Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-01-27
BIC MONEY IN PECANS.
The Little Brown Nuts Nuke Millions
of Dollars for Georgia.
CFroin the Atlanta Journal,

Af rom Int AlIdNta Jo0InHl,t
once upon time, runs the old nurs-
cry tale. boy found three nuts living
at the foot of a hill. They were brown.
ugly things, seemingly useless, but when
after a season they burst, one brous Int
forth n coach and six horses, one a cas-
tie, and one a bag of gold
The story has come true in Georgia
Not many years ago The pecan nut was
considered as something fit to crack
At Christmas time. but not more scri-
ously than that. To-day it is one of the
states most profitable resources AL
most unnoticed pecan orchards have
grown up until in southwest Georgia
they cover more than ten thousand
acres OF land ana contribute annually
something like s2,o1o,0to of wealth.
In the current issue of Progress. that
always vital and interesting monthly of
the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. is
told the history Of our pecan industry
1t reads liMc a fairy legend itself Tween
tv-seven years ago q. NJ Bacon. who
lives at the little village of De Witt.
twelve miles out from Albany, received
from a Texas kinsman a sack If pc
can nuts for the children. Most of them
We're eaten, but four of them were plant
cd along with collards and marigolds.
in the garden. They lay there FORGOTTEN
through the shifting Aprils and Octob-
crs until one day il was observed that
four babyish green shoots had climbed
into the sunlight These SEEDLINGS Mr..
Bacon dug mp and transplanted He is
now the president OF a company owning
1900 trees upon 700 acres, each n VERT
table bag of gold, One OF the four sturdy
pioneers still stands and each autumn
filings down its russell treasure with the
careless freedom of youth.
1t is estimated that the pecan Yields
500 an acre, net. Without the slightest
crowding twenty trees may be planted
to the acre, with ample room and soil
sustenance between the rows for cotton.
corn, peas or other crops. Each tree
bears twenty pounds Of nuts. The mar
ket price of paper-shell pecans through
out the United States Is 81 a pound.
Every acre thus has gross value to
its owner OF 500, so that the estimate OF
$2oo an acre is severaly conservative
Many men have grown rich through
utilizing apparent triiles. Here is an OPP
portunity for Georgia.
oven ten thousand acres of pecan
trees are already under cultivation near
Albany, and in various other quarters
they are coming to receive practical at
tention. Indeed investors from the East
and the West are buying Georgia land
specifically for this purpose. Tho tree
Is an easy-going sort, able to shift for
itself in almost any soil, frugal in It's
demands. long-livcd and prolific Its ad-
aptability TO climate Is shown by the
fact that several beautiful specimens are
now hourisning on Atlanta lawns where
they have been set primarily for this
charm Of their form and foliage.
Colonel Philip Cook, State treasurer
has planted pecan nut few paco
from his office window at the capitol
declaring that he intends II as his mon
ument 1t will be that and more, fol
when visitors look upon II they viii
behold a living symbol of a great Geor.
gia industry.