Prof. H. E. Van Deman recommends Stuart, Van Deman, Money-maker
     and Pabst for the Lower Mississippi Valley.

     LOUISIANA.--S. H. James, Mound, La., has found Money-maker,
     Stuart, Van Deman and Pabst, in the order named, best for his
     section. He says that Money-maker is extremely hardy, having
     withstood 20° below zero in Illinois, without injury.

     Wm. Nelson, New Orleans, La., strongly recommends Frotscher and
     Centennial for his section.

     B. M. Young, Morgan City, La., is planting Stuart, Russell and
     Young for commercial orchard.

     TEXAS.--E. E. Risien, San Saba, Tex., says that San Saba is
     more in demand than any other variety he has. It succeeds well
     in his section. He recommends as well, Texas Prolific,
     Colorado, Kincaid, Atwater, Concho and others.

     E. W. Kirkpatrick, McKinney, Tex., President National
     Nurserymen's Association, regards Stuart, Russell, Pabst and
     Money-maker as valuable for his section. Good results have been
     secured with Hollis and Wolford.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS.

From careful observations, we believe that a list of varieties
comprising Stuart, Georgia, Money-maker, Pabst, Success, Frotscher, Van
Deman and Russell of the larger sorts will be found to contain varieties
which will prove satisfactory in most locations. To these we must add
Schley, San Saba, Curtis and a number of other medium-sized or small
varieties of unsurpassed quality.

When about to plant in a given region, study the local conditions, visit
the local trees or orchards, and upon these a conclusion may be based
which is not likely to lead the prospective planter into very great
error.

CHAPTER X.

PURCHASING AND PLANTING PECANS.

Since, in most cases, the trees are to be set in late autumn and early
winter, the trees should be purchased in late summer and early autumn.
Do not leave the purchasing of the trees until the last week, or the
last minute, before planting, but buy in good season, i. e., several
months before planting time. Too many forget about the trees until the
time for setting them out has come, and not infrequently the matter is
forgotten until after the season for planting is long since past.

The number of varieties in the commercial orchard should not be large.
No greater mistake can be made than that of planting a few trees each of
a large number of different varieties. Four or five, at most, are
sufficient; got fewer varieties, rather than more.

Trees can be purchased in two ways: They can be secured direct from the
nurserymen (usually by catalogue), or they can be purchased from agents.
By far most of the pecan trees are bought from the nursery, and by many
this method is preferred. If trees are secured from agents, be certain
that they are responsible persons, representing responsible firms; be
certain that they are properly accredited, i. e., have certificates to
show whom they represent, and if they have not these, then send them
off down the road, and the dog with them for company, if necessary. This
may seem to be harsh advice, but had it been followed by many purchasing
pecan trees in recent years, it would have been much to their advantage.
Plenty of seedling trees have been bought and planted in the belief that
they were good grafted or budded stock.

But agents, with all sorts of credits, have represented firms which were
not honest. Budded and grafted trees of certain well-known varieties of
pecans have been sold, which were not those varieties.

There is every reason to believe that scions have been taken from
ordinary seedling trees of any kind, inserted in stocks and sold for the
best varieties, and that a large number of trees have been substituted
and sold for what they were not. The prospective planter must depend
upon the honesty and integrity of the nurseryman, and should inform
himself on this point.

The National Nut Growers' Association has done no greater service to the
pecan industry than that which they have rendered in protecting the
public from fraudulent agents and nurserymen. Happy is the nurseryman
whose reputation for square dealing merits the trust and confidence of
tree-planters throughout the country.

COST OF NURSERY STOCK.

At present, the prices quoted for one and two year old stock of standard
varieties varies from 75 cents to $2.50 per tree, in small numbers, with
considerable reduction for trees in lots of one hundred or one thousand.
It is not improbable that these prices may be somewhat reduced within
the next decade, as greater efficiency is gained in propagating.

DETECTING BOGUS TREES.

How may budded or grafted trees be distinguished from ordinary seedlings
or from "doctored" seedling trees? Many people have purchased seedling
trees at a dollar or so per tree, under the supposition that they were
budded or grafted stock. It is well to know something of the
distinctions between them.

[Illustration: FIG. 27. External and Longitudinal Interior View of Bud
Union.]

If the trunks are straight and smooth, with bark uniform in appearance
throughout, the trees have not been budded or grafted, unless the point
of union is at the ground, and the trees having been grafted, and a
terminal bud on graft has grown. If the young trees have been budded,
the trunks will not be straight; a bend will be seen at the point where
the bud was inserted (see Fig. 27), and the scars of the union of the
veneer-shield or annular bud and the point at which the stock was cut
off will be distinctly noticeable. The bark above the point of union on
the grafted or budded stocks will be different from that below. There is
something characteristic about the color and appearance and the number,
size and shape of the lenticles of each variety of pecan, and while it
is impossible to describe this difference in appearance (it can only be
learned after a large amount of experience and observation), yet the
very striking difference between the seedling stock and the wood of the
variety worked upon, will serve as a useful index to the genuineness of
the trees in question.

If the trees have been grafted instead of budded, the same statement
will be true of the appearance of the bark. But the tree will be more
nearly or quite straight, and the marks and scars at the point of union
will be different. If the trees have been propagated by whip-grafting,
the scar will be shaped like the letter N, the scar on young trees
coming nearly or quite the whole distance across the stock. If the trunk
of a whip-grafted tree is split through the point of union, the N-shaped
mark in the form of a dark line may be distinctly made out, as shown in
the illustration. In trees propagated by cleft-grafting, the union scar
will be long, slim and V-shaped.

[Illustration: FIG. 28. External and Longitudinal Interior View of
Whip-graft Union.]

But to make the similarity between the bogus and genuine trees more
striking, the practice has been resorted to of scarring the stocks so as
to make them resemble the genuine article. This we have known to be
done, more particularly in the case of budded trees. Incisions were
made in the trunks of seedling trees to resemble those made in inserting
a veneer-shield or an annular bud. The incisions were made so as to
include a bud, and the top of the seedling tree was then cut off just
above the bud. A tree doctored in this way makes a very close imitation
of the real article, and the buyer needs to be on his guard. But the
appearance of the bark, as already noted, will serve as a guide. If in
doubt, it may be well to sacrifice a few trees and cut them carefully
open down to the pith just through the point of union. _If the trees
have been doctored, the tissues of the wood and the pith will be
continuous; but, if the trees are genuinely budded or grafted, the
tissues and pith will not be continuous._

[Illustration: FIG. 29. Annular bud growing (left). Split through same
union (center). A normal branch union (right). Pith non-continuous
(center); continuous (right).]

Finally, if still in doubt, send two or three trees to the botanist or
horticulturist of the Experiment Station of your State, and ask his
opinion.

PLANTING PECAN TREES.

Too often but slight attention is given to this important piece of work.
There is too frequently a disposition on the part of the person setting
trees of any kind to do the work as rapidly as possible without
consideration for the future welfare of the trees. Few realize that time
spent in careful, intelligent preparation of the soil and in setting the
trees is time well spent, and well paid for in the after development of
trunk and branch. Better a month spent in preparing the future home of
the young tree, than years of its life spent in an unequal struggle for
existence. More than that, the tree may die outright, and a year must
elapse before it can be replaced. It is generally stated that the pecan
is a slow grower, and yet I have seen trees from twelve to fourteen
years old which measured from thirty-five to fifty-seven inches in
circumference at the base, while under less favorable circumstances
others stood still for a period of six or seven years, or until they had
accumulated sufficient energy to overcome the untoward conditions of
their environments.

     _Time._ The best time to plant pecan trees is during the months
     of December, January and February. Planting should not be
     delayed until late in spring, as the percentage of loss will be
     very materially increased. Preference must be given to the
     earlier portion of the planting season, as the wounds on the
     roots will have had time to callous over, and the ground will
     be firmly packed about the roots by the winter rains. Then,
     with the opening of the growing season in spring, the trees
     will be ready to make a good, vigorous start.

     _Distance Apart._ The distance apart at which the pecan trees
     should be set must depend upon the character of the soil and
     the amount of fertility and moisture it contains. If planted
     too close, the trees may become their own worst enemies. Too
     close planting will not prove satisfactory. It is doubtful
     whether the trees should ever be planted closer than forty feet
     apart even on light lands, while on heavier soils this distance
     should be increased to sixty, seventy-five or eighty feet.

     TABLE OF DISTANCES

       DISTANCE.           NO. OF TREES         NO. OF TREES
                         Rectangular System.    Hexagonal System.
      40 x 40 feet.               27               31
      40 x 50  "                  21
      40 x 60  "                  18
      50 x 50  "                  17               19
      50 x 60  "                  14
      60 x 60  "                  12               13
      60 x 70  "                  10
      70 x 70  "                   8                9
      80 x 80  "                   6
     100 x 100 "                   4

     To find the number of trees that can be set on an acre for any
     distance, not given in the above table, multiply the distance
     apart in feet together and divide the product into 43,560, the
     number of square feet in an acre. The result will be the number
     of trees which can be put on an acre of ground.

PLANTING SYSTEMS.

For setting orchards a number of different systems may be used, but the
two best adapted to the pecan orchard, are the square or rectangular and
the hexagonal or septuple. If mixed plantings, such as pecans and
peaches, are to be made, then the quincunx system should be used and a
peach tree set in the center of the square or rectangle formed by every
four pecan trees.

     _Square or Rectangular System._ In this system is included only
     the methods of setting trees in rectangles, either square or
     oblong. It is by far the most commonly used of all the systems,
     and the ease with which a field can be laid off in rectangles,
     is greatly in its favor.

