Daily camera., 1897-12-31
BOOM IN PECAN NUTS.
Southwestern Texas Is Doing a
Great Business in Them.
EThis Years Crop the Largest In Many
years-HOw They Are Handled by
the Mexicans who Prepare
Them for Market.

Not much is heard GDOu. the pecan
nut. not even here in southwest Texas,
where it grows wild and, in favorable
seasons, is harvested in great abun-
dance. The pecan nut has always had
a good market value, but it is only with.
/, Jn, the past few years that shipments
have been made from here to eastern
and northern markets. These ship
lAments were at first small, but the deal
.rs have found the profits so satisfac-
tory that their scale of buying is in
creasing each year, and carload ship
ments have now become common. 1t
requires considerable capital to handle
pecans in carload lots, and for this rea-
son, the small dealer is at q disadvantage
compared with the more wealthy cot
ton broker who makes pecan buying
a side issue to his regular business.
The profits are certain and the pecan
nuts are obtained with no difficulty.
The nuts are Brought into the city
from all parts of the surrounding
country by small farmers, small boys
lSnd professional Mexican pecan pick
ers They are sold to the local dealers
q ,at low prices, the pickers being salts
liied with very reasonable wages. Lo-
cal pecan dealers not only receive the
nuts from the above-named sources,
but also buy large quantities from the
small merchants of the little towns of
the surrounding country.
This years crop of pecans in south
west Texas is the largest in many
years, and several million pounds of THE
nuts will be exported and shipped to
\ the markets of this country before the
kseason closes. Before shipment is
. made from here the nuts are run
through an asserting sieve and then
classified according to size and thick
DEess of shell. The soft-sheil pecan COM
mands a much higher price than the
hard shell. The latter comes from a
long-lived tree, which also produces in
more abundance than the soft-shell
tree.
All the streams around San Antonio
are lined with pecan groves, and for
several weeks to come they will be
visited by parties of nut hunters. There
are few households in San Antonio in
which bountiful store of the nuts for
the coming winter will not be laid up.
Many poor Mexican families here make
the pecan kernels their primary article
of food during the fall and winter
months.
! The Mexican housewife is an adept
at preparing the kernels as delicious
table dishes. A kind of flour is made
from the dried kernels. This flour
makes a wholesome, finely-flavoreG
bread. The nuts are also made into de-
licious puddings and cakes. The Mex
lean pecan candyman is an old institu-
ton of San Antonio and is well remem-
bercd by tourists who visit San Antonio.
This is his busy season. He is now lay
ing in his stock of pecans and letting
them dry so that the work Of shelling
them can begin before the winter tour
ist travel starts this way. When the
nuts are thoroughly dried the kernels
Eeare removed in halves. They are then
made to form the principal part of n
most tempting and really delicious
candy. These Mexican candymen sell
|e~heir stock on the streets exclusively,
the tourists and healthseekers being
their best patrons. This sale of pecan
candy on the streets is a custom peculiar
to San Antonio. 1t is not to be seen
in any city of Mexico.
The Mexicans are experts in re1nov-
ing the kernels from the shell and quite
an industry is being built up here in
that work. 1t was, started in a some
what interesting manner. a local con-
fectioner sent to a friend in New York.
who was also in the confectionery busi-
ness, few pounds of'the pecan kernels
as present The NewYorB confection-
er then sent an order to his friend in
- San Antonio for 200 pounds of the Ker-
neis The recipient of the order Sc
cured the services of a number of Mex
leans, and the desired quantity of pure
meat kernels was quickly turned out
and shipped. This shipment led to
others, and the demand continues to
increase. Large shipments of kernels
are now made from San Antonio every
fall and winter to New York, Chicago,
st. Louis and other eastern and north
ern cities Fancy prices are obtained
for the kernels from the large confec-
tionery houses, and the profits are
large. The labor employed there is in
expensive. An attempt was made re-
Gently to remove the kernels by means
Of a machine, but it was quickly found
that the Mexicans performed the work
more satisfactorily and cheaply than
the machine.
The polishing of the pecan nut is also
growing industry here. The nuts
command a trifie better price when the
remnants of bark are removed and their
surface polished The polishing is
done BY placing the nuts in large
cylinder, which is revolved rapidly
Tile pecan tree flourishes in every part
CT southwest Texas, wherever its roots
can reach water or moisture. The
profits in raising the nuts are so large
that all the groves now in existence are