Reminiscing and Pecans

I was out shredding weeds in the burro pasture and decided the pecan trees there were worth mentioning.  The ~4 acre field was my first real vegetable/orchard site.  To add to our 5 acre home site, I bought adjacent 70 acres primarily to get the good soil in the 4 acre field.  That was about 1981 after we had moved to Dale in 1976.  Up to 1981 I was an Austin commuter.  Starting about 1985 I was a farmer.  In that 4 acre field I planted tomatoes, blackberries, peaches, potatoes, and pecans.  The pecans are all that remain.  I learned pecan grafting from the Extension Service, planted some seedling pecans, then grafted them to Desirable a year or two later.  So, the pictured pecans are about  35 years old as of 2019.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/grkJYGMpmGA3K8nY6

The first photo is the field circa 1982 before the pecans were noticeable or maybe before they were planted.  The second two photos are from 2019.

Though the pecan trees thrived, I have not harvested a single nut.  Due to crows, squirrels, and lack of motivation.  I did lose a couple of the trees near the top of the hill (closest to the barn) where the sand is thinner.

My grandfather, father of my mother, planted, then grafted pecans on his Red River farm.  Probably around 1910; perhaps before.  In my memory, from around 1950, those trees were enormous; the whole family looked forward to a good pecan harvest every couple of years.  That was a real orchard of 100 or more trees; I think my row was about 11.  The Red River trees are near the river, withing a few hundred yards.  They were not closely spaced and mostly provided shade for grazing cattle.

One story told about my grandfather was that he would come upon a water moccasin sunning on tree trunk, partially submerged in the river, grab him by the tail, and pop his head off as with a bullwhip.  It always sounded implausible to me.

Here are some photos of "the big barn" under construction around 1983.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/uFCwZ1LyzgRx12X5A

The barn is south of the field, about 100 yards or so.  At the top of a hill and located on poor soil.  As one moves north away from the barn through the field, the sand gets increasingly deep.  That is, better.