taken. I overlooked mentioning in my talk a fact, because I believe it
is a fact, that it is due to the number of varieties we have that every
variety has fruited. Now they are in the nursery and the principal
consideration is wood. We are working every plant for wood. We have not
been able to supply the demand for plants and won't be for another year
or two. Next year I shall probably have ten to twelve thousand plants.
We layered some twenty-five thousand plants last year, and we are
layering some twenty-five thousand this year. Mr. Vollertsen has been
very persistent with regard to the maintenance of the smaller nut
varieties, has insisted upon it, because we have found that they are
very much freer bloomers than the larger fruited varieties. We have made
up our selection, as catalogued, carefully to that end, including some
of the smaller fruit varieties. A party asked me the other day if I
would send them a plant this fall. I said, "No, but I will send you
three plants," meaning one of the small fruit and two of the larger
fruit. It is the larger fruit that the consumer is going to demand. He
is going to buy the larger nut, although the smaller nut is really
better for eating.
Convention adjourned until 9:30 a. m., October 7, 1921.
MORNING SESSION
Friday, October 7, 1921
The Convention was called to order at ten o'clock by President Linton.
THE PRESIDENT: The first on our program this morning will be
the report of the Committee on Uniform Bill for Roadside Planting. I
will ask the chairman, Mr. Littlepage, to make the report.
MR. LITTLEPAGE: The committee met last night after adjournment
and considered different methods of getting this bill (a copy of which I
now present) before the various states, and after some deliberation it
was decided to report, on behalf of the committee, as follows:
That the committee,--the same committee which has been appointed,--be
authorized by the association to prepare in proper and simple form a
sufficient number of copies of this bill, to be accompanied by a letter,
formulated by the committee, which letter will set out substantially
three things:
First: Call the governor's attention to the fact that this bill is the
one adopted by the State of Michigan, but that it should, of course, be
modified to comply with the special judicial or road machinery of each
particular state.
Secondly: A short argument in behalf of this character of legislation.
Thirdly: A request to each governor that he refer the bill to his
attorney general to put it in proper form to fit into the machinery of
his particular state, and that he also refer it to his appropriate state
board of forestry, agriculture or what-not.
We suggest, as I said before, that this committee be authorized to
prepare a letter along those lines, to be accompanied by a copy of the
bill, and that, after it is prepared and ready, it be sent out by either
the president or the secretary of the association. It was also thought
by the committee to be desirable, at the same time that this is sent to
the governor of each state, to send copies to the various agricultural
and horticultural journals of the respective states, that being done
with the view of getting some publicity. Then, too, the committee
thought that it might be well, at that time, for the respective members
of the association in these various states to write to their
representatives in the legislature calling attention to this bill.
Now that is the report of the committee, and, Mr. President, I move
that this report be adopted and the committee instructed to act along
those lines.
(Motion seconded and carried, and the report of the committee was
adopted unanimously.)
THE PRESIDENT: Now, ladies and gentlemen, I consider that we
have performed a most important task in the pioneer work connected with
roadside planting in America. There is no question but that with this
association the idea first originated; and the work to date along those
lines in the United States has been brought about by the Northern Nut
Growers' Association. It is a work in which I, personally as well as
officially, as you know, have been greatly interested and the unanimous
adoption of the committee's report, endorses that line of work. I wish
to thank you, individually and collectively, for your interest and the
action which you have taken.
MR. LITTLEPAGE: I feel that our president in this instance has
hit a high-water mark. He has taken hold of a very important idea and
has developed it. After making an observation or two I am going to move
a vote of appreciation to our president and accompany it with a vote of
thanks to Senator Penney for coming down here from Michigan and lending
his aid and enthusiasm.
We listened last night to a discussion about this roadside planting. As
I observed before it is not without its difficulties the same as
everything else; but this proposition extends to the various state
boards of horticulture, highway, or what-not, one of the greatest and
finest opportunities. Personally I believe in nut trees; but you must
first get the public with you. Suppose you had a highway into Lancaster
lined on either side for a half mile with pink weigelias in the spring.
