subject to any particular diseases, must bear regularly, and the crops
must be of a good average as to quantity. When observing a great number
of pecan trees, it soon becomes apparent that some varieties grow much
faster than others. This is first noticed in the nursery rows, and it is
highly desirable to select not only those varieties which grow fast, but
even the best growing trees of any particular variety. Most of the trees
from which propagating is done are generally full grown, and it is
sometimes difficult to tell from observing them in the woods what their
growing qualities are, yet it is occasionally apparent from observing a
tree that it is thrifty and strong, while another tree may look entirely
different. The growing quality, however, does not usually become
apparent until after they are propagated and put under proper conditions
of cultivation.
The bearing record of a tree can be determined only by observing the
tree for a number of years and measuring its crops. There are many trees
that are almost infallible producers, but some years the crop is
lighter than others, although it is not probable that an orchard, even
from one of these unusual bearers, can be obtained which will not
occasionally miss a crop.
The influence of the stock upon the scion is something that has not yet
been fully worked out, and for that reason it is impossible to say why
the grafted or budded tree does not always take on the bearing qualities
of the parent, although it is pretty safe to say that as a rule its
qualities are very closely approximated, and by careful selection it is
possible to get grafted and budded trees that begin bearing very early
and bear with a great degree of regularity.
In visiting a tree while the nuts are green, one can get some idea as to
its bearing quality by the number and size of the clusters hanging on
the limbs. A tree that is a poor bearer, or bears only a fair crop,
usually bears its nuts in clusters of one to three, while a good bearer
produces clusters of from three to six. I have seen as many as eight
nuts in a cluster in the South, and have seen some clusters of seven on
some of our Indiana trees, but as a rule good bearing trees of the
Indiana group have clusters of about four to five nuts each.
After the tree qualities have been determined, it is then necessary to
consider the nut itself. The nut must be of fair size, of good flavor,
thin to medium thickness of shell, well filled, and of good cracking
quality--that is, the conformation of the shell and kernel must be such
that a large percentage of the kernels can be taken out as whole halves,
and the convolutions of the kernels must be wide enough that the
partitions do not adhere to them. When all of these qualities, both of
the tree and nut, can be combined, we then have a desirable tree from
which to propagate, and it is very surprising how few come up to the
standard. In one wild grove in Kentucky, on the banks of the Ohio River
just across from Indiana, near the mouth of the Green River, there are
nearly 300 acres of wild pecan trees. In this grove are perhaps more
than a thousand trees, and so far as I have been able to determine up to
date, there are but three trees out of the whole grove that come near my
notion of the standard.
Sometimes, however, a tree or a nut may grade up so high on some one
point as to make it a desirable variety from which to propagate, even
though it does not grade high on other desirable points. For example,
one of the most desirable southern pecans, perhaps, considering only the
nut itself, is the "Schley," yet the tree is reputed to be of very
medium bearing quality. The nut is so very fine, however, that no
southern grove of pecans is complete without a fair percentage of
"Schley" trees. On the other hand, the "Stuart," another southern
variety, has not ranked nearly so high as the "Schley," considering only
the nut; and yet there are probably twice as many "Stuarts" being put
out in the South today as any other variety, for the simple reason that
it is a good-sized nut and the tree has a very fine bearing record. All
these things have to be taken into consideration by those of us who are
undertaking to propagate northern varieties.
There is unquestionably a large area of country extending approximately
from the latitude of Atlanta, Ga., to that of Terre Haute, Ind., in
which there is a great field for experimenting with the northern
varieties of pecans. It is a great mistake to undertake to bring the
southern varieties too far north. A majority of the finest of the
southern varieties originated on the Gulf Coast, and it is true that
they can be brought a considerable distance north of there, but I have
always doubted their successful growth with any degree of certainty of
crops north of Atlanta, Ga.; for I think it is pretty well conceded that
if one undertakes to crowd the northern limits with the southern
varieties of pecans, they become uncertain in their bearing habits and
the pecans are much smaller and not as well filled. On the other hand,
it is my opinion that the northern pecan can be taken south of its
origin with complete safety. The longer growing season will probably add
to the certainty of the crops and the size of the nuts. It is also very
important for the grower of these northern varieties of pecans to
recognize the fact that they cannot be taken too far north of the
location of the parent tree. The limits, however, both of the northern
and southern varieties are not arbitrary, as they depend very much upon
proximity to the ocean and other moderating influences. For example, it
is very probable that pecans can be cultivated much farther north close
to either the Atlantic or Pacific Coast than they can in the Middle
West. All of these things remain yet to be determined, but it is
important to distinguish between the setting of orchards for commercial
purposes and the setting of trees for purely experimental purposes.
