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