     The rows of trees intersect each other at right angles, and
     cultivation may be carried on conveniently either crosswise or
     lengthwise of the orchard. The planter has the choice of
     placing the trees the same distance apart both ways, or of
     planting them closer together in the rows than the distance
     between the rows.

[Illustration: FIG. 30. Rectangular Planting System.]

     It has been argued that space is not equally divided among the
     trees, and while this is apparently true, yet, on the other
     hand, the roots of pecan trees, in most cases, penetrate and
     permeate all the space allowed in ordinary distances. The roots
     will certainly secure all the food and moisture in the top two
     or three feet of soil.

     When trees are to be planted by this system, the stakes must be
     set so as to be exactly in line, whether viewed from the end or
     from the side of the field.

     _Hexagonal, Septuple or Equilateral Triangle System._ By this
     system, six trees are set equidistant from a seventh placed in
     the center. The basis of the system is not the square, but the
     circle, since the radius of the circle is approximately equal
     to one-sixth of the circumference of the circle. The name
     septuple, sometimes applied to this system, refers to the fact
     that the number of trees in each group-unit is seven.
     Equilateral triangle system refers to the planting of the trees
     in equilateral triangles, but is identical with the hexagonal
     or septuple.

[Illustration: FIG. 31. Hexagonal Planting System.]

     It is the only system whereby each tree is placed equally
     distant from each of its adjoining neighbors, and the only
     system which equally divides the space among the trees. By this
     method about fifteen per cent. more trees can be set per acre
     than by the rectangular.

     For permanent plantings, at regular distances, this system and
     the rectangular should be recommended before other systems.

LAYING OUT BEFORE PLANTING.

Level and smooth the ground, harrow and pulverize thoroughly, then
proceed to stake the ground off, placing a stake for every tree.

     _Laying Out Squares or Rectangles with the Plow._ If a good
     plowman can be secured, very satisfactory work can be done with
     the plow. In some cases a man can be found who needs nothing in
     the way of a guide, except two or three stakes. But with a
     sufficient number of stakes and a marker attached to the plow,
     good results can be secured by almost any plowman.

     Furrows should be run both lengthwise and crosswise of the
     field, their intersections marking the place where the trees
     are to stand. At each one set a stake.

     It is essential that a true, square corner should be secured.
     This may be done by sighting with an ordinary carpenter's
     square set upon three posts.

     _Laying Out in Rectangles with a Wire._ A wire, long enough to
     reach down one side of the field, should be provided. Stretch
     this straight out between two posts and mark off the distance
     which the trees are to stand apart, upon it. At each point
     marked, firmly twist a piece of small wire about the larger
     one. These should then be soldered in place. It will not do to
     have them shift. This wire may be rolled upon a roller when not
     in use.

     Measure off along both ends of the field and set small stakes
     on the tree rows, at the marked places on the wire. Tightly
     stretch the wire down the first tree row, attaching it firmly
     at the ground level to a pair of good, stout posts. Then plant
     a lath stake at each mark on the wire. Set all of them on the
     outside of the wire, so as not to interfere with moving it.
     When this row in completed, lift the end stake with the wire
     attached, stretch on the second row, set the stakes as before
     and repeat the operations until the work is completed.

     _Laying Out in Hexagons._ Stretch the wire down one side of the
     field and firmly set the tree stakes, or stake out the base
     line by any method, firmly setting a stake for each tree. Then
     procure two pieces of wire with rings at each end, the length
     of each wire and ring to be exactly the distance between the
     stakes as set on the base line. Stretch these wires out toward
     the side where the next tree row is to stand. At the point
     where the rings overlap set a stake for a tree. Remove wire
     number one and set it on the third stake in the base line,
     stretch the two tight and set a tree stake. Repeat as often as
     necessary. In setting the third row of stakes, use the second
     as a base line, and so on.

     _Planting the Trees._ After setting a stake for each tree, the
     ground is ready for digging the holes and setting the trees. A
     planting board, such as is shown in the accompanying
     illustration, should be provided. It is made of a piece of inch
     board, four or five inches wide and five feet long. The ends
     may be notched or holes may be bored in them. In the center of
     one side, a notch, one and a half inches deep, should be cut.
     Provide a large number of small wooden pins or sticks, about
     one foot long and well sharpened.

     When ready to dig a hole, place the planting-board so that the
     notch in the side fits against the tree stake. Then place one
     of the small pins in each of the holes or notches at the ends
     of the board. Allow these to remain in the ground. Remove the
     board and the tree stake and dig the hole.

[Illustration: FIG. 32. Planting-Board.]

     The hole should preferably be dug just before setting the tree.
     In some cases, however, it may be necessary to have all the
     holes dug in advance. Make them wide and deep, six or eight
     inches wider than the extended lateral roots and eight inches
     deeper than the length of the taproot.

     In setting the tree, place the planting-board back on the pegs
     and place the tree at the right depth, against the notch in the
     side. It will then stand exactly where a stake stood, and if
     the stakes were in line, the trees will be also, if they are
     kept perpendicular while the earth is being filled in. The
     earth should be packed about the roots by hand, the tree being
     set no deeper than it stood in the nursery.

     To start the trees off well, one pound to one pound and a half
     of a good fertilizer, analyzing about six per cent. potash,
     five per cent. phosphoric acid and four per cent. nitrogen,
     should be thoroughly mixed with the earth that is used in
     filling in the hole. Preferably, only surface soil should be
     used to place about the roots.

     When the hole is filled in about three-fourths, water may be
     applied to advantage, particularly if the weather is dry. A
     good application should be given after the work is completed,
     so as to establish the capillary movement of the water in the
     soil.

     The greatest care should be taken to prevent the roots from
     becoming dry, if they do, the chances of their living, after
     planting, are very greatly reduced.

     From the time the trees are lifted from the nursery row until
     they are set in the orchard, the sun should never be allowed to
     shine on them. Neither should they be exposed to hot or drying
     winds. Should it happen that the trees are received before
     everything is ready for planting them, they should be unpacked
     and healed in, in a shady place.

     The roots of the trees must be pruned before planting, but this
     should be done under a shed. All broken parts of roots should
     be carefully cut off, leaving good, smooth surfaces, and the
     taproot cut or pruned back, as described in the chapter on
     pruning. When the pruning is finished, _the trees should be
     wrapped in a damp blanket or in damp sacks and taken to the
     field_. When needed for planting, they should be removed one by
     one and set out.

CHAPTER XI.

CULTIVATION AND FERTILIZATION.

Too many of our ideas of fruit culture are borrowed from the woods, from
the trees in the pasture lands and uncultivated places generally. As the
pecan is a forest tree in many sections of the country, the inference
is, that it needs no cultivation, no fertilizer, in short, is amply able
to take care of itself. So it is, but not able to yield, at the same
time, the large crops of nuts that are the object of its being planted.

From the woods, there is one lesson which it would be well for everyone
to learn; a lesson, not of the trees, but of the soil, of the dense mass
of mold, of partially decayed leaves, of vegetable matter, of humus that
covers the forest floor. The soil in the pecan orchard needs humus,
vegetable matter; so does the soil in any other kind of orchard, and to
obtain results it must be provided.

Now, it is a well-known fact that a number of years (ten or twelve) must
elapse before a pecan orchard will begin to give any adequate returns
for the time and care bestowed upon it and the money invested in it.
During this period, if rightly handled, the ground may be made to
produce something else than pecan trees, and that, too, without injury
to them. But in growing a crop in the orchard, bear in mind that the
trees need, and are benefited by, cultivation, and that fertilizer will
make them grow.

But, as already noted, humus is needed, and since this is the case, corn
or cotton or clean-culture crops, which leave little behind them to make
humus after they are removed, should not be grown every year. Some of
the legumes should be brought in. Cowpeas, soja beans, beggarweed,
velvet beans, alfalfa and melilotus can all be grown in the pecan area.
Not all of them in every locality, but some one or more of them in every
section. To keep up the supply of vegetable matter, grow one of these
leguminous crops every two or three years, or oftener, and after they
have died and dried on the surface, plow them into the soil. And when
corn is grown, sow cowpeas at the last working of the crop, to enrich
the soil. These legumes will add nitrogen to the soil and help to reduce
the fertilizer bills, for nitrogen is the costliest of all the
fertilizer materials which we buy.

Sometimes, it will not do to crop the orchard. A condition may have to
be met, in which there is not enough water to supply both the trees and
the growing crops and one or the other will suffer--the trees, usually.
In such a case the advisability of cropping is questionable unless, of
course, water in sufficient quantity can be supplied by irrigation.

Small grains, oats, wheat, etc., should be rigidly excluded. When corn
or cotton is planted, leave out a row or two of the crops where the tree
row is. Let the trees have feeding space, but cultivate all the ground.

If the season is dry, then give cultivation just as often as can be
done. Every week or ten days, between the first of April and the first
or middle of July, the ground should be stirred in young orchards.
Shallow cultivation is all that is necessary after the first plowing. A
weeder or light harrow will do the work. This shallow cultivation will
preserve a dust mulch, a couple of inches or so in depth, and the loss
of soil moisture by capillary action and evaporation will thereby be
prevented; more moisture will be retained in the soil and the trees will
be benefited accordingly.

Whether the orchard is planted in a crop or not, cultivation should
begin about the time growth starts in spring. The ground should be
plowed and leveled with a cultivator. After that, frequent shallow
cultivation should be given with a light harrow or weeder. Once every
week or ten days, if the weather is dry, will result in much good to the
trees. If a shower should fall during one of these dry periods, the
ground should be cultivated just as soon as it can be worked. A light
harrow, which will break up the surface crust formed by the rain and
leave instead a shallow mulch of pulverized soil, will go a long way
toward conserving and holding the water which has been added by the
recent rainfall.

