El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-25
TEXAS PECAN CROP.
Usually Worth $5OO,OOO A Year
But Will Be Less This Year.

In q single week one-half of the
pecan crop in Texas was killed by the
pest known as the webwOrn, and COM
monty called the caterpill ars, says a-San
Antonio dispatch to the Globe Demo-
crat. Reports are still coming in to
the effect that the worms have invaded
the remaining counties.
1t has been many years since the
web-worm has infested the pecan crop
of Texas, and when the crop was at
tackled this year the work was done so
swiftly that the people could not get
advice as to how to handle the pests In
time to check the ravages. AS a re-
suit, the pecan crop of what 1s known
in the pecan world as the San Antonio
valley, is total loss, and the trees
themselves so badly Injured rs to affect
their production next year.
The web-wOrm put IN its appearance
in this section six weeks ago. 1t was
first noticed at work defoliating the
MESQUITE brush. The movement of
the pest was like the slow, irresistible
forward march of an army, cutting q
pat through the groves two and three
miles wide, and moving uniformly for
ward. The people who owned the
pecan groves stood helpless and saw
the despoliation of their trees go on
before their eyes. Neither spraying
with water nor the use of smoke or fire
made any perceptible impression on
the pests, while a fear of poisoning
the nut proven ted the use OF the effec-
tive method OF spraying with poison.
The pecan crop of southwest Texas
is very valuable element in it's com
MERGE. The destruction of the crop in
this vicinity means a serious loss to a
numb Der of people who make consider
able money off the sale of nuts grown
hi 1ov a hi VI ".
pected that in the natural course of
things the crop would be q very heavy
one. And doubtless it would have
been but for the appearance of the
Usually every alternate
year the pecan crop is heavy. Last
year it was light and this was the year
for it to have been heavy one.
The pecan crop of Texas amounts
usually to $500, 900. The nuts are gath
cred in their natural groves along the
San Antonio. Sabinal, Nueces and
Guadalupe river bottoms, and bring an
average price of AZ cents per pound in
car load lots, with variation of cent
higher or lower as the crop happens to
prove plentiful or scarce. San Anton
10 alone handles about 200 car loads
at an average price of 81 900 per car.
One firm alone purchases between $780,
900 and S35. 600 worth of pecans annu-
ally, ana employs 0VO people oeI"eeH
October Is aud March l to shell this
vast amount of nuts.
The shelled pecan Ia extensively used
in the manufacture of confectionery. It
finds q ready sale in the North and
East, aud is rapidly working into favor
in the European countries. While this
popular nut is found growing in all of
the Southern states and in northern
Mexico, it is at its best only in limited
portions of the state of Texas. The
Texas pecan Is not as large as the
nut, but it possesses more
delicate flavor and has more uniform
~ perfect kernel. The Mexican pecan
is more plentiful than the Texas nut.
and can be placed on the market for
less money, but because of its very hard
shell and insipid flavor has little de-
mand.
San Antonio, the centre of the pecan
is also the pioneer of the pecan
candy industry. It is the favorite can
dy of the Mexicans, and nearly every
important corner of the quaint old city
forms the market stand of some Old
Mexican candy man with his crude
stand, from which he sells his "pepito-
rias" and "melacoche, the two most
popular forms OF pecan candy.