The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-12-24
The BIGGEST PECAN GROVE.
10000 Trees Are Growing on a
Farm in South Carolina.

Probably few people here know that
the largest grove of pecan nut trees in
the world grows and bears fruit in
Charleston County, but such is the
fact. The grove is located in Christ
Church parish, near the town of Mount
Pleasant and is owned by Mr.. John S.
Horlbeck, who has cultivated the
trees to their present state of valuable
and increasing production from seed
lings.
The grove covers 500 acres of land
and contains 10000 trees. It is a
veritable forest of great trees, for the
pecan grows to large size and is rich
of foliage. It would be almost days
Journey to ride over the whole grove
and it is no short way through it in
straight path.
The cultivation of this grove was
begun by Mr.. Horlbeck ten years ago,
though he had previous to that time
given considerable attention to the
growing of the nuts. For decade he
has carefully and scientifically devel-
oped his trees, by systematic selection
and treatment until now he has fruit
bearing tract of the greatest extent in
the world. The trees are just begin
ming to bear large return and every
year from now on their production will
increase until at the age Of fifty years
they will reach their full fruiting.
]. The pecan trees require a lot of at
tention. They were planted, first as
seedlings grown in forcing beds and
then carefully set out in she open.
Since then they have been fertilized,
selected, pruned, grated and treated
with the same diligence and skill re-
quired of a grove Of oranges until they
have have been brought to their pre-
sent state of high cultivation and rich
commercial promise. And they will
have to be cultivated always to keep
them up to the high grade they hold,
though of course, they will not in the
future require such careful nurture as
they have demanded up to this time.
The pecans are first planted in a
nursery and after two years are trans
planted to the permanent grove. They
are then cultivated with fertilizer as
other crops and are carefully watched
as to their development. Generally
hardy stock is planted and on this
select stock is grated. The grating
is the most difficult Of all fruit bear
ing trees and in some cases after it
has apparently taken we'll there appears
reversion to the original stock af-
ter the trees reach mature growth.
Not all of the trees, however, are graft
ed. The pecans are attacked by cater
pillars with avidity, and it is necessary
during the spring when the cater
pillars appear to spray their foliage to
save them from the ravages of the
worms.
At present Mr.. Horlbeck's grove is
bearing very well, but~it is just begin
ming to return him a profit on his in
vestment. The product of these varies.
A full grown tree will produce from
six to ten barrels Of nuts, but this is
far beyond what is being done by Mr..
Horlbeck's trees now.
There is greater demand for his pecan
nuts upon Mr.. Horlbeck than he
can supply. The local market will take
up all he can furnish now and the or
dinary nuts bring him Is cents a
pound, while the fancy grades will
return as high as 81 pound. The
chief market for pecans is in New
York, and as his product increases Mr..
Horlbeck expects to ship large quanti-
ties to that place.
The nuts are gathered in the fall and
they are beaten from the trees with
sticks, care being taken not to injure
the nches.-Charleston Post.