Now, are the problems of those who are interested in nuts more like those of the peach or the delphinium grower? You probably have your own answer to that question. At least, answers are coming to your mind. To my way of thinking--though of course I may be wrong--the kind of problem that presents itself to the person who is interested in growing nuts is more like the type that presents itself to those who are interested in dahlias or delphiniums or sweet peas than the problems that present themselves to the pear or cherry grower. In other words, it seems to me as though the problems of the nut grower are essentially the problems of the amateur. That does not mean they are less important or less interesting than they would be were the industry on more of a commercial basis like peach growing.
About a year ago I was talking with Dr. Magness of the U. S. Bureau of Plant Industry and the discussion happened to turn to nuts. I knew that within the preceding six months Dr. Magness had covered most of the southern states where the pecan is grown commercially and had occasion to give considerable attention to the problems of the pecan industry. I asked, "What percentage of the commercial pecan growers at the present time are producing 1,000 pounds of cured nuts to the acre?" He replied, "Don't ask me what percentage. We can't talk about it in those terms. You can probably list on the fingers of one hand the growers who, year in and year out, are producing pecans at the rate of a thousand pounds to the acre, and certainly you can on the fingers of two hands." To me that was a rather striking statement. Dr. Magness may not have been entirely correct in his answer, but he was probably not far off. Anyway, the percentage of commercial pecan growers obtaining really large yields is extremely small. In the Pacific Coast States, a larger number and a larger percentage of the walnut growers regularly produce a thousand pounds of cured walnuts to the acre, though there are more who average 500 or 600 pounds. As yet, in any of our retail markets you may purchase first class named varieties of pecans at from 25c to 40c a pound. The same thing is true of English walnuts. If the cultivated varieties of the black walnut, hickory and the chestnut are to be put on the market in quantity, they will come into competition with the pecan, English walnut, almond and Brazil nut. This means that they must sell at comparable prices.