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 commenting on their fine delicate favor. And in 1758, Le Page du Pratz, after eight years spent in exploring this territory, described the pecan very accurately, praised its flavor and value, and spoke of the Pecan Pralines made out of these kernels by French colonists.

A Favorite of Washington

How Washington first became acquainted with the pecan nut and its food value, we do not know; but we do know that DeCourset, brother of the famous botanist, who served under Washington, wrote that that great American “always had his pockets full of these nuts and he was constantly eating them.” Washington himself, in his diary, writes of planting around his place at Mt. Vernon several pecans which had been sent him, and when you visit Mt. Vernon you will find these three grand trees on the lawn southwest and east of the Mansion. Charles Sprague Sargent, director of the famous Arnold Arboretum in his report on “The Trees at Mt. Vernon,” calls attention to the fact that according to Washington’s Diary these trees were planted March 25, 1775, and are therefore, as far as known, the oldest of the trees planted by Washington. He shows that the height of these trees is respectively 97, 98 and 86 feet; placing them among the giant trees on the property, and says despite the fact that they are a hundred and fifty years old, “The Three Pecan trees are in good condition and unless blown over or injured by gales, probably have not lived out half their lives.”