ment by Prof. Craig was sufficient to induce northern
capitalists to begin developing the Albany district on a commercial
scale and several companies entered the field planting many thousand
acres to be sold in units. As an evidence of the lack of faith on the
part of local land owners let me say that a few weeks ago I read the
original contract between one of the pioneer development companies and
the gentleman from whom they bought their land. This contract was dated
early in 1908 and provided for the sale on time payments of several
thousand acres of land closing with the limitation that unless as much
us 100 acres of this land were planted in pecans and sold in 1920 the
contract was to be null and void. As a matter of fact this company
developed and sold about 4500 acres in less than five years. They have
long since retired as developers and give their entire time to the care
of their immense orchards and the sale of their nuts which annually run
around two hundred thousand pounds.

More than one of these pioneer development companies found themselves in
financial difficulties due to the fact that they had sold their orchards
too cheaply. Pecan growing is expensive, much more so than the average
man thinks and the pecan orchards in the Albany district today that do
not meet the expectations of their owners are mostly those that suffered
for lack of money. Those companies with financial resources and
intelligent horticulturists have developed orchards that are a source of
perennial pleasure and profit to their owners.

The cultivated paper shell pecan is as superior to the wild seedling as
is American gold to Mexico's money. These wild seedlings are small in
size artificially colored a bright red and have a sharp, astringent
taste and have a commercial value only because they are used to lower
the price of mixed nuts.

When the average man hears the word "pecan" be instantly thinks of the
bitter red little nut which is ever present in the supply of Christmas
goodies but which is religiously culled and fed to the glowing grate.
Mr. Average Man never even heard of the southern paper shell pecan. In
fact, up to the present time, the demand has far exceeded the supply and
but little if any effort has been made to develop new markets. I think
it a conservative estimate that not ten per cent of our population have
ever tasted a paper shell pecan.

The paper shell pecan is our national nut and its only competition in
the