The cultivation of old orchards may vary somewhat from that given
younger ones. Some recommend that the old orchard be seeded to grass
(Bermuda or Johnson grass) and used as a pasture. This may answer in
some cases, particularly on very rich, alluvial soils, but, in general,
it will not do as a definite policy year in and year out. Those orchards
planted in grass which the author has had an opportunity to examine,
have usually shown a large percentage of trees with branches dead at the
tips, "stagheaded," with yellow leaves and a general appearance of
unthriftiness. It may have been that these orchards were planted in
grass while the trees were too young. The better treatment, and the
safer one to follow in old orchards, is to cultivate the ground in
spring and sow down in cowpeas or some other legume. Beggarweed, velvet
beans or soja beans will answer well in many localities. Allow these to
make what growth they will, and, when dead and dry, plow them back into
the soil. It may seem strange to cultivate a forest tree, but it is the
plan to follow to get results. Good results could doubtless be secured
by seeding the pecan orchard in alfalfa and using it for a hog pasture
up to the ripening season.

Cultivation should not be prolonged too late. If it be, the trees will
continue to grow later than they should. Enough time will not be left in
many sections before the coming of the first frosts. If the immature,
sappy wood is caught by an early frost, severe injury may result. In the
more southern extension of the pecan area cultivation can be carried on
later than toward the northern limits of the region. Ordinarily, it is
safest to cease cultivation not later than July the first to July the
fifteenth.

FERTILIZATION.

On deep rich, alluvial soils the trees may not need to be fertilized,
but many of the soils on which pecans have been set in orchard form,
require to be fertilized to secure the best results. The three important
plant foods required by plants and most frequently deficient in soils
are nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. One or two or all three of these
substances may have to be supplied.

Nitrogen, which is used by the trees largely in making growth of leaf
and wood, may be supplied from a number of different sources, viz:
stable manure, cotton seed, cotton-seed meal, dried blood, fish scrap,
sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda. These substances are the
principal commercial sources of nitrogen. Large amounts of nitrogen are
gathered by leguminous crops; cowpeas, vetch, beggarweed, velvet beans,
alfalfa and others may be planted to advantage, resulting in a great
saving in fertilizer bills, and besides, adding the necessary vegetable
matter and humus.

The most common source of phosphorus, usually referred to as phosphoric
acid, is acid phosphate. Some is obtained from bone, and bone meal is a
good fertilizer to use among pecan trees. The results obtained from its
use are not immediate, but since the bone does not decay rapidly, they
extend over a considerable period. On the whole, acid phosphate is as
satisfactory as any material as a source of phosphoric acid, and the
goods with the highest percentage are usually the most economical in the
end. A good grade is that analyzing fourteen per cent.

Potash may be purchased, as kainit, the raw salt, or as muriate of
potash, low grade sulphate of potash and high grade sulphate of potash.
Of these the sulphates are usually given the preference in fruit
growing. Of the domestic sources of potash, woodashes are important.

The amount of fertilizer which it is best to apply is difficult to
decide upon; much depends on the character of the soil, what crops are
cultivated and whether a crop of legumes is grown or not.

If legumes are grown for the benefit of the orchard, they should be
fertilized, and if the crop is turned back into the soil, this may be
sufficient for the trees, particularly while they are young. For the
legumes, a good fertilizer to use per acre is:

         Kainit, 100 lbs.; Acid Phosphate, 200 lbs.

     or, High-Grade Sulphate of Potash, 50 lbs.
         Acid Phosphate, 200 lbs.

In any case some allowance should be made for the amount of nitrogen
collected by the legumes. When corn, cotton or some other crops are
grown in the orchard, fertilizing may simply consist in distributing an
additional amount of the crop fertilizer for the benefit of the trees.

For the growth of the young trees, a larger amount of nitrogen and a
relatively smaller amount of phosphoric acid and potash are required,
while for older trees, the reverse is true. Phosphoric acid and potash
are required by bearing trees for the formation of fruit. Consequently,
when the pecan orchard comes into bearing, these materials should be
increased in the fertilizer applied. If the soil is not very rich at the
time of planting, good results will follow the use of a pound of good
commercial fertilizer at the time of planting.

A good fertilizer for young trees should analyze five per cent.
phosphoric acid, six per cent. potash and four per cent. nitrogen. For
bearing trees, one analyzing eight per cent. phosphoric acid, ten per
cent. potash and four per cent. nitrogen will give good results. If so
desired, well-known brands of commercial fertilizers, having
approximately the above analysis, can be purchased in the markets, but
if preferred, the several materials may be purchased separately, then
mixed and applied.

APPLYING THE FERTILIZER.

The roots of young trees do not extend to any great distance away from
the trunk. In distributing the fertilizer this fact should be
remembered. A safe rule for all small-sized trees is to commence just
outside an imaginary circle of two feet radius and apply the fertilizer
in a circular band extending out some distance beyond the spread of the
branches. Old trees, or those having a considerable spread of top, when
planted in orchard form, should be fertilized by broadcasting the
fertilizer over the ground. In the northerly pecan sections, all the
fertilizer should be given in one application, about the time growth
starts in spring, and plowed in, while farther south, two applications
may be made, one at the time mentioned above, the other from the first
to the middle of June.

CHAPTER XII.

PRUNING.

The pruning of the pecan is neither difficult nor complicated. In short,
after the top of the tree is well started, little need be done except to
cut back a branch here and there that the trees may develop
well-rounded, symmetrical tops. A splendid type of tree is shown in
Plate VI.

HIGH VS. LOW-HEADED TREES.

Frequently trees are so pruned that their first branches are eight or
ten feet from the ground. Even young trees are pruned to slim stems,
surmounted by a small umbrella-like top. Such trees frequently have to
be tied to a post to keep them upright until such time as they attain
sufficient size to support themselves. Such pruning should not be
countenanced. The trees will make a much more rapid and satisfactory
growth, and their trunks will be less affected by the hot sun, if the
branches are allowed to develop lower down. Sometimes the system of
pruning pecans with tall, bare trunks is adopted to allow of crops being
grown under the trees, or because it is desired to use the ground as a
cattle pasture. These considerations should not weigh against the
welfare of the trees. As much ground can be cropped around low-headed
trees as is good for them, and, in brief, the cows should be pastured
elsewhere.

Ordinarily the top of the tree should be so shaped that the lower
branches will be about four feet from the ground. The trunk will be
shaded and protected, the crop will be nearer the ground, and the low
tops will be less subject to the destructive force of heavy winds, so
injurious to both fruit and branches.

To start the trees at four feet, the tops must be cut back to that
height at the time the trees are set, or, if smaller, when they have
grown to that height. Three or four buds nearest the top should then be
allowed to develop and form the main framework of the tree. After this
the trees will need little or no pruning, except the cutting back of
straggling branches, and the removal of dead or broken ones.

Some writers have advised the persistent and severe cutting back of the
tops, from time to time, so as to keep them small, compact and low, but
such a system of pruning must be put into practice on a considerable
scale for a number of years before it can be recommended. Such a plan
might prove valuable where the trees are subject to the force of strong
winds, but otherwise it is of doubtful value.

TIME TO PRUNE.

Pruning may be done at any convenient time, but the best period is
probably either just before the flow of sap in spring, or just after the
trees have fully developed their leaves in spring. Following the removal
of branches of any considerable size--three-quarters of an inch and
upward--the wounds should be carefully painted over with white lead
paint to prevent decay.

CARE OF BROKEN TREES.

When trees are broken or injured by wind-storms, the broken branches
should be cut off and the resulting wounds carefully trimmed and
painted. If the branches are only partly split off, the injury may be
repaired, in many cases, by pressing the branch back into place and
bolting it there, so as to hold it firmly in place. Trees with forked
trunks should be protected by passing a bolt through the two branches
some distance above where they divide to prevent splitting.

NURSERY ROOT-PRUNING.

Too frequently the root system of pecan trees, intended for planting, is
but poorly developed. The root consists almost entirely of one large
taproot destitute of laterals. Such trees are slow in starting and are
hard to transplant. Figure 33 shows an excellent root system on a
nursery tree. Such a tree should be almost as easily transplanted as an
apple tree. A little more care on the part of nurserymen would insure
good root systems.

In a former publication it was suggested that the young seedlings
intended for stocks be root-pruned "in the fall, after the trees are one
year old. It could easily be accomplished by running the tree-digger
down the row at a depth of nine or ten inches. The taproots could thus
be severed, and the following spring, or summer, the trees could be
worked (budded or grafted). This course of treatment would insure
greater success in transplanting, as it would have a tendency to develop
the lateral roots; and in addition to that, it would, in all
probability, induce earlier fruiting."

ROOT TRIMMING BEFORE PLANTING.

Two year old taproots should be cut to eighteen or twenty-four inches;
larger ones, in proportion. The old idea that transplanted pecan trees,
the taproots of which have been cut back, will not live and bear, is not
borne out by experience. They are in no-wise injured by its partial
removal, and it might all be removed were it not that so many would die
in transplanting.

[Illustration: FIG. 33. A nursery tree with a good root system.]

Figure 34 shows two pecan trees at two years. The one on the right was
carefully lifted so as to preserve as much as possible of the taproot,
while the one on the left had the taproot cut when it was transplanted
at one year. In the latter, six small roots from four and one-half to
eight inches in length had grown out to replace the taproot, these
doubtless having supplied the tree with as much nourishment as would
have been given by its single taproot. Furthermore, without doubt, one
of these roots would have grown so as to replace the taproot.