There is unquestionably a great section of the country comprising
approximately, as I have said, the territory lying between the latitude
of Atlanta, Ga., and Terre Haute, Ind., in which pecans can be
commercially produced successfully. In the near future I expect to see
pecan orchards of these northern varieties producing fine nuts and
bearing as regularly in the northern sections as they do in the South.
The prospective orchardist, however, must look well to the varieties
which he selects and the latitude of the parent tree from whence they
come and the geographical conditions that influence the weather.
I have referred to Evansville, Ind., as being about the center of the
Indiana Group. The average fall frost period at Evansville is about the
20th of October. The average period of the last spring frost is about
April the 9th. This will serve somewhat as a guide to the prospective
commercial orchardist. However, most of the trees of the Indiana Group
do not pollenate until about the 10th of May, and the great majority of
them ripen their nuts by the 15th of October, and several of the good
trees ripen their nuts by the 1st of October, though they usually are
not gathered till later.
The northernmost tree, so far as I know, that has been deemed worthy of
observation is the "Hodge," which is native in Illinois, about
eighty-five miles north of Evansville, Ind., and a few miles southwest
of Terre Haute, Ind. It is one of the largest of the northern varieties,
and is a fair nut, but does not grade high in filling qualities, and the
bearing record of the parent tree has not yet been determined. The tree
is crooked and very unprepossessing looking, and stands in the woods
where it has a very poor chance. When I visited it this year, it had a
very light crop of nuts, but I did not condemn it, for the reason that
any tree growing under the same conditions could not be expected to bear
very well. I expect to observe the tree for several years in the future,
and determine further as to its bearing record. It is possible that
trees propagated from this variety, under favorable conditions, may
prove to be good bearers.
The next northernmost trees of the desirable varieties are the "Indiana"
and "Busseron," standing about 100 yards apart, west of Oaktown, Knox
County, Indiana, about sixty-five miles north of Evansville. Mr. Mason
J. Niblack, of Vincennes, Ind., has had these trees under observation
for a number of years, and it is due to his interest that they were
brought to the attention of the public. The "Busseron" is an old tree
that is reputed to have a very fine bearing record. A few years ago, the
owner of this tree cut all the top out of it, and this crippled the tree
very badly and set it back for quite a while. When I visited it last
August, it had put up new growth, and the few remaining old limbs that
had been left on it were hanging full of clusters containing four and
five nuts each. "The Indiana," standing a short distance away, is a
comparatively young tree, and is thought to be a seedling of the
"Busseron," as the two nuts resemble one another very much. The
"Indiana" has been cut very severely for grafting wood the last few
years, and it is therefore difficult to give very authentic information
as to its bearing record. It appears, however, to be a very promising
tree, and when I visited it in August it had a fair crop of nuts. The
clusters were not large--mostly two and three each. The tree looked very
thrifty, and from the best information that I have been able to gather
in reference to it, I consider it a desirable variety from which to
propagate. My choice of the two trees is the "Busseron," although the
"Indiana" has made an excellent showing, considering the severe prunings
for grafting wood.
Coming down near the center of the Indiana Group, we have the
"Warrick," growing in Warrick County, Indiana, which took the prize at
the pecan show at Mt. Vernon, Ind., in 1909, and is a fair nut of more
than average size. It is reputed to have a good bearing record, but I
have not yet had opportunity to completely verify this.