You would have the whole population going up and down that highway
looking at the display. And the pink weigelia is almost a fool-proof
shrub. It grows without cultivation and grows very rapidly and blooms in
the greatest profusion. Suppose in mid-summer you had another highway
lined with hydrangeas. I believe a particular one that is hardy is
called paniculata grandiflora. It is a fool-proof shrub also, requires
very little care and comes on after the other flowers go. It also can be
produced very cheaply. You would have the population looking at and
admiring the blooms and it would inspire, in each one of those
individuals, a desire to go and do likewise. Suppose you had a half mile
of sweet gum trees. If you go down through the counties of Pennsylvania
now you will see the sweet gums--some of them a deep dark purple, some
of them a bright golden yellow, some of them red, some of them with all
the colors and all summer a beautiful foliage--suppose you had a half
mile of those leading into a street of any city in America. The
population on Sunday would drive out there and admire their beauty. It
affords a wonderful opportunity. The individuals who care for those
trees and shrubs, while moving up and down the highway caring for them,
will be carrying with them a little university of horticultural
knowledge. The average farmer thinks it is a terrible thing to spray. It
is the simplest thing in the world as you know. This machinery by which
these trees and plants and shrubbery would be cared for would be a
moving university up and down the highway teaching the farmers how to
care for their trees. Mr. Rush's trees which we saw yesterday were the
finest examples of well cared for trees. You could not travel over the
country and find trees showing a finer degree of care. Nobody could look
at those trees without feeling that he would rather give a little more
care to his trees. So that, if this idea is carried out, as it will be,
it will become popular with the various state boards. They like to do
things that are popular or that please the people.
As I said at the commencement of my remarks I am going to take the
liberty of moving a vote of deep appreciation to the president (Mr.
Linton), and also a vote of thanks to Senator Penney.
(Motion seconded and carried unanimously.)
THE PRESIDENT: I desire to thank you, one and all, for this
vote of appreciation. My connection with the Northern Nut Growers'
Association has been of a most pleasant character. I have found a group
of men and of women who are interested not only in their own welfare but
in the welfare of the race. What we have started today--or rather
completed so far as organization is concerned--will do as much good in
the United States in the next decade as any movement that has been
started by any organization or association. It means re-forestation on a
larger scale with right trees and right plants, as stated by my friend
Mr. Littlepage. A new start will be made along those lines. The poor
trees will be cast aside and the next generation will have trees and
bushes and plants that not only will be beautiful to the eye but will be
beneficial to mankind and to those birds and animals that we desire to
have around us.
The greatest credit should be given to those of this association who in
a scientific way have endeavored to bring about better varieties of
nuts, better varieties of the products of trees, and their names
certainly should go down in history with that of Burbank, or with those
of other men who have devoted their lives to this kind of advancement. I
am sure that will be the result. I know that as the message goes down
along the line to the various states, their efforts will at least be
recognized as having been beneficial and advantageous to all.
I want again to thank every one of you for the kindness that you have
extended towards me and to my colleague, Senator Penney, who is most
actively engaged in this work. Situated as he was--a most prominent
member of the Michigan legislature--he was able to promote the very work
in our Wolverine State that we today are undertaking to bring about in
the United States, and I would call upon Senator Penney to say a word in
this connection.
SENATOR PENNEY: Mr. President, it seems to me that after all
these remarks have been made, this subject has been very well covered. I
was very much interested in the remarks of Mr. Littlepage because he
spoke of different ornamental trees and shrubs with which I am not
familiar and which are not grown in our part of the country.
Our esteemed president, Mr. Linton, is doing wonderful work up in
Saginaw at the present time in conjunction with our superintendent of
public parks. He is helping to lay out some of our parks and to plant
trees and shrubs there. One gentleman of Saginaw furnished the means to
buy one thousand trees and the matter was put in charge of Mr. Linton to
see that they were properly planted. This work and similar work that Mr.
Linton and I have undertaken to promote and to push. We have done
similar things in regard to the promotion of good highways. We have
absolutely no interest in stone quarries or gravel pits or in any kind
of contracts for the building of roads; yet we have spent several
hundred dollars or more in going about Michigan giving talks at
different meetings and promoting roads. One of the things that Mr.