The advice has been given to cut the taproots back to five or six
inches, but under general average climatic conditions throughout the
pecan region anyone who follows this advice will have reason to regret
it. Our experience in transplanting pecan trees has been such as to
indicate the necessity of having a well-branched, well-developed root
system, and a taproot, when present, should be left at least as long as
indicated above.

[Illustration: FIG. 34. a. Taproot cut at 1 yr. b. Taproot not cut.]

A long taproot is objectionable on account of the additional cost and
labor entailed in digging holes of sufficient depth for planting. To
shorten the length of the taproot, Mr. E. E. Risien, of San Saba, Tex.,
has patented a method which has given satisfactory results. The nuts
from which the stocks are grown are planted over strips of mosquito
netting, the netting being some distance below the level of the nuts.
When the taproots have penetrated to the netting, their growth is
stopped, and the lateral roots develop better in consequence.

PART IV.

Harvesting. Marketing.

CHAPTER XIII.

GATHERING, STORING AND MARKETING PECANS.

While, in preparing a crop of pecan nuts for market, such extreme care
need not be exercised as in handling a crop of peaches, plums or
oranges, still there are a number of details which require careful
attention to secure the best results. Careful attention to these few
points is quite as necessary as in handling any other fruit crop, though
it might appear otherwise.

_Time to Gather._ As a rule the bulk of the nut crop must be disposed of
before Thanksgiving, and there is in consequence a strong disposition to
gather the crop anyway, whether ready or not. Much might be said on both
sides of the question, but in general it must be granted that gathering
the crop while still somewhat immature, and beating the trees to cause
the nuts to drop, cannot be commended.

When the great majority of nut husks are open, the crop of the tree is
ready to be harvested. It will not do to wait until every burr is open
(some varieties never open, but such are extremely undesirable), for it
will usually be found that by far the most of those which do not open,
on trees which open their burrs uniformly, are faulty, and it will not
pay to wait for them. Neither should such be left on the tree, but the
whole tree should be stripped at the time already indicated. It will be
necessary to use light bamboo poles to remove the nuts with closed
burrs.

_Picking._ The nuts must either be picked by hand or knocked off the
trees onto the ground with sticks. From whatever standpoint we may
regard the gathering of the crops, in orchards of good varieties, the
best plan for the removal of the nuts is to take them off, in so far as
possible, by hand. Men should climb the trees and collect the nuts in
sacks. Men provided with sacks can, with the help of a good extension
ladder, reach the most of the nuts on ordinary trees, up to forty or
fifty feet in height. A good man will pick one hundred pounds of the
shelled nuts in a day, at a cost of one dollar--or one cent per pound.

[Illustration: FIG. 35. After the Harvest.]

In gathering the crop, the product of each individual tree, in the case
of heavy-bearing seedlings, or of each group of trees of a single
variety of grafted trees, should be kept in a single pile or lot. It
will not do to mix nuts of different sizes, shapes and colors, if the
best price is to be hoped for.

_Curing._ As soon as removed from the trees the nuts should be carried
to the curing house. This house should be absolutely rat-proof. Here
they are to be picked from the hulls, the unopened burrs being placed
apart by themselves. If they open later, well and good; some good nuts
may be found among them, but usually they are inferior and should be
kept strictly apart from the other portion of the crop. The cost of
removing a hundred pounds of nuts from the hulls is about fifty cents.

As soon as the nuts have been separated from the hulls, they should be
spread out in shallow trays for curing. These trays should be two and
one-half or three feet wide and four or five inches deep. The bottoms
are best covered with wire netting with meshes about one-half inch
square. They may be arranged around the walls of the curing room, one
tier above another. The room should be provided with good ventilation so
as to give a free circulation of air. In the trays the nuts may be
placed two or three layers deep; if placed too deep there is danger of
their moulding. They should be turned over from time to time, and, under
average conditions, two weeks will be sufficient to cure them
thoroughly.

_Grading._ Before packing for market, the nuts should be carefully
graded. Too much attention cannot be given to this detail. Rigid grading
pays--it pays handsomely, and the more abundant the supply, the better
it pays.

It will not do to mix together nuts of all sizes, shapes, and
colors--some small, some large, some pointed, some blunt, some dark,
some light, some streaked, and then expect to get the full value of the
crop. It cannot be done with a good grade of pecans.

Perhaps in no kind of fruit which is placed on the market can a more
nearly absolutely uniform grade be made (see Frontispiece). The variety
should be the basis of the grade. In gathering the crop, each variety
should be put by itself as it is gathered. In most varieties the size is
quite uniform, and little else need be done; but if there is any
considerable variation in size, the small ones should be removed from
the first grade of nuts.

Polishing and staining should not be done. It is always best to let each
variety retain its own individual marks and characteristics. These are a
part of the market quality of the variety and should, by all means, be
retained. Mixed lots of seedling nuts may be polished to render them
more uniform, but the staining is an abomination, though some people
would rather have it, not knowing, perhaps, what a pecan looks like
without it.

_Shipping Packages._ The package should be strong and light, and should
afford ample protection to the product. We have known pecans to be
shipped by mail, freight or express, in bags, and losses have occurred.
Barrels for larger shipments, and wooden boxes for smaller ones are
best, and afford the necessary protection. Gift packages, holding ten or
twenty pounds or even more, should be made of half inch stuff at least,
with ends three-quarters or one inch thick. Grocery boxes may be cut up,
planed off, and made over. In all cases the packages should be neat and
clean, and in perfect keeping with the contents. The name and address of
the grower, the name of the variety, and the number of pounds should be
neatly stamped on the outside.

_Marketing._ As it is at present, so will it be for many years to come,
strictly first-class pecans will be handled almost entirely by or
through a private trade. We know of several growers who dispose of their
crops of several thousand pounds annually to private customers who have
learned the value of good nuts. So greatly has the demand increased that
in no single instance is anyone of these men able to supply the demand
of the natural outgrowth of his own work, and orders are usually booked
a year or more in advance. This is the ideal method of handling the
crop, and the one method which enables the grower to secure the best
price for his product.

In building up such a private trade, advertising must be resorted to,
either through the newspapers, magazines and other channels, or by
distributing samples of nuts. "Once a customer, always a customer"
should be the motto for the grower to hold in mind, and every effort
should be made and every precaution taken to _see that the nuts, from
year to year, are absolutely uniform in size, shape, and quality_. Do
not send a customer one size, shape, or quality one year, at a certain
price, and the next year vary it. Such treatment will tend to make
customers dissatisfied, and the grower may lose them entirely. This
point cannot be too strongly emphasized.

Strictly first-class nuts may be disposed of to advantage to the
first-class grocery or fruit trade in the larger cities. In cities of
any considerable size, there will always be found a grocer or fruiter
who is willing to take a first-class article at a price considerably
above the usual market price of ordinary nuts. The writer once submitted
samples of nuts of medium, but uniform size and good quality, to a
grocery firm in New York. They replied that they would take nuts like
the samples at twelve and a half to fifteen cents a pound in carload
lots, when the common run of pecans could be purchased at four or five
cents per pound.

As the output of high-grade pecans is increased, they may be disposed of
through the usual nut trade channels--the commission men. The bulk of
the product in the country to-day is handled by commission men, either
being purchased direct or sold on consignment. If sold for cash in the
home market, well and good, but if sold on consignment, choose one
reliable commission house in each city in which the product is to be
marketed--never two in the same city--and ship to it right along.

_Storing._ During the cold weather following the gathering of the crop,
little or no change takes place in the flavor of the kernels. During the
heat of summer, however, they deteriorate. The natural amount of
moisture in them is reduced, the air enters, oxidation takes place and
the flavor becomes rancid.

These changes can be prevented if the nuts are kept in cold storage, say
at a temperature of from thirty-five to forty degrees. When nuts are
kept in the house, they should be stored in the coolest possible place,
in sealed jars or tight boxes.

PART V.

Diseases. Insects.

CHAPTER XIV.

FUNGOUS AND OTHER DISEASES OF THE PECAN.

The fungous diseases attacking the pecan have not been thoroughly
investigated. They have not, however, become so numerous or common as to
cause serious damage except in a few instances. The true fungous
diseases are usually propagated and disseminated by means of spores, and
the most effectual method of control usually consists in spraying with
Bordeaux mixture or some other fungicide. For all fungous diseases of
the pecan which may be controlled by spraying no substance will give
better results than Bordeaux mixture, and directions for preparing it
are given at the end of this chapter. Paris green, at the rate of four
ounces to each fifty gallons of liquid, may be added to the mixture for
the destruction of biting insects. For effectual work in spraying large
trees, a platform should be erected on the wagon-bed to make it possible
to reach the tops with the spray.

     PECAN LEAF BLIGHT (_Cercospora Halstedii_): This disease of
     pecan leaves causes them to turn brown, wither up and drop
     prematurely. At first, small brown spots are noted. These
     become larger, and at length the whole leaf is destroyed. When
     attacked by this disease the tree makes no progress. An
     examination of the discolored areas, under a microscope, shows
     the presence of tuft-like growths of spores upon short
     conidiophores. As they become matured the spores are scattered
     by the rain or wind and so the disease is spread. It probably
     lives over from one season to another on the diseased leaves.

     The most effective remedy is to spray thoroughly three times
     with Bordeaux mixture. The first application should be given
     just when the young leaves are expanding, followed by two
     others at intervals of two or three weeks. The fallen leaves
     should, if feasible, be gathered and burned.

     Pecan Scab (_Fusicladium effusum_): This disease attacks the
     fruit, leaves and twigs. The husks of the diseased nuts become
     covered with dark spots or specks. They become hardened and
     crack open in places. As a result of the attack, growth is
     stopped, the fruit does not fill out and mature, but drops
     prematurely or, in some cases, remains attached to the trees
     long after the leaves have fallen. Round, black spots form on
     the leaves when attacked by the fungous. These become dead and
     brown and in most cases the whole leaf is destroyed. When
     attacked, the trees are usually so badly injured that they make
     little progress. Not all varieties are subject to the disease
     in the same degree and some appear to be entirely exempt.

