The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-10
TEXAS PECAN CROP.
Usually Worth 100000 Year. But
WIN Be Less This Year.

San Antonio, Tex, Aug. 10.-In a sim
gle week one-haIf Of the pecan crop in
Texas was killed by the pest known as
the web worm, and commonly called the
caterpillar Reports are still coming
in to the effect that the worms have
invaded the remaining counties.
It has been many years since the web
worm has infested the pecan crop OF
Texas, and when the crop was attack
ed this year the work was done so swift
" that the people could not get advice
as to how to handle the pests IN time
to check the ravages. As result the
pecan crop of what is known in the Pc
can world as the San~ Antonio valley is
a total loss, and the trees themselves
so badly injured as to affect their pro-
ductiOn next year.
The web worm put in its appearances
in this section six weeks ago. 1t was
first noted at work defoliattng the mes
quite brush. The movement of the pest
was like the slow, irresistible FORWARD
march of an army, cutting a pain
through the groves two and three miles
wide, and moving uniformly forward
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 percep-
tibIe impression on the pests, while q
fear of poisoning the nut prevented the
use of the effective method of spraying
with poison
The pecan crop of southwest Texas is
a very valuable element in its COM
MERGE The destruction of the crop in
this vicinity means serious loss to a
number of people who make consider
able money off the sale of nuts grown
on their lands. This year 1t was eX-
pected that in the natural course OF
things the crop would be a very heavy
one. and doubtless it would have been
but for the appearance of the caterp1l-
lars. Usually every alternate year the
pecan crop is heavy. Last year It was
light and this was the year for it to
have been a heavy one.
The pecan crop of Texas amounts
usually to $780, 900. The nuts are gath
cred in their natural groves along the
San Antonio Sabinal, Nueces and Qua
dalupe river bottoms and bring av-
erage price of Az cents per pound in
ear load lots, with a variation of lie per
pound higher or lower as the crop hap
pens to prove plentiful or scarce. san
Antonio alone handles about 200 car
loads at an average price of $1,000 per
car. One firm alone purchases between
$50, 600 and $4,000 worth of pecans an
nually, and employs 300 people between
october Is and March to shell this
vast amount of nuts.
The sheIled pecan is extensively used
in the manufacture of confectlonerles-
It finds a ready sale in the north and
east, and 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 it's best only in limited
portions of the state of Texas. The
Texas pecan is not as large as the Lou
isiana nut but it possesses a more deli
cate flavor and has a more uniformly
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-
Inand.
San Antonio, the center Of the pecan
market, is also the pioneer of the pecan
H11 60 rrars7+e
candy 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
sspepitorias'' and "melacoche,'' the two
most popular forms of pecan candy.