Linton tried to promote was this tree planting bill. Inasmuch as I was
in the legislature I had the opportunity of helping to put this work
across. We have a wonderfully good highway commissioner in our state. He
is enthusiastic over this proposition. While our bill was passed just a
short time ago, he has already planted eighteen miles of trees in one
locality, and, he said, at very little cost. Just think what might be
done throughout the United States. Suppose the prominent highways
throughout the United States were planted with useful and ornamental
trees, beautiful shrubs and things of that kind. Wouldn't it be a
wonderfully beautiful and useful thing for the country?
In closing I wish to thank Mr. Littlepage and the other members of this
association for the very kind treatment we have received here.
THE PRESIDENT: We are fortunate in having a paper that was
prepared and will be presented by our esteemed treasurer Mr. Bixby, and
I take pleasure in calling upon him at this time.
WHERE MAY THE NORTHERN PECAN BE EXPECTED TO BEAR
_Willard G. Bixby, Baldwin, Nassau Co., N. Y._
In the January 1916 issue of the American Nut Journal is an article by
Meredith P. Reed read before the Western Association of Nurserymen at
their annual meeting in Kansas City, Mo., December 1915 entitled the
Pecan Areas of the United States, describing the limits between which
the pecan may be grown. In this paper the matter of the Pecan Belts of
the country are discussed and their extent determined pretty largely by
the length of the season (in average years), that is by the number of
days between the latest spring frosts and the earliest fall frosts. A
map was shown on which these areas were marked out, and it has been very
useful to the writer in answering inquiries from persons who want to
know if pecans can be grown in _a_ given section.
Mr. John Garretson, Aspers, Adams Co., Penn., has on his place bearing
Stuart and Schley pecans, two of the standard southern varieties. These
bear nuts of typical shape but which are only a fraction of the size
that these nuts would be if grown in southern Georgia. This clearly
shows that some of the standard southern pecans require something which
they do not get at Aspers to enable them to properly mature their nuts.
The trees stand the cold of winter but the fruit does not properly
mature. Mr. Jones has suggested that it is heat that is lacking and has
advanced the idea that even though the trees are hardy to winter cold
they have not sufficient summer heat at Aspers to enable them to mature
their crops. This has brought up the question as to whether there was
any method of measuring the summer heat available for causing pecan nuts
to grow and mature.
Observations on northern pecans (and some southern ones) on my place at
Baldwin caused me to note that no pecans started to vegetate at Baldwin
before May. May is the first spring month here when the pecan will
leave out. May is also the first spring month when the average monthly
temperature here will reach 50°F. It occurred to me that if we note the
excess average monthly temperatures over 50° and sum these items for a
season we would get what might be termed a figure for "pecan growing
heat units." This figure of 50° is doubtless capable of some refinement.
There is no reason to suppose that further study may not show that it
should be somewhat more or less but it is the best we have so far and
seemingly it is proving useful.
If we calculate these figures for Evansville, Ind., for 1914, for
example, and show the method of doing it we will have
Average Monthly Average Monthly Temp.
1914 Temperatures in Excess of 50 deg.
January 39.6
February 29.9
March 42.0
April 55.4 5.4
May 67.9 17.9
June 80.0 30.0
July 82.2 32.2
August 78.0 28.0
September 69.6 19.6
October 60.8 10.8
November 49.2
December 31.0 _____
Total 143.9
The pecan growing heat units, pecan units they may be called for short,
for Evansville, Ind., in 1914 were 143.9. From this we might conclude
that a place where the pecan units for 1914 would figure out 143.9 would
be likely (as far as climatic conditions are concerned) to grow pecans
as well as Evansville, that is, of course if other years should show
similar figures.
