Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1881 — A Walnut Story. [ARTICLE]

A Walnut Story.

The smartest Texan, and, in fact, the smartest farmer I have ever met, is old Sim Grave, who lives on a 1,900 acre farm west of Waxahatchie in Central Texas. After Mr. Graveshad shownjne his cattle and cotton, he took me over to see his woods. “Well, what of-it?” I said, as he pointed to a ten acre forest. I “What of it? Why, them’s black' i walnuts, sir. Ten aeresof’em. Plant- I ed ’em myself, ten yean ago. Bee, they’re nine inches through. Good trees, eh?” . And sure enough there were ten I acres of hand planted black walnut I trees. They stood about 12 feet apart, 1200 to the acre—in all 2,000 trees. I “Well, how do you get your money back?” tasked.

•‘Black walnuts are worth $2 50 a bushel, ain’t they? I’ll get 400 bushels this year. That’s SI,OOO. A hundred dollars an afire is good rent for I land worth sls an acre, ain’t it?” “Well, what else?” I enquired, growing interested. . „ “The trees,” continued Mi. Graves, “are growing an inch a year. When I they are 20 years old they will be 19 inches through. A black walnut tree 119 inches through is worth $25. My 12,000 trees ten years from now will be I worth $50,000. If I don’t want to cut I them a*! I can cut half of them, and I then raise a bushel of walnuts to the I tree—that is, get $2,500 a year for the I crop. Two hundred and fifty dollars an acre is a fair.rent for sls land, ain’t ' it ?”—CAioapo TWbune.