The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-10-07
PROFIT In PECAN TREES
AN ORANGEBURG MANS SUCCESS
IN NUT GROWING.
\ Visit to Capt. NJ. o. Dantzler's

A Visit to Capt. NJ. o. Dantzler's
Hardwood Farm Pecanway
Place, Near This City.
The beautiful city Of Orangeburg
nestles on the banks of the North
Edisto River, and hard by the north
ern limits of the city, is to be seen
one of the pretties hardwood farms
in the Southern States. "PecanWay
Place" is it's name and it is the
home of Capt. NJ. 0. Dantzler and
his excellent wife and children-an
ideal home, happy family On 1t
are growing one thousand budded
pecan trees that will return to their
owner, wit increasing certainty,
cents and dollars. There is no dead
wood on this place. Everything
seems to be growing, from the 900
little peacan trees in the nursery, to
the fields of corn, asparagus, pota-
toes, etc., all looking up; nothing
here looking down. No cotton
though. You might think that un-
orthodox in the heart of such
great cotton country, with cotton
to right and cotton to the left, plen-
ty of it everywhere; but the growing
of the heecy staple is escheWed on
"Pecanway Place."
Just 96 acres, that all. Go with
me, if you please, to this farm IN
the fall of 1900 when the present
owner bought it for $4,000. The
wiseacres pronounced him foolish;
this was extravaganza gone mad; 1t
wouldn't grow cow peas. In fact
there was nothing growing On it then
but nut grass, dewberry vines and
larkspurs. A few old dilapidated
outbuildings; a swamp in the centre
of it with a fish hole or two where
the boys from town caught hungry
pike, told the tale of negro renters
for thirty years. The redeeming fea-
lures were from 20 to 80 acres of
southern pines in the background and
five neglected live oaks in the one
time front yard. Nine short years
remind you of the past conditions ex-
cept the field of pine and the live
oaks, which a tree surgeons hands
have changed to their wanted condl-
ton of stateliness and grace.
|
There are now about 1000 budded
pecan trees growing on 40 acres Of
this place; a quarter dozen s-years
old and the balance from Z down to
2 years old. Five hundred are now
bearing commercially, though not a
yearly fortune as you will later on
perceive. The yield is estimated at
from 500 to 1000 pounds this year,
But what pecans! Four varieties,
the most delicious of which is
small nut with shell so thin and so
we'll filled that three pounds of them
will give you two pounds of meat.
Two of the varieties are very much
larger equally as well filed, with
shell not quite so thin. He has
but two trees of the other vari-
ETY., which is unknown to him, but
both trees are loaded with big nuts,
now nearly matured, and he is eX-
pecting great things from them.
Mr.. Dantzler thinks, however, that
a timid spirit ought to stay clear
of pecan culture, as the following
story will indicate. in the late win
ter of 1900, 500 guaranteed budded
| pecan trees were purchased from one
nursery and s from another after
investigation it was learned that the
500 trees were not budded, but seed
lings cut off at the water sprout
to deceive the ;uniilitialed; hence
these were remorsely dug up and
thrown away. This meant suit
against this nursery for recovery OF
| the purchase money, and also meant
years time lost in getting bear
ing orchard. This all happened when
the successful budding of the Pc
can was almost unknown and rare
accomplishment. If the owner or
"Pecanway Place" had then known
as much about budding this finest
of all nut trees as he does now, and
could have gotten but wood from
fine varieties, the 500 little seed
lings would have been budded, there
by saving him $500, or $500 for re-
placing them with budded trees. 1t
may be said that the suit Instituted
was won and Mr.. Dantzler undaunted
took up the work again and now
has, as indicated above, 1000 trees
growing where the name pests were
planted before.
In 1908 it was discovered that the
entire orchard was affected with a
fungus disease-Fusicladium effu-
sum. This was a blow so hard that
it would have staggered the timld
man. 1t was seen, day by day, that
this fungus or scab, was blackenlng
and shrivelling the new foliage and
the thousands of young nuts and
there was realized at harvest time
scarcely two bushels of matured nuts.
A bushel of these was sold in Or
angeburg for SIS.
The diseased condition of this
orchard was promptly reported to
the United States department CT field
investigation and in turn by that de-
tNSN