With the idea of seeing if the experience of those who were growing
pecans would be anything like what might be calculated from the Weather
Bureau Records, letters were written to all members of the National Nut
Growers' Association to find out if pecans grew and bore well in their
sections and if so which varieties. From the replies received it has
been in a number of instances difficult to judge just how well pecans
grow in some sections. For this reason I have interpreted the replies
somewhat on the basis of my own knowledge and on certain facts told me
by Mr. C. A. Reed. Apparently at least 175 pecan units are to be found
in most places where the southern pecan is successful commercially. This
corresponds to a line through Augusta, Milledgeville, Macon and
Columbus, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama. There seems little question
but that pecans can be grown north of this line but until I get more
positive information than I now have I shall doubt if the planting of
southern varieties of pecans much north of this line is nearly as
advisable as it is south of it.
When we come to compare this figure with the pecan units for Ocean
Springs and Pascagoula, Miss., where a number of the fine southern
pecans originated which are now being propagated we find an average of
about 222 pecan units. To reduce this to a percentage we find that many
of the standard southern pecans grow and bear well when the pecan units
are as low as 79% of those of the place of their origin. In other words
the adaptability of the southern pecan is 79%, that is it will grow and
bear well where the pecan units are as low as 79% of those of the place
of its origin or to use rough figures, 80%.
When we come to ascertain the pecan units of the locations where the
northern pecan grows and bears well we will consider Evansville and
Vincennes, Ind., as places where it bears well; Burlington, Ia., as a
place where it does quite well, but not as well, as in Evansville;
Clinton, Ia., as a place where trees are growing well but where they
bear a large crop only once in several years; and Charles City, Ia., as
a place where the pecan does not mature its nuts. The pecan units are
also shown for several important places outside of the native pecan
area.
Highest Lowest Average
Evansville, Ind. (1919) 147.5 (1917) 116.4 135.7
Vincennes, Ind. (1914) 144.7 (1918) 123.1 130.8
Burlington, Ia. (1914) 125.8 (1917) 90.2 108.4
Clinton, Ia. (1914) 109.2 (1917) 75.3 94.9
Charles City, Ia. (1914) 91.2 (1915) 65.4 78.5
New York City (1914) 101.2 (1917) 85.2 94.3
Lancaster, Penn. (1919) 108.7 (1917) 84.9 98.4
Gettysburg, Penn. (1919) 108.4 (1916) 89.4 100.7
Cincinnati, O. (1914) 131.7 (1917) 88.9 109.5
Baltimore, Md. (1919) 127.2 (1917) 106.7 121.0
Washington, Md. (1918) 126.8 (1917) 104.7 119.3
Hartford, Conn. (1919) 88.9 (1917) 74.8 85.1
If we consider that Evansville and Vincennes are the center of the pecan
district near which most varieties have originated and that a place
should have 80% as many pecan units as in this Evansville district in
order to have the northern pecan do well, a place should have 105 pecan
units in order for one to feel reasonably certain that the northern
pecan will do well there. It will be both interesting and instructive to
see how well the applications that may be made from the conclusions
compare with observed facts.
We know that there are large numbers of pecan trees at Burlington, Ia.,
and that the trees grow and bear well. Its pecan units are 108.4. We
should conclude that at Baltimore and Washington with pecan units at
121.0 and 119.3 respectively that pecans would grow and bear well. There
are pecan trees over 100 years old at Marietta, Md., which is half way
between Baltimore and Washington. These trees bear nuts and although it
has not been possible to get bearing records it is evident that they
bear considerably for on the roads of that vicinity are hundreds of
young pecan trees which evidently came up from nuts borne by these old
trees. We should expect the pecan to do well at Cincinnati, O. In fact I
have been expecting to find it native there, but, so far all inquiries
have failed to do so. At Fayetteville, however, which is about 40 miles
east of Cincinnati and somewhat north of it, are bearing pecan trees
raised from seed brought from Shawneetown, Ill., which is in the
Evansville district. Seed from these Fayetteville trees planted at
Baldwin have shown nearly 100% germination.
