San Saba is not just another town with some pecan trees. When I was a kid, there was a HUGE banner over the main drag at the square. It said "Welcome to San Saba, Texas, Pecan Capital Of the World."

The soil conditions there are perfect for Pecans and there is an extremely high concentration of major commercial orchards.

Agriculturally the land in San Saba and to the south is hilly, rocky and brushy. It can serve as cattle land, but at a low stocking rate as compared to points east in Texas.

That same hilly, rocky, brushy country, OTOH, makes for very good hunting country. The value of that scraggly land is much higher than one would expect, almost solely based on its hunting value.

Much of the land to the north of San Saba makes better pasture land and better fields for growing feed. This makes for some cattle production, but sucks hind teat as compared to the money generated from pecans and hunting.

Yes, my grand dads place on the blanco river was a cattle ranch, but did have some very nice stands of native pecans. Native pecans have minimal commercial value. San Saba has orchard after orchard full of grafted paper shell trees of many popular varieties.

Unfortunately on my end of the state where are cattle stocking rates are drastically higher than San Saba, we can't really grow pecan trees. For them to do well requires rich top soil to a minimum level of about six feet with good soil drainage below that. The top soil on my place, although rich has clay about 14 to 18 inches deep. Making for great grass production, but won't support pecan trees.

I hope none of the cattlemen that I know don't ever hear you say that they look like a dirt farmer or a pecan farmer.

BTW, if you use the word pee-can in San Saba they won't know what you're talking about. There it's pa-con.