In Posey County, Ind., near Evansville, are hundreds of wild pecan
trees, many of which produce good nuts. One of them, from which I
propagated last year under the name of the "Hoosier," is a very prolific
tree. The nut itself is of medium size, beautiful color and thin shell,
but the kernel qualities are not nearly so desirable as many of the
other of our Indiana pecans, and it does not take a very high rank in
the estimation of some of our observers. I visited the tree in August,
1910, and at that time it had one of the most bountiful crops of nuts
that I had ever seen growing on a tree. It was hanging full of clusters
containing five and six nuts each. I visited it again an October and
found that the nuts had ripened very early. This nut took the prize at
the Mt. Vernon pecan show in 1910.
Crossing the river from Indiana, we have in the Major woods at the mouth
of Green River, nine miles from Evansville, three desirable pecans--the
"Greenriver," the "Major," and the "Hinton." The "Major" and the
"Hinton" have been propagated by Mr. William N. Roper, at Petersburg,
Va., for some time. They are round, well filled nuts, and are considered
by confectioners as the most desirable type of pecan for many of the
confectionery purposes. The "Major" is the best cracking pecan that I
have ever seen, either North or South, and is a regular bearer, but not
as high in flavor as some other varieties. The "Hinton" is an
oval-shaped nut, having a corrugated shell, of fine cracking and kernel
qualities, but I have not yet satisfactorily determined its bearing
record.
The "Greenriver" is a little larger than either of the above nuts, and
is one of the very finest medium-sized pecans that I have found. The
tree is reported not to have missed a crop in eleven years, although the
crop this year was very light, probably owing to the fact that it was
cut pretty severely last year for grafting wood. All three of these
varieties coming from the Major woods at the mouth of Green River give
excellent promise, with perhaps the "Greenriver" in the lead for general
qualities.
Down on the banks of the Wabash in Posey County, Indiana, and across on
the Illinois side, are several very fine, large, beautiful varieties of
pecans, which Mr. R. L. McCoy, of Lake, Ind., and myself are observing.
Several of these pecans are as large as many of the standard southern
varieties, and when I visited the trees this year in August, they were
bearing good crops of nuts. We have not yet named these varieties, but
expect to do so after we have observed them the coming year. There are
one or two varieties in this neighborhood that may take rank over all
the northern pecans that have been discovered. It is no longer a
question of finding nuts in the North of good size, for we have already
located some that rank well with many of the standard southern varieties
in size, and one of the surprising and favorable points of the northern
pecan is their fine filling qualities and high flavor. When placed on
the scales their weight is most surprising to those who have not tested
them.
The problem before the prospective pecan grower in the North is to
secure good trees of these most desirable varieties. Seedling trees are
not worth setting out. Until last year the successful propagation of
pecans in the North was doubted by many, but the experiments conducted
by myself and Mr. R. L. McCoy, at Lake, Ind., who worked in conjunction
with me, have demonstrated that they can be successfully propagated. A
number of points, however, must be carefully observed in this work.
First, in reference to grafting: The grafting should be done on northern
two-year-old stocks. One-year-old stocks can be used, but two-year-olds
are thought to be better. The stocks must be grown from northern
seedlings. There is no place in the North for the southern stock, and
right here let me suggest that the individual who buys northern trees
grafted on southern stocks or southern trees grafted on northern stocks
is throwing his money away. I set fifty trees last fall of the "Indiana"
grafted on southern stocks, and the first freeze that came promptly
killed them all. They put up a few new sprouts last summer, but finally
the roots rotted, and this fall I dug them up. I have a neighbor who put
out an orchard of southern grown trees. Some of them seemed to grow all
right for six or seven years, and then froze down to the ground, and so
far as I have been able to find out, experiments with southern trees in
the North have been practically a waste of time and money. So it is
necessary to bear in mind that these northern varieties must be grafted
or budded on trees grown from northern seed.
The proper time for grafting in the Evansville latitude is the last week
in March and the first week in April. The scions must be cut from
thrifty growing trees and must be used immediately after they are cut.