[Illustration: _Photo by H. A. Gossard._

FIG. 36. Spraying Pecan Trees.]

     Those varieties which are not attacked should be given
     preference in propagating work. The disease may be further
     controlled by spraying with Bordeaux mixture, as directed under
     leaf-blight.

     PECAN ROSETTE: [L]"The earliest symptoms are a peculiar
     crimping of the leaves at the ends of the branches. These
     leaves are smaller with crimped margin, and when held to the
     light show light green or yellow streaks between the veins. The
     leaf tissue in these light-colored areas is thin and
     undeveloped and often breaks away leaving angular holes in the
     leaves. A tree usually shows the disease over the whole top at
     once, though sometimes only a single branch is affected at
     first. As the disease progresses, the foliage assumes a bunched
     appearance, due to the formation of tufts of leaves at the ends
     of the branches. This characteristic has led us to use the term
     "Rosette" as a name for the malady.

     "The next stage of the disease which is observed the second
     year or later, is a dying-back of the branches from the tips.
     This is followed by the development of numerous small, lateral
     branches from adventitious buds. These are short, producing
     thick clusters of small, unhealthy leaves, sometimes reduced to
     mere skeletons, so that the rosetted appearance of the tree is
     intensified. This goes on from year to year. The growth of the
     tree is checked and these abnormal branches are formed only to
     die back each year. Trees in the earliest stages of rosette
     have been observed to have light crops of nuts, but, when badly
     diseased, are barren and unsightly or worse. Rosette has been
     found in all ages, from nursery stock to trees forty feet high.

     "The cause of the disease remains a mystery. No fungous or
     other parasite can be detected in the earliest stages. The
     appearance of the trees leads us to infer that the trouble is
     internal, due to some derangement of the nutritive or
     assimilative functions of the plant, but we are unable to
     correlate this with any corresponding external conditions. That
     is to say, that so many cases have been observed on fertile
     soil, when cultivation, drainage and plant food had all been
     provided, that it is impossible to conclude that the disease
     could be due to starvation or to the lack of any single element
     in the soil, nor can it be due to over-feeding, since it occurs
     in light soils and in neglected orchards.

     "It seems probable that it will be classed by the plant
     pathologist with peach rosette, peach yellows, and related
     diseases, the causes of which still remain unknown after years
     of investigation. The indications are that it is contagious,
     though a complete demonstration of this point remains to be
     made; at any rate, it must be regarded with concern until more
     knowledge is available."

     The best recommendation that can be made in regard to pecans
     affected by this disease is to dig them up and burn them.

         BORDEAUX MIXTURE.

         Copper sulphate,         5 pounds.
         Lime (unslacked),        5 pounds.
         Water,                  50 gallons.

     Dissolve the copper sulphate in two gallons of water, place it
     in barrel No. 1 and add water to make twenty-five gallons.
     Slack the lime, reduce it to a very thin paste, place it in
     barrel No. 2 and add water to make twenty-five gallons. To mix
     the solutions of lime and copper sulphate, dip a bucketful from
     each barrel, and pour together into the barrel of the spray
     pump. _The two mixtures should flow together as they are poured
     into the barrel._ This is one of the secrets of making a
     first-class mixture. The best arrangement is to have the
     barrels, Nos. 1 and 2, elevated, and use a piece of rubber hose
     to run the liquids into the pump barrel.

     If a large amount of spraying is to be done, a somewhat
     different policy should be pursued. Too much time would be
     taken up in preparing the ingredients in small quantities.
     Instead, large amounts of copper sulphate should be dissolved
     and large quantities of lime slacked beforehand. This may be
     done as follows:

     In a fifty-gallon barrel place about forty gallons of water.
     Put one hundred pounds of copper sulphate in a sack and suspend
     it in the water. As soon as dissolved, fill up to the
     fifty-gallon mark. When well stirred, each gallon will contain
     two pounds of copper sulphate. Each time some of the solution
     is dipped out, the height of the remaining portion should be
     marked on the inside of the barrel. Before taking more of the
     solution out of the barrel, any amount of water lost by
     evaporation should be made good by filling up to the mark last
     made.

     As soon as procured the lime should be slacked, placed in a
     barrel and kept covered with an inch or two of water. In this
     way it can be kept indefinitely.

     To prepare Bordeaux mixture from these stock solutions, dip out
     two and a half gallons of the copper sulphate solution, place
     it in barrel No. 1 and dilute to twenty-five gallons. From the
     slacked lime take fifteen pounds, or thereabouts, to allow for
     the water it contains, reduce to a thin paste, place it in
     barrel No. 2 and add water to make twenty-five gallons. Pour
     the contents of barrels Nos. 1 and 2 together, as already
     directed.

     _Tests_: If free copper be present, severe injury may be done
     to the foliage or other tender parts of the plants. Sufficient
     lime should be added to neutralize it.

     Dip out a small quantity in a porcelain saucer or shallow bowl,
     and holding it on a level with the mouth, blow the breath
     gently into it. If a thin pellicle forms on the surface, more
     lime must be added. Add and test until it does not form. An
     excess of lime will not hurt.

     Another test is to dip the blade of a clean knife into the
     mixture. If a thin film of copper forms on it after holding it
     there a minute or so, more lime must be added.

     Use good materials and prepare the mixtures thoroughly.

     In making up the various mixtures, never use iron vessels, but
     use glass, wood or crockery receptacles instead.

     Strain all mixtures thoroughly into the spray pump to prevent
     clogging of the pump or nozzles.

     Spray thoroughly and in good season. _Be in time._

     Do not use mixtures which have been leftover and allowed to
     stand for some time.

FOOTNOTES:

[L] Orton, W. A., proceedings second annual convention National Nut
Growers' Association, 1903, p. 82. 1904.

CHAPTER XV.

INSECTS ATTACKING THE PECAN.

Some time ago the statement was occasionally made that the pecan had no
known enemies. This, to thinking and observing persons, was too good to
be true, and fortunately the words, "no known," were inserted, for later
investigations, particularly on the part of Profs. Gossard and Herrick,
have revealed the fact that the pecan, in common with all other fruit
trees, is subject to the attacks of insect and other enemies. But the
outlook is hopeful, for we know of the abandonment of no fruit industry
because of the attacks of insect pests, and the pecan industry is in no
wise in danger of being abandoned because of their inroads.

FEEDING HABITS OF INSECTS.

If an insect is to be successfully controlled, the grower must know
something of its life-history, and particularly of its feeding-habits.
Careful observation of the insect, while at its work of destruction,
will frequently give a clue to the method of control. Many insects, like
the caterpillars of the pecan, bud-moth and case-worm, obtain their food
by biting off pieces of the leaves or other parts of the tree and
swallowing the solid particles. On the other hand, a number of insects,
such as the scales and plant-lice, obtain their food by thrusting their
small, bristle-like sucking tubes into the tissues of the leaves and
sucking out the juices contained in the cells.

[Illustration: PLATE VIII. The Pecan Bud Moth (Proteopteryx deludana).

1. Winter stage on bud, enlarged. 2. Tube made in leaf. 3. Work of bud
destruction. 4. Caterpillar, enlarged about twice. 5. Cocoon, enlarged.
6. Chrysalis, reduced. 7. Moth, enlarged. 8. Moth, about natural size.]

It is quite obvious that these two classes of insects cannot be
controlled or destroyed in the same way. Those which eat solid particles
of food may, in most cases, be destroyed by applying some poisonous
substance, such as arsenate of lead or Paris green, to the food which
they eat. But those which obtain their food by sucking cannot be killed
in this way. They can be destroyed, however, by spraying over their
bodies some substance, such as kerosene emulsion, which will penetrate
their bodies and so kill them. Or, they may be killed by suffocating
them with a gas or by stopping up their breathing pores with some
powdered substance, such as pyrethrum. Some insecticides, such as resin
wash, act both as a caustic application and a suffocating covering.

For convenience in referring to insects which attack the pecan, we have
grouped them as follows: (1) Insects attacking buds and leaves; (2)
Insects attacking the trunk and branches; (3) Insects attacking the
fruit.

     INSECTS ATTACKING BUDS AND LEAVES.

     THE BUD WORMS: At least two species of caterpillars are known
     by this name. The moth of one has been called the bud-moth. The
     caterpillar of the other has been called the case-worm. Prof.
     Gossard writes, that he unexpectedly found adult moths of
     _Proteopteryx deludana_, November 28th, 1905, and therefore
     believes, from this observation and other circumstantial
     evidence, that he was "mixed" regarding the autumn life-history
     of these insects, as set forth in Bulletin 79 of the Florida
     Experiment Station. He furnishes the following paragraph as a
     summary of what he can say of the bud worms:

     "The Bud Moth, _Proteopteryx deludana_, is a serious pest,
     especially in young orchards. Sometimes, in such orchards, even
     when large, scarcely a tree can be found during the month of
     May that does not contain one or several nests. The
     caterpillars are usually found singly, each with one side of a
     leaf folded over it and fastened to form a tube, or sometimes
     two leaves are fastened together with silken bonds and the
     caterpillar feeds between them. As fast as the leaves it has
     attached become brown and die, it draws fresh leaves to the
     dead ones and fastens them there, thus gradually making a very
     conspicuous nest. The caterpillar is full grown during the last
     of May and the first of June when they transform into moths.
     Their pupæ cases are formed of silk and excrement, smoothly
     lined with silk and snugly hidden away in a nest of leaves. In
     about two weeks from the time of pupation, the moths appear.
     Early specimens have sometimes been hatched from buds, only
     partially expanded. They are small, about five-sixteenths of an
     inch in length and five-eighths of an inch across the expanded
     wings. In general color they are grayish, streaked and dotted
     with blackish-brown. A characteristic habit is to alight and
     rest on the tree trunk, head downward. The moths have again
     been observed in November, suggesting that there are two broods
     a year. Thorough, persistent spraying with arsenate of lead or
     Paris green, in April and May, ought to control this species."

