L. J. Cooper, President of the First National Bank of Waycross, Georgia, clearly states the whole proposition, when he says: “The pecan industry is in its infancy, but is being developed very rapidly in this immediate section. It is considered one of the safest industries in South Georgia, and the profit is O. K. once you get the trees in good bearing condition.”
Far-sighted business people are investing in pecan orchards because their investigation proves that the bearing pecan orchard is “one of the most profitable and permanent of agricultural investments.” See statement of Luther Burbank, the Edison of Agriculture on page [19].
Below is a table showing a conservative estimate of the probable yield of an acre orchard unit in this district. The figures are not guaranteed, but are to the best of our knowledge and belief accurate and authentic.
The first column in this table refers to the number of years from planting in the orchard units.
| Per tree, based on average records of varieties developed | Average yield per tree, nuts at 40c. a lb | Average income per tree | Income per unit | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4th year | a few nuts. | |||||
| 5th year | 2 to | 3 lbs. | 2½ | lbs. | $1.00 | $20.00 |
| 6th year | 4 to | 5 lbs. | 4½ | lbs. | 1.80 | 36.00 |
| 7th year | 7 to | 9 lbs. | 8 | lbs. | 3.20 | 64.00 |
| 8th year | 10 to | 12 lbs. | 11 | lbs. | 4.40 | 88.00 |
| 9th year | 18 to | 25 lbs. | 21 | lbs. | 8.40 | 168.00 |
| 10th year | 37 to | 50 lbs. | 43⅓ | lbs. | 17.33 | 346.60 |
| 15th year | 100 to | 150 lbs. | 125 | lbs. | 50.00 | 1,000.00 |
| 20th year | 150 to | 300 lbs. | 225 | lbs. | 90.00 | 1,800.00 |
J. R. Pinson, near our Mitchell Co. plantation, reports 685 pounds from 246 trees, an average of 2.8 pounds per tree, in the fifth year.
R. P. Jackson makes affidavit to a yield of 1,056 pounds the fifth year from his 259 pecan trees, or an average of 4¼ pounds per tree.
The Monticello Board of Trade, Monticello, Florida, directs attention to 95 trees of finest paper shell pecans owned by H. C. White, at Putney, Georgia, which bore 380 pounds of nuts in the sixth year.