Experience has shown that scions kept in cold storage or stratified in
sand for any length of time lose a very large part of their vitality,
and success with them is very limited in that section. Last year I cut
most of my scions in November and December, stratified them in sand
until spring, and my percentage of success with them was very small,
while on the other hand Mr. McCoy used scions directly off the tree and
had a satisfactory stand. I am of the opinion that it will be proven
later that the best method of grafting in the North is to graft above
the ground and tie paper bags over the scions for two or three weeks
until they start into growth. Our experiments so far have been confined
to root-grafting, and while it has proven fairly successful under proper
conditions, yet I believe that grafting above the ground will prove more
successful. We have not done much budding in our section, but what we
have done gives fair promise of success, and it may be that this will
prove to be the best method of propagating nut trees in the North. In
grafting we use both one and two-year-old wood, but one-year-old wood,
if it is thrifty, is more desirable, although it is better to use
thrifty two-year-old wood than to use weak scions of one year's growth.
Either one or two-year-old growth can be used successfully.
My experiments and adventures in the work of propagating pecan trees
were made for the purpose of securing enough of the desirable varieties
of these trees to put out an orchard for myself. I found, upon inquiry,
that it was impossible to buy hardy northern trees, and furthermore that
but few of the desirable varieties had been propagated. In fact, I knew
that some of the best ones had never been brought to the attention of
the nurserymen, and being more anxious to risk my own judgment on this
than that of anyone else, I started in to produce my own trees. Up to
date I have accumulated a vast amount of experience and have a few trees
to show for my work, but I would not take many times the cost and
trouble of my work, for the information I have acquired. I have also
sent to some of my friends bud-wood from our best trees for the purpose
of getting these varieties propagated for the benefit of those who
desire to grow them. My suggestion is that unless one is looking for the
experience and enjoys a great deal of hard work and some expense, he had
better buy his trees from some reliable person who has successfully
propagated them.
If the farmers in the latitude of the good varieties of pecans were to
put out ten to twenty acres on some corner of their farm and cultivate
the trees properly, they would soon be surprised to find that this small
piece of ground would be worth more money than all the rest of their
farm, and they would leave not only a valuable estate to their children,
but also a monument by which they would be remembered for more than a
hundred years after they had passed from the toils of this earth. Ten
acres of pecan trees can be cultivated at less expense annually than ten
acres of corn, and if the grove consists of the right varieties and has
been properly cultivated, it will be worth not less than $500 per acre
in ten years. In fact, I do not know of a single grove of pecan trees in
the United States--and I have seen many--of the right varieties that has
been properly cultivated that can be bought for $500 per acre at ten
years of age, yet the principal reason that this very thing has not been
done by the farmers throughout the pecan belt is because they have not
had sufficient information on the subject and have had no means of
acquiring it.
I do not want to close this long paper without saying something about
walnuts and hickory nuts in Indiana. While it is true that the pecan is
unquestionably the most attractive and valuable nut that grows in the
world, yet there is much profit and satisfaction in the culture of
walnuts and hickories. In southern Indiana we have some very fine
varieties of the shagbark, and I am making some experiments in
propagating it. One of the advantages of this nut is that it will grow
far into the north. In fact, I have had some specimens of very beautiful
shagbarks sent me by Dr. D. S. Sager, from Ontario, Canada. The shagbark
is a slower growing tree than the pecan, but when properly cultivated
shows a very satisfactory growth.
I am also experimenting with the propagation of the Persian (English)
walnut, and so far have had very satisfactory results. I am trying some
of the California varieties--the "Franquette" and "Parisienne"
especially--and last spring I grafted a number of them on the wild
seedling black walnut and they grew as much as four feet in height
during the summer. There are several very fine varieties of the Persian
walnut that are hardy throughout our latitude, and when grafted on the
native black walnut stocks, make very satisfactory growth. I have had
several Persian walnut trees under observation in Washington, close to
where I live, and have found that some of these trees bear good crops of
very fine walnuts. I cannot make this paper long enough to go into the
details of this subject as it has been discussed here by others who know
more about it than I. I merely desire to mention the fact that so far as
our experiments have gone in Indiana up to date with the Persian walnut,
everything seems to indicate that it can be very successfully propagated
and grown there, provided the right varieties are selected; but with
this, as with all other nut trees, the prospective orchardist must make
very careful selection of the varieties which he plants.