THE CASE WORM (_Acrobasis nebulella_): This insect, often found
associated with the bud moth, probably does more damage than any other
pecan insect. The caterpillars are about five-eighths of an inch in
length, a dirty brownish-green in color, and live in silk-lined cases or
tubes attached to the petioles of the leaves. From these they protrude
themselves to feed. Frequently a pair of leaflets are tied together
(Plate IX, Fig. 6), and between these the caterpillars live and feed
upon the tips of the protecting leaflets. Opening buds, partially
developed and full-grown leaves alike are destroyed. Earlier in the
season, characteristic nests of partially eaten leaves, petioles and
excrement are formed by several caterpillars tying the mass together
with silk. In this nest they live and develop. The caterpillars pupate
within their silken tubes, and the small gray moths (five-eighths to
three-fourths of an inch in length) emerge about two weeks after
pupation, chiefly in June. The small, hibernating "cocoons" found on and
around the buds in winter and the tortuous tubes observed on the leaves
in summer and fall, which have been referred to (_Proteopteryx
deludana_), probably belong to this species. At least, caterpillars
one-fourth grown and contained in cocoons apparently not essentially
different from the smaller ones, contain worms having the characteristic
appearance of the grown _acrobasis_. Spraying with arsenicals in April,
May and June should destroy this pest. Spraying in late July and August
would also promise results of value.

[Illustration: PLATE IX. The Case Worm.

1. Supposed winter stage. 2. Caterpillar, enlarged. 3-4. Moth, nearly
natural size. 5. Cases. 6. Work on leaves.]

THE CATOTOCALAS (_Catocala piatrix_ and _C. viduata_): The caterpillars
of these insects are frequently found during April, May and June feeding
upon the leaves of the pecan. They are ravenous feeders, and if present
in sufficient numbers, considerable damage is done. The caterpillars are
from two to two and a half or three inches in length when fully
extended, gray and striped, leathery in appearance, very closely
resembling the back of the tree upon which they rest when not feeding.
Having attained its full growth as a caterpillar, it ties together two
or three leaves with strands of silk, thus making a loose cocoon within
which it pupates. The pupa is dark brown, covered with a whitish or
bluish-white bloom. In about one month the moths emerge. They are large
in size, the body being one to one and one-fourth inches long and the
expanded wings two and one-half to three inches across. When at rest
they are dull gray in color, more or less marked with irregular waving
lines. The hind or under-wings are strikingly different from the
fore-wings. In C. piatrix they are deep orange-yellow marked from side
to side with two black bands. The hind-wings of C. viduata are dark
brown and edged with a narrow white band.

The caterpillars may be destroyed by spraying with some one of the
arsenical poisons, or they may be removed by hand and destroyed. Prof.
Gossard recommends the tying of a piece of burlap around the trees.
Beneath this the caterpillars hide during the night and they may then be
destroyed.

[Illustration: PLATE X. A Pecan Catocala. (C. Piatrix.)

Caterpillar, Cocoon, Chrysalis, and Moths about one-half natural size.]

THE FALL WEB-WORM (_Hyphantria cunea_): The caterpillars of this insect
begin work early in spring, shortly after the leaves are full grown.
They work in colonies, and the leaves on which they feed are enclosed in
a web, which is extended as the caterpillars grow or as they require
additional leaves to feed upon. When full grown the caterpillars measure
about one inch in length and are covered with hairs both long and short.
The matured caterpillars leave the webs and crawl down the trees to hunt
for places beneath the bark, under sticks, weeds and trash in which to
pupate. A light, flimsy cocoon, composed of silk and the hairs of the
larva, is made. From this, in due time, a beautiful moth, an inch or an
inch and a quarter across the wings, emerges. The wings are pure white
or white spotted with black or brownish-black. The eggs are laid in
masses of four or five hundred on the leaves. These hatch in about ten
days, and the colonies of young caterpillars begin their work of
destruction. There are two broods in the South each summer; the first
appearing in May and June, the second in August and September. The fall
brood hybernates in the pupa state.

The caterpillars may be destroyed on small trees by removing the webs
and killing the larvæ. On large trees a torch of some sort may be used
to burn the web and the caterpillars within it. They may be also held in
check by applying a spray of Paris green or arsenate of lead at the time
the broods are feeding.

THE PECAN CATERPILLAR (_Datana interrigma_): A buff-colored moth, having
a body about one-half inch long and a wing expanse of one and
three-fourths inches, with four transverse brown stripes on the front
wings, lays its greenish or white eggs in clusters of five to twelve
hundred on the underside of the lower leaves of the pecan trees. These
eggs hatch in less than a week, and the colonies of young caterpillars
at first feed upon the undersides of the leaves. They cast their skins
four times, each time increasing in size and changing their color
somewhat. The last moult, and sometimes the last two, take place on the
trunk of the tree, and the clusters of discarded skins frequently remain
for several months afterwards. After the last moult they ascend the
trees, remain feeding for a short while, then go down to the ground to
pupate. When disturbed, the larvæ raise both ends of their bodies from
the twigs or leaves, on which they rest. They are easily recognized by
this habit. When full grown they are one and one-half to one and
three-quarters of an inch in length, covered with dirty white hair, and
marked with two conspicuous longitudinal white lines, one on each side
of the body. There are two broods, the last one hibernating in the
ground in the pupa state.

The leaves on which the eggs are laid may be gathered and destroyed, or
the colonies of young caterpillars may be gathered and burned. Later,
they may be burned off with a torch, killed when clustered on the trunk
during the last moult, or poisoned with an arsenical spray.

INSECTS ATTACKING THE TRUNK AND BRANCHES.

THE TWIG GIRDLER (_Oneideres cingulatus_ and _O. texana_): These two
insects frequently do considerable damage to pecan trees in late summer
by cutting off the smaller branches. Branches from one-fourth to
three-fourths of an inch are usually the ones attacked. The insect is a
beetle, and the two species closely resemble each other. They are dark
gray in color, one half to five-eighths inch in length, with antennæ
longer than the body and provided with stout, powerful mandibles. The
female insect cuts the branch by working round and round it until it is
almost entirely severed. She then lays a number of eggs in it, usually
one or two being placed near each bud. A small cut is made and the egg
is inserted between the bark and the wood, and the opening is then
sealed up with a gummy substance. As the insect moves along the twig a
series of transverse cuts are made in the bark. The twigs usually drop
to the ground. The eggs hatch as soon as the weather becomes
sufficiently warm in spring, and the larvæ feed in the twigs, making
tunnels through them as they grow. Later, they pupate within the tunnels
and emerge during August and September as fully developed insects,
having spent one year in their growth from egg to mature insect. It is
believed that in some cases the life cycle lasts two years.

The best and most effective treatment is to gather and burn all the
twigs which have been cut from the trees. This should be done,
preferably late in autumn after the leaves have fallen, as there is
greater certainty of getting all the severed twigs than if left until a
later date.

THE OAK PRUNER (_Elaphidion villosum_): Sometimes[M] pecan twigs, when
smartly bent, will snap off with a clean, square cut across the
branches, as if they were hollow-glass tubes, breaking at cracked or
weakened places. An examination of such a broken stem shows "that its
woody part, with the exception of a few fibers and the bark, has been
cut across as if with a saw by a soft, yellowish-white grub, which can
often be found in a burrow in the severed part. Since the uncut bark is
the chief support left for the branch, any stiff wind or even its own
weight will break it off as soon as it has become deadened. * * * * * *

     "The adult is a longicorn beetle, of slender, cylindrical form,
     over one-half inch in length and about one-eighth of an inch in
     width. It is of a dull, black color, tinged with brown on the
     wing covers, especially toward their tips. The underside of the
     body and legs are chestnut colored. Over all parts of the body
     can be found short, grayish hairs. Some small, gray spots on
     the wing-covers and a whitish dot on each side of the thorax
     are formed by dense collections of gray hairs at these points.
     Coarse, round punctures are thickly sprinkled over the upper
     surface of the thorax and wing-covers.

     "The larva, when grown, is about three-fifths of an inch long,
     tapering backwards from the neck. The body is divided by deep
     grooves into twelve rings or segments. There are three pairs of
     feet. The color is yellowish-white, the front of the head being
     blackish. Probably, about midsummer, with a possible variation
     of two mouths in each direction from this date, the parent
     beetle deposits her eggs, preferably on a small twig of the
     preceding year's growth. Upon hatching, the young larva
     commences to eat the tender wood just beneath the bark, and
     later enters the center of the twig and works toward its base.
     In this manner it works its way into the main limb, which may
     be of considerable size, and feeds within it for a period of
     about three years. The burrow thus becomes several inches in
     length, in many cases. Just before transforming to pupæ some,
     but not all, of the larvæ, cut the wood for the purpose of
     dropping the branches, as before described. Limbs in which the
     immature larvæ are working often break off with ragged end when
     bent with the hand.

     "* * * Pick up and burn all fallen branches. Similar attention
     should be given nearby oak and hickory limbs, which have
     fallen."

THE PECAN TREE BORER (_Sesia scitula_): The moth of this insect is
clear-winged and closely resembles the moth of the peach tree borer.
Little is known of its life-history.

