the Southwest; the other is the comparatively 
low price of cotton at the present time. These two causes 
conspire to lessen the cotton area, and it is probable that much 
less cotton will be planted the coming season than last year, 
or in recent years. The southern farmer is properly and 
profitably considering diversification of crops. He is finding 
that good profits are securable from the cultivation of cow- 
peas for seed and for hay, of oats, of com, velvet beans, and in 
some sections wheat and Irish potatoes. The cultivation of 
truck crops where irrigation is feasible in South Georgia is 
being attempted on a somewhat experimental scale. Of 
course cantaloupes and watermelons are grown in south¬ 
eastern and southwestern Georgia to a considerable extent. 
The interested agricultural visitor leams that land is 
steadily increasing in value. He also notices that more than 
incipient attempts are being made to boom farm lands in 
certain sections. These efforts are usually backed by non¬ 
resident promoting companies. They are.-much to be 
deplored. Nothing will injure the country more seriously 
than campaigns of this sort. Land values are more or less 
fictitious at the best, but that region which has been developed 
on inflated valuation is sure to suffer serious reaction. The 
Pacific Northwest has suffered a boom and is now realizing 
its consequences. The people of the South are usually too 
ready to welcome outside promoters without reference to their 
status or standing. They forget that the land promoter is 
after money first, and not so seriously interested in the 
upbuilding of the country as his enthusiastic statements 
imply. 
Special Industries 
Prominent among the special crop enterprises of the 
country, particularly of South Georgia and North Florida, 
is the growing of pecan trees and the establishment of pecan 
orchards. The growing of trees during the past years has 
made a good deal of money for a good many nurserymen, and 
unquestionably the next five years will prove a profitable 
period for these same men. Whether the business will be 
overdone after that is a question that is likely to be answered 
on the affirmative side. Orchardists who are planting the 
trees are as hopeful of making money from the nuts in the 
future as the nurserymen are sure about making money out 
of the propagation of the stock in the present. The next ten 
years will develop an interesting story in both of these lines. 
Southwest Georgia is the scene of large pecan enterprises 
promoted by companies good, bad, and indifferent. Some 
of these are of the most pronounced promoting types, while 
others have the interest of the purchaser, as well as the inter¬ 
est of the enterprise itself, closely at heart. Both South 
Georgia and North Florida are the regions of greatest activity 
in pecan nursery propagation, and in pecan orcharding. 
Some of these companies are unquestionably unreliable. 
They are backed by neither knowledge nor experience, and 
are stimulated by merely a hungry desire for money. In our 
judgment their status and standing would be a proper subject 
for investigation by the United States Post Office Depart¬ 
ment. 
Among the regions which have shown greatest activity 
in orchard planting are Monticello, Florida, in the northern 
tier of counties of that state, Albany and vicinity, Georgia. 
In Monticello probably six thousand acres have been set out 
to pecan orchards in the last four or five years, while it is 
probable that the nurseries in that vicinity have an output of 
between three and four hundred thousand pecan trees per 
year. A single nursery this year has grafted over sixty 
thousand stocks, which, of course, is a small number as com¬ 
pared with peach and other fruits, but an exceedingly large 
number for these relatively expensive trees. In the vicinity 
of Albany, it is safe to say that over fifteen thousand acres 
have been planted during the same period. The orchards in 
the main are being intelligently cared for, but as stated above, 
the industry as a whole is suffering from the influence of 
irresponsible boomsters. 
The Peach Industry in Georgia 
Ten years ago South Central Georgia was the scene of 
great activity in peach planting. Thousands of acres were 
set out. Some of these orchards have been profitable, and 
some have not. Transportation difficulties, picking and 
packing expenses and troubles, and climatic vicissitudes have 