There is some question as to how well pecans should bear at Gettysburg,
and Lancaster, Penn., and at New York City where the pecan units are
much like those at Clinton, Ia., where, on forest pecan trees, we get a
fair crop but once in several years. Perhaps with our present knowledge
these places should be considered on the borderland between the country
where the pecan is likely to do well and that where it will not mature
its nuts. We know that pecan trees have borne nuts at Aspers, Pa., near
Gettysburg, at Lancaster, Pa., and at Westbury and Glen Cove, Long
Island, near New York City but so far it has not been possible to make
sufficient observations to form definite conclusions as to what to
expect. It seems quite likely that fertilization and care may help
materially the maturing of crops in those sections which in our present
knowledge we must consider on the borderland.
Probably we should not expect pecan nuts to be borne at Charles City,
Ia., where pecan units are but 60% of those at Vincennes, and pecan
units at Hartford, Conn., are not so very different. There are northern
pecan trees at Charles City, Ia., which many years ago were brought
there, but the information I have about them is that they have never
borne. There is a large pecan tree at Hartford, Conn., but I have never
been able to learn of its bearing nuts.
As the northern pecan trees now being planted get to bearing age we
shall have actual experimental data as to what they will do in the
different sections. Until that time by the method outlined herein and
with the Weather Bureau Records for several years at hand inquiries
regarding its probable adaptability for a given section can be answered
with far more confidence than was possible heretofore.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Is there any discussion upon the excellent paper
just read by our treasurer?
MR. JORDAN: May I ask if, according to that theory, the Stuart
and the Schley would not be expected to do well in Washington?
MR. BIXBY: I should say not. My intention was to indicate
roughly a dividing line between where the pecan would be an important
commercial crop and where it would not. We know the Stuart pecan bears
pretty well at Petersburg, Virginia; it bears at Aspers, Pa., which is
near Gettysburg, but the nuts are a fraction of the normal size and not
very well filled.
THE SECRETARY: We all appreciate the amount of work that is
represented by this report of Mr. Bixby and how valuable it is from a
scientific as well as from a practical point of view. I wonder if it
could be made more useful if Mr. Bixby could make a little map showing
the isothermal lines on the basis that he has followed in his
investigation.
MR. BIXBY: That could be done in a very general way, but
altitude makes such a difference that there would be many places
included in any belt at which, probably, certain pecans would not grow
nor would not mature. It is very evident that local conditions make a
great difference. I should say that a map to be useful would probably
have a series of dots all over the country indicating what pecans would
be best grown in that section; and while that would, to a certain
extent, form belts yet there could be selected many places in any one
belt where another pecan would be preferable.
MR. J. W. RITCHIE: I started in this nut-growing business
knowing nothing about it. I found that there were men in it who had been
working at it for years who knew many things that I wanted to know. They
forgot that I knew nothing and that I might want to know some of the
things that they had in their minds which gave them a background. I
think there ought to be some way by which all this knowledge that we
have can be brought together so that a beginner could pay a dollar or a
dollar and a half or, if necessary, two or three dollars and get it all
at once. I have visited Washington and have seen Mr. Littlepage. He
showed me some Kentucky hickories and Stabler walnuts and I then decided
that if I could raise any nuts there would be no trouble about selling
them. I can sell just as many of those nuts as I can produce; but yet I
do not know a thing about how many nuts will grow on a Kentucky hickory
in one year. If you will lay the facts before me and let me judge them I
will take the risk myself. I do not want anybody to tell me whether to
plant nuts or not to plant them. I will decide that question for myself
if you will give me the data to work on. I want a book that will give me
the varieties. I want to know what particular nuts can be put out in
this region here that would have a chance of commercial success. Then I
would like to know as much as I possibly can about those varieties,
their respective qualities, what they will produce and especially how to
propagate them. I happen to have a place where there are a great many
walnuts, butternuts and hickories. I would like to know, in detail, how
to propagate those nuts. In a conversation with the secretary he spoke
of northern pecans. I have read about the Marquardt, the Burlington and
the Witte. I do not know whether the term "northern" included those
three or not.
TREASURER BIXBY: I would be very useful if I could directly
answer a good many of the questions that are asked. A great many people
would like to know the pecan they can plant in their sections and be
sure of success. That I would like to tell them. I do not have the
information. It is frequently more difficult to answer questions than to
ask them.