"It[N] is probable that the eggs are deposited by the female moth on the
bark of a tree near a fresh wound. For example, near newly set buds. The
eggs hatch and the larvæ bore into the bark, and there live for a time,
eating out the soft inner-bark and tender wood. It is certain that the
borers live in these situations the over winter and change to pupæ in
the spring, from which the moths emerge in April. The moths I reared
appeared April 3rd, 4th and 6th. The pupæ are in cocoons, just under the
bark. The cocoons are made from excrement and bits of bark that have
been fastened together with silk similar to the cocoons of the peach
tree borer. Whether these moths, that emerge in the spring, lay eggs and
produce a brood in the summer, that in turn develops a fall brood of
larvæ, I am unable to say."

"The[O] young borer is apt to gain entrance to the sapwood through some
wound in the bark, such as a graft-union, and here it feeds, sometimes
completely girdling the sapwood above and below the wound. It is said to
prefer to attack buds that have been budded on old, large trees. As a
general rule the burrows ascend the tree in a spiral about the trunk, so
complete girdling is unusual, but growth sometime ceases above the
groove, new limbs being shot out from below."

The only satisfactory means of controlling this pest is to go carefully
over the tree and dig out the borers. The trees should be examined from
time to time in order to keep them free from borers.

INSECTS ATTACKING THE FRUIT.

THE PECAN WEEVIL (_Balantinus caryae_): In some localities considerable
damage has been caused by the pecan weevil. The insect is a small,
brownish-black snout beetle, somewhat less than one-half inch in length.
The proboscis or snout is slender and as long as the body. With this
proboscis the beetle bores a very small hole through the husk and shell
of the immature pecan to the kernel, and at the bottom deposits an egg.
This egg hatches into a larva, which feeds upon the kernel of the nut.
In autumn the larvæ, when full grown, bore holes through the shells of
the pecan and enter the ground in which they pass the winter. The next
season they emerge from the earth as fully-matured insects, and about
the month of August deposit their eggs in the nuts.

After the harvesting of the crop the hogs should be allowed to feed
under trees in which the weevil is present, so as to devour any infested
nuts which may have been left on the ground. Poultry may also be of
assistance in destroying the insects after they have entered the ground
to pupate. It is probable that the larvæ in the nuts may be destroyed by
fumigating with carbon bi-sulphide. The nuts should be placed in a tight
box, and one-half pound for each five hundred cubic feet of space used,
allowing them to remain for forty-eight hours.

THE HICKORY SHUCK WORM (_Grapholitha caryana_): Sometimes pecan nuts are
attacked, as they approach maturity, by a small, white caterpillar,
which mines its way through the shucks of the nuts. This caterpillar is
the hickory shuck worm, the larva of a small moth.

But little is known of its life-history, and until more is known of its
habits, the best advice that can be given is to gather and destroy the
infested nuts by burning them.

FOOTNOTES:

[M] Gossard.

[N] Hedrick. (See index of literature).

[O] Gossard. (See index of literature).

PART VI.

Uses. Literature.

CHAPTER XVI.

PECAN KERNELS.

Pecan nuts are used in a variety of ways. Not so very long since they
were used almost entirely for dessert purposes, now they are largely
used in making pastries and confections of different kinds. Based on
these uses, new industries for supplying the kernels have been
developed. The kernels are now put on the market in glass jars of
different kinds and sizes, usually retailing at from 50 cents to 75
cents per pound. This is perhaps the most convenient form in which to
buy them, but unfortunately, they are too frequently old and rancid.
When stock is carried through the heat of summer in the ordinary jar,
this is invariably the case, and some new method of packing them must be
introduced if this way of disposing of the product is to increase in
favor, as it should. Certain experiments now under way give promise that
the kernels can be kept fresh and free from rancidity indefinitely.

For the present, at least, the only certain way of procuring good, fresh
pecan kernels is to procure fresh nuts--those which have been kept over
in cold-storage are good--and crack them at the time when they are
needed. For the household, an ordinary pair of nut-crackers will answer,
but they should be of a particular type. The jaws should be formed with
sharp-cutting edges.

NUT-CRACKERS.

In the accompanying illustration, four kinds of nut-crackers are shown.
The two at the right are reversible. The best pair is represented at the
extreme left of the engraving. The bars are square, the grooves in them
are curved inward leaving the teeth sharp and pointed out flush with the
edge.

[Illustration: _From American Nut Journal, Petersburg, Va._

FIG. 37. Nut Crackers of different types.]

To remove the kernels without breaking, grasp the nut with the crackers
as close to the end as possible, and gently but firmly apply sufficient
pressure to force the sharp teeth of the crackers into the shell.
Revolve the nut and repeat the operation until the end is marked with a
ring of indentations. Then apply a little greater pressure to start a
slight crack, and follow the crack around until the end of the shell
drops off. Treat the opposite end in the same way. Next, place the nut
lengthwise between the crackers, so they will grasp the side, having the
backs of the two halves of the kernel, not the space between the halves,
towards the bars. This must be emphasized, because, if pressure is
applied at right angles to the edges of the halves instead of against
their backs, the chances are that they will be broken when the shell is
broken. Having the crackers in position, apply sufficient pressure to
crack the shell. Shift the crackers a little to one side of the crack,
apply pressure again and a piece of the shell breaks out. A few gentle
squeezes will remove the remainder of the shell and the kernel drops out
intact.

A hand-power cracker, capable of quite efficient work, is manufactured
by Thomas Mills & Bro., Philadelphia, Penn. It has a capacity of one
hundred pounds per day, and is capable of giving ninety per cent. of
perfect halves.

For factory use, two machines, for extracting kernels at a rapid rate,
have been invented, one by Mr. Robert E. Woodson, St. Louis, Mo., and
the other by Mr. Grim, New York city. These make it possible to extract
pecans in large quantities for commercial purposes. The nuts are fed
into a hopper and the machine then takes care of them. In regard to the
Woodson machine shown in the adjoining illustration, the inventor says
that "in cracking one hundred pounds of nuts there were obtained 39-1/2
pounds of perfect halves and 3-1/2 pounds of broken pieces. This test
shows 92 per cent. of perfect halves. I do not claim that this result
may be obtained at all times and under all conditions, for the hardness
of the shell and the dryness of the nuts make a difference in the
results."

Pecans which have become somewhat dry should be soaked in water over
night. This renders them much more easily cracked.

[Illustration: FIG. 38. Woodson's Power Kernel Extractor.]

PECAN OIL.

Oil extracted from almonds, peanuts, cocoanuts and other nuts is now
used for various purposes, and at no distant time it is probable that
pecan oil may also be placed on the market. Only the cheaper, inferior
grades of nuts can be used in oil-making, as the larger and better
quality of nuts are worth too much for dessert purposes.

Ordinary nuts will run about fifty per cent. kernels, and these kernels
analyze about seventy per cent. oil or fat. On this basis one hundred
pounds would give approximately thirty-five pounds of oil. Of course the
better grades of nuts will give sixty per cent. kernels, and would
consequently yield more oil.

Pecan oil might be used as a salad oil. It might be put to other
culinary uses, as well as finding a possible place among medicinal
oils.

CHAPTER XVII.

PECAN LITERATURE.

But little has been written on the culture of the pecan. The following
brief list of bulletins, articles or chapters in general works,
comprises practically all that has appeared from the pens of American
writers:

Budd, J. L. and Hansen, N. E. The Hickory Nut; Pecan Propagation, in
American Horticultural Manual, New York: John Wiley & Sons. Copyright
1902, 1904. Part I, pp. 301-303.

---- The Pecan, in American Horticultural Manual. New York: John Wiley &
Sons. Copyright 1903; Part II, pp. 452-454.

Burnette, F. H., Stubbs, Wm. C, Morgan, H. A. Pecans. Baton Rouge: Truth
Book and Job Printing Office, 1902; Illustrated; pp. 847-884. Bulletin
No. 69, Second Series, Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.

Corsa, W. P. Pecan, in Nut Culture in the United States. Washington:
Government Printing Office, 1896. Illustrated; pp. 49-64. Bulletin
Division Pomology, United States Department of Agriculture.

Fuller, Andrew S. Hickory Nuts, In the Nut Culturist. New York: Orange
Judd Company. Copyright 1896. Illustrated; pp. 147-202.

Goff, E. S. The Pecan, in Lessons in Commercial Fruit Growing. Madison:
University Co-Operative Association. Copyright 1902; pp. 110-114.

Gossard, H. A. Insects of The Pecan. St. Augustine: The Record Company,
1905, Illustrated; pp. 279-320. Bulletin No. 79, Florida Agricultural
Experiment Station.

Hansen, N. E. See Budd, J. L.

Harcourt, Helen. The Pecan, in Florida Fruits and How to Raise Them.
Revised and Enlarged Edition. Louisville: J. P. Morton & Co. Copyright
1886; pp. 207-214.

Heighes, S. B. See Corsa, W. P.

Herrick, Glenn W. Insects injurious to Pecans. Agricultural College,
Miss.: Tucker Printing House, 1904. Illustrated; p. 42. Bulletin No. 86,
Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station.

Hume, H. Harold. Pecan Culture: a Preliminary Report. Jacksonville: H. &
W. B. Drew Co., 1900. Illustrated; pp. 181-212. Bulletin No. 54, Florida
Agricultural Experiment Station.

---- Top-working Pecans. Gainesville: Hill Printing Co., 1901.
Illustrated; pp. 357-380. Bulletin No. 57, Florida Agricultural
Experiment Station.

---- Pecans, in Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Report,
1900-1901. De Land: E. O. Painter & Co., 1901. Illustrated; pp. 77-84

Merrill, L. H. See Woods, Charles D.

