| Historically, the native American pecan nut | | | | promoter and planter of agricultural crops, |
| tree was one of the most significant plant | | | | plants, shrubs, and trees. When Thomas |
| discoveries that positively influenced U.S. | | | | Jefferson was appointed as the chief American |
| agriculture and commercial food production to | | | | representative in France, he understood that |
| provide a nut product, highly nutritious, | | | | to become a great nation, the young American |
| inexpensive to produce, and with a delicate | | | | republic must research and develop colonial |
| distinctive flavor, unrivaled by any other | | | | agriculture. Thomas Jefferson introduced many |
| nut. The pecan nut was well known by the | | | | at the time unknown crops in the United |
| early American Indian tribes as a food source | | | | States, such as grains, vegetables, fruit |
| for the American Indian families, and the | | | | trees, berry bushes, nut trees, grapevines, |
| Indian hunters knew that during the fall and | | | | and a host of perennial bushes, trees, and |
| winter, when the pecan nuts fell to the | | | | flower bulbs. Not only did President Thomas |
| ground, this collectible food source also | | | | Jefferson develop his personal garden and |
| attracted hungry wildlife, such as duck, | | | | orchard, but he arranged for shipments to be |
| deer, squirrels, and a host of other animals | | | | received by colonists and planters along the |
| that were hunted and eaten by the Indians. | | | | Eastern Seaboard. President Jefferson created |
| Although the pecan nut tree is native to the | | | | much good will in European capitals by |
| flood plains along the Mississippi River, and | | | | supplying them with exports of tobacco seed, |
| normally did not occur as a native tree in | | | | citrus trees, American native nut trees, and |
| the Eastern United States, the American | | | | native grapevines such as the muscadine and |
| Indians soon learned that seedling (wild) | | | | scuppernong grape vines. |
| pecan nuts would sprout and form bearing | | | | |
| trees, when they explored and visited tribes | | | | Jefferson left extensive records in writings |
| further East. There are gigantic notable | | | | of his from the State of Virginia: "Note on |
| seedling trees of pecan that presumably were | | | | the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson 1787, |
| planted by the American Indians that today | | | | #VI, A notice of the mines and other |
| are hundreds of years old, predating the | | | | subterranean riches; its trees, plants, |
| arrival of the early American pioneers. | | | | fruit, etc." Thomas Jefferson noted that in |
| Archaeological excavations from Baker's Cave, | | | | his orchard he had planted pecan trees, Carya |
| near Val Verde County, Texas, reveal that | | | | illinoinensis. |
| pecan nuts and pecan leaves were discovered | | | | |
| in association with human relics that date to | | | | It is very interesting that Thomas Jefferson |
| at least 3000 B.C., and perhaps as old as | | | | referred to the pecan, Carya illinoinensis, |
| 6000 B.C. This American archaeological | | | | as "Paccan, or Illinois nut. Not described by |
| evidence strongly suggests that the pecan nut | | | | Linnaeus Millar or Clayton. Were I to venture |
| was one of nature's earliest sources of | | | | to describe this speaking of the fruit from |
| recorded food use by Native Americans | | | | memory, and of the leaf from plants of two |
| Indians. – that may even predate | | | | years growth, I should specify it as the |
| recorded food use by Europe, Asia, or even at | | | | Juglans alba, foliolis lanceolatis, |
| the ancient Egyptian pyramids. | | | | acuminatis, serratis, tomentosis, fructu |
| | | | minore, ovato, compresso, vix insculpto, |
| Early American historical records show that | | | | dulci, putamine, tenerrimo. It grows on the |
| pecan nut trees were offered for sale at | | | | on the Illinois, Wabash, Ohio, and |
| America's first nursery that was established | | | | Mississippi. It is spoken of by Don Ulloa |
| in Flushing, New York, in 1737, by the | | | | under the name of Pacanos, in his Noticias |
| founder, Robert Prince. It is well known that | | | | Americanas. Entret. 6." |
| General George Washington visited this | | | | |
| nursery, and that the famous explorers, Lewis | | | | Jefferson referenced Dr. Clayton of Virginia |
| and Clark, brought back seed and collected | | | | as "our great botanist whose published book, |
| plants from their Western explorations, to | | | | Flora Virginiea, by Gronovius press at Leyden |
| supply future shrubs and trees to the Prince | | | | in the year 1762." Thomas Jefferson praised |
| Nursery in New York. | | | | Dr. Clayton as spending his life describing |
| | | | and exploring plants. "Dr Clayton enlarged |
| John Bartram, an associate of Benjamin | | | | the botanical catalog almost as much as any |
| Franklin, both from Philadelphia, Penn., | | | | man that had lived, including Linaeus." |
| collected pecan nut trees for their personal | | | | |
| nut and fruit tree orchards. The famous | | | | Thomas Jefferson had a great interest in |
| American explorer and botanist, William | | | | other nuts and nut trees besides the pecan |
| Bartram, son of John Bartram, set out in | | | | nut trees, Carya illinoinensis, that he |
| 1773, financed by English noblemen, to | | | | recorded. |
| collect plants and to write a book, Travels, | | | | |
| concerning the native trees and plants, and | | | | "Black walnut, Juglans nigra, White walnut, |
| to research the habitat of the American | | | | Juglans alba, Chestnut, Fagus cestaneas, |
| Indians in the abandoned territories of the | | | | Chinquapin, Fagus pumila, Hazlenut, Corylus |
| Spaniards, after Spain was defeated by the | | | | avellana, almonds." |
| English warships. In William Bartram's book, | | | | |
| Travels, he noted, page 437, that two large | | | | "Scaly bark hiccory, Juglans alba cortice |
| pecan nut trees were observed by him to be | | | | squamose, Clayton, common hiccory, Juglans |
| growing in a garden at Mobile, Alabama. | | | | alba, fructu minore rancido, Clayton." |
| Bartram in his Travels book also wrote | | | | |
| prolifically about various other nuts and nut | | | | A few great American forefathers had a |
| trees such as chestnut trees native to | | | | permanent influence on the development of nut |
| America. Castanea, "Hiccory" (Hickory Trees), | | | | tree commerce enriching the farmers and the |
| "Juglans exaltata" (Hazelnut American), | | | | world of agriculture. The names of Robert |
| Corylus, also called the American filbert, | | | | Prince, Benjamin Franklin, Lewis and Clark, |
| "Juglans hickory" (Black Walnut), "Juglans | | | | George Washington, John and William Bartram, |
| nigra." | | | | and Thomas Jefferson, reside in the annals of |
| | | | agricultural fame of the United States. |
| President Thomas Jefferson was an important | | | | |