The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-08-15
PROFITS IN PECAN GROWING.
Agricultural Expert Shows Value Of
Nut Culture.

Washington, Aug. For many
years it has been the constant en-
deavor of the federal department of
agriculture to instill in the minds Of
the agriculturists of the country the
necessity for diversifcation of crops
and to have them realize the import
ance of nut and fruit growing, which
not only prove interesting, but if
properly handled most profitable.
Among the nuts which could be
grown with profit in almost all Sec
tons of the United States is the Pc
can.
When C. A. Reed, special agent in
nut-culture Investigations in the de-
partment of agriculture, was asked
to-day to tell something of the pecan
tree culture and the possibilities of
proft-sharing in this industry, he
said:
THE pecan is one of the most i'm
portant Of the nut-bearing trees now
grown in the United Staes, and
within the area thought to be adapted
to it's culture no other agricultural
or horticultural product which has
appeared during recent years is at
tracing greater attention or being
more widely exploited. It was not
found by the early botanists nearer
the Atlantic coast than western Ala
bama in the South and central Ten
nessee and Kentucky in the North,
but with the progress Of agriculture
in the South the species have been
carried eastward and widely distrib-
uted with apparent success over the
eastern Gulf and South Atlantic
States. 1t has also been sparingly in
troduced into many Of the Northern
States, including Ohio, Michigan, New
York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Della
ware, New Jersey, and to slight ex-
tent into the lower New England
States. In the West it has received
but little attention. A few planted
trees may be found here and there
from Washington to southern Cali
fornia, but pecan growing has not
become an important industry west
of the Rocky mountains.
"The figures of pecan production,
according to the census of 1910, have
not yet been published, but from es-
Inmates made by a number of whole
salers the annual crop of the State
of Texas alone during the past i've
years has ranged from 1875 to $50
carloads, or from 3,645,000 to H.
$4,000 pounds. The prices to the
producer have ranged from to 16
cents a pound. During the past FIVE
years the average mid-season price
has been from 7 to cents a pound.
Estimates derived from the same
source indicate that, beginning with
Louisiana, next to Texas in quantity
of production, and ending with Indi-
ana and Illinois, each producing
about ten cars, the remainder of the
average crop is apportioned among
the other pecan-producing States in
about the following order: Louisi-
ana. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas,
and Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Mississippi, Indiana and Illinois.
Commercially speaking, orchard
grown pecans have not yet been pro-
duced in sufficient quantities to affect
the general market to an appreciable
degree. The demand for pecans of
the named varieties created by nur-
serymen for use as samples, or by
fancy confectioners, tourists and oc-
casionally by seedsmen, has caused
very wide range in prices which can
not be expected to reach a normal
basis until the cultivated nuts reach
the general market in sufficient guam
titles to compete fairly with wild
nuts. At the present time practically
the entire American consumption
comes from Mexico