Morgan, H. A. See Burnette, F. H.

Oliver, George W. Budding the Pecan. Washington: Government Printing
Office, 1902. Illustrated; p. 18. Bulletin No. 30, Bureau of Plant
Industry, United States Department of Agriculture.

Parry, John R. Pecan (Hicoria Pecan, etc.), in Nuts for Profit. Parry,
N. J.: John R. Parry. Copyright 1897. Illustrated; pp. 93-118.

Risien, E. E. Pecan Culture for Western Texas. San Saba: E. E. Risien.
Copyright 1903-1904. Illustrated; pp. 6-55.

Stuart Pecan Company. The Pecan and How to Grow It. Chicago: Woman's
Temperance Publishing Co. Copyright 1893. Illustrated; pp. 9-80.

Stubbs, William C. See Burnette, F. H.

Taylor, William A. Pecan, in Report of the Secretary of Agriculture,
1893. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894, pp. 295-296.

---- Pecan, in Bailey's Cyclopedia of American Horticulture. New York:
The Macmillan Company. Vol. III. Copyright 1901. Illustrated; pp.
1252-1256.

---- Pecans, in Yearbook, United States Department of Agriculture, 1904.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1905. Pls. 2; pp. 405-416.

Van Deman, H. E. Nuts, in Report of the Secretary of Agriculture, 1891.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1892; p. 395.

---- The Pecan, in Report of the Secretary of Agriculture, 1890.
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1890. Pls. 2; pp. 415-416.

Wood, Wm. H. S. Pecans, in The American Fruit Culturist, by John J.
Thomas. Twenty-first Edition. New York: William Wood & Co., 1903.
Illustrated; pp. 449-453.

Woods, Chas. D. and Merrill, L. H. Pecan (Hicoria pecan) "Food Analysis"
In Nuts as Food. Orono, 1899; pp. 74-75. Bulletin No. 54, Maine
Agricultural Experiment Station.

INDEX.

Acrobasis nebulella, 138

Analysis, 12

Annular budding, 78

Balantinus caryae, 146

Bogus trees, 99

Bordeaux Mixture, 133

Botany, 19

Broken trees, 118

Budd, J. L. publication by, 153

Budding, 78

Budding knives, 72-74

Bud-sticks, 77

Bud worms, 137

Burnette, F. H. publication by, 153

Care of top-worked trees, 87

Caseworms, 138

Catocalas, 140

Classification, 27

Chip-budding, 79-80

Cleft grafting, 80

Corsa, W. P. publication by, 153

Cross pollination, 23

Cultivation, 109

Cultivated range, 16

Curing, 124

Datana interrigma, 142

Diseases, 130

Elaphidion villosum, 144

Exports, 15

Fall webworm, 142

Family--Juglandaceæ, 20

Fertilization, 112

Fertilizers--
  applying, 115
  bearing trees, 114
  nursery trees, 112
  young trees, 114

Flowers, 22

Food value, 12

Fuller Andrew S. publication by, 153

Genus--Hicoria, 20

Goff, E. S. publication by, 153

Gossard, H. A. publication by, 153

Grading, 124

Grafting, 80

Grafting iron, 72
  time, 77
  wax, 74

Grapholitha caryae, 146

Hansen, N. E. publication by, 153

Harcourt, Helen publication by, 153

Heighes, S. B. publication by, 154

Herrick, G. W. publication by, 154

Hexagonal--
  planting, 104

Hicoria, 20

Hicoria minima, 61

High-headed trees, 116

Hume, H. Harold publication by, 154

Humus, 109-110

Hybrid pecans, 57

Hyphantria cunea, 142

Imports, 15

Insects, 135

Judging pecans, 62

Kernels, 148

Laying out, 105

Leaf blight, 130

Literature, 153

Low-headed trees, 116

Marketing, 126

Merrill, L. H. publication by, 154

Morgan, H. A. publication by, 154

Native range, 16-21

Number per acre, 103

Nursery cultivation, 70

Nut-crackers, 14

Oak pruner, 144

Oil, 151

Oliver, G. W. publication by, 154

Oneideres, 143

Orchard crops, 110

Packages, 125

Parry, John H.
  cultivation by, 154

Patch budding, 78

Pecan botany, 19
  caterpillar, 142
  diseases, 130
  Insects, 135
  tree borer, 145
  kernels, 148
  oil, 151
  outlook, 11
  stocks, 68
  varieties, 26
  weevil, 146

Phosphoric acid, 113

Picking, 123

Planting-board, 107

Planting distances, 102

Planting nuts, 69

Planting systems, 103

Planting time, 102

Planting trees, 106

Planting Systems--
  square, 104
  Hexagonal, 104

Pollination, 22

Potash, 113

Proteopteryx deludana, 137

Pruning, 116
  time, 117

Propagation, 66

Purchasing trees, 97

Planting trees, 102

Quicksand, 89

Rectangular planting, 104

Risien, E. E. publication by, 154

Root pruning, 119

Rosette, 132

Scab, 131

Scions, selection of, 75

Seedling trees, 66

Selection of varieties, 93

Sesia scitula, 145

Shuck worm, 146

Soils, 89
  preparation, 91

Stocks, 68

Storing, 127

Storing seed nuts, 69

Stuart Pecan Company, publication by, 154

Stubbs, William Co. publication by, 154

Taproot, 120

Taylor, William A. publications by, 154

Top-working, 84

Twig girdler, 143

Van Deman, H. E. publication by, 155

Varieties--
  Alba, 28
  Alley, 28
  Atlanta, 28
  Bacon, 28
  Bacon's Choice, 28
  Bartow, 29
  Beauty, 29
  Belle, 29
  Biediger, 29
  Biloxi, 29
  Black Jack, 29
  Bolton, 29
  Bourgeois, 55
  Brackett, 30
  Bradley, 30
  Briden, 30
  Bullets, 30
  Capital, 30
  Carman, 30
  Castanera, 52
  Centennial, 31
  Century, 49
  Chiquita, 31
  Clark, 31
  Colorado, 31
  Columbia, 49
  Columbian, 49
  Curtis, 31
  Curtis No. 2, 31
  Curtis No. 3, 48
  Curtis No. 5, 38
  Daisy, 32
  Dalzell, 32
  Deimas, 33
  Dewey, 33
  De Witt, 34
  De Witt Mammoth, 44
  Domestic, 34
  Duminie Mire, 55
  Early Texan, 34
  Egg, 34
  Eggshell, 34
  Eggshell, 35
  Excelsior, 34
  Extra Early, 34
  Faust, 35
  Favorita, 35
  Floyd, 57
  Franklin, 35
  Frotscher, 35
  Frotscher's Eggshell, 35
  Georgia, 36
  Georgia Giant, 36
  Georgia Melon, 36
  Giant, 37
  Gonzales, 37
  Graff, 37
  Halbert, 37
  Hamilton, 37
  Harcourt, 37
  Havens, 37
  Hollis, 37
  Hume, 38
  Hybrids, 57
  Ideal, 38
  Idlewild, 38
  Jacocks, 38
  Jacocks' Mammoth, 38
  James' Giant, 39
  James No. 1, 39
  James' Paper-shell, 39
  James' Perfection, 47
  Jewett, 40
  Jumbo, 40
  Kate Schaifer, 50
  Kennedy, 40
  Kentucky Gem, 40
  Kidd, 40
  Kincaid, 41
  Krack-Ezy, 41
  Ladyfinger, 41
  Lamar, 42
  Lewis, 42
  Longfellow, 42
  Louisiana, 42
  Majestic, 35
  Mammoth, 49
  McCallister, 57
  Magnum Bonum, 43
  Mammoth, 43
  Mantura, 43
  Mexican Paper-shell, 44
  Meyers, 44
  Monarch, 44
  Money, 44
  Money-maker, 45
  Moore, 45
  Morris, 45
  Nelson, 46
  Nigger, 46
  Nussbaumer, 58
  Olivier, 35
  Pabst, 46
  Pan-American, 46
  Paragon, 55
  Pearl, 47
  Pegram, 47
  Perfection, 47
  Petite, 47
  Pooshee, 57
  Post, 47
  Post's Select, 37-47
  President, 47
  Primate, 47
  Pride of the Coast, 40
  Randall, 48
  Repton, 48
  Ribera, 48
  Risien, 48
  Robson, 48
  Rome, 49
  Russell, 49
  Russell No. 1, 50
  Russell No. 2, 50
  San Saba, 50
  Schaifer, 50
  Schley, 51
  Schneck, 59
  Senator, 52
  Senator Money, 44
  Southern Beauty, 55
  Southern Giant, 49
  Sovereign, 52
  Steckler's Mammoth, 43
  Stevens, 52
  Stuart, 52
  Success, 53
  Sweetmeat, 54
  Texas, 54
  Texas Prolific, 54
  Thomas, 54
  Turkey Egg, Jr., 54
  Turkey Egg, Sr., 54
  Turner, 54
  Twentieth Century, 49
  Valsies, 55
  Van Deman, 55
  Westbrook, 61
  Willingham, 56
  Young, 56

Varieties recommended, 93
  Alabama, 95
  Florida, 95
  Louisiana, 96
  Mississippi, 95
  North Carolina, 94
  South Carolina, 94
  Texas, 96
  Virginia, 91

Veneer Shield-budding, 78

Waxed cloth, 75

Weevil, 146

Whip-grafting, 81

Woods. Charles D. publication by, 155

Woods, W. H. S.
  publication by, 155

NUT CULTURE

IS THE

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on the Farm....

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JOURNAL

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OF ALL VARIETIES OF NUTS....

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End of Project Gutenberg's The Pecan and its Culture, by H. Harold Hume