In closing, I want to add just a few words more as to the value and
beauty of nut trees. It is very hard to overstate either if the trees
are properly cared for. A friend of mine recently asked me how early a
pecan tree would bear, and how big it would grow within a certain time.
I told him that it depended altogether upon who owned the tree. Nothing
adds so much to the value of a home or to a farm as beautiful trees, and
nothing indicates more the intelligence and taste of the person who owns
a home or farm than the character of the trees surrounding it. In taking
a trip through the country, it is very painful to notice how little
attention has been given to trees, and I take it that this is due to the
lack of information on this subject. A house can be built in a very
short time. It can be furnished beautifully if one has taste and money.
The science of mechanics can do much toward making an attractive place
in which to dwell, but after all, the home that is remembered and
admired, both by its occupants and by others, is the home surrounded by
beautiful trees that bring forth their leaves and blossoms and fruit to
please the eye and the taste and temper the heat of summer. These cannot
be bought with mere money nor made in a day, but when placed there with
care and intelligence come forth with surprising rapidity and beauty and
not only add manifold value to the home and farm, but bespeak for some
one a standard of intelligence and nobility that is better than great
riches; for he who plants and cares for a tree is of the true, the
beautiful and the good.
* * * * *
President Morris: The paper is now open for discussion.
Professor Lake: I'd like to ask Mr. Littlepage a question. What is the
condition of the wood of those large growths of walnuts?
Mr. Littlepage: When I observed it in November, it was ripening off very
nicely. The average frost period for that latitude is about the
twentieth of October, and we had had quite a number of very hard
frosts,--in fact, there had been some ice. It had not been injured.
Professor Lake: That is remarkable.
Mr. Littlepage: I have pictures here of those, taken the twentieth of
June. There was perhaps three feet of growth at that time. They quit
growing about the middle of August down there, and to that I attribute
very largely the fact that the wood ripened up.
Professor Craig: What is your minimum temperature?
Mr. Littlepage: I have seen the thermometer ten degrees below zero. I
have seen the Ohio River frozen over so thick that for a month at
Rockport the wagons could go across the river on ice. In fact, a
threshing machine was hauled over. I don't know how low the thermometer
got. I imagine it went lower than ten degrees.
President Morris: I have seen it lower still on Persian walnuts and
pecans. It is the early starting of sap in spring that hurts mine most.
Mr. Littlepage: The pecans differ from native hickory. The native
hickories in that section opened their buds and began to show strong
flow of sap long before the pecans gave any indication whatever. Some of
the pecans there seem to be very slow about starting sap. Very few
pollinate before the tenth of May.
President Morris: My trees had to stand twenty-eight degrees one night
only, but they have had to stand twenty sometimes, and frequently
several degrees below.
Mr. Pomeroy: I want to ask if he thinks he will have any difficulty in
transplanting those black walnuts seven or eight years old?
Mr. Littlepage: That suggests a very painful subject. I have had that
very thing in mind. They stand six or seven feet apart. I have got to
settle that very question some of these times.
Mr. Pomeroy: I might suggest that you begin the fall before, and take a
whole lot of time in digging around the trees, then leave them till
nearly spring, then finish the transplanting before the ground has a
chance to thaw entirely.
President Morris: I believe that is a good point, if you will do your
cutting early, and let the callus form well during the winter. Let us
hear more about that particular point.
Mr. Reed: In view of the fact that this Association is trying to rectify
as many mistakes as it can, and the fact that it is looked upon as an
establisher of precedents, I make the motion that all of our references
to the nut just under discussion be to it as the Persian walnut, and not
as the English walnut.
Mr. Pomeroy: I second that motion. (Carried.)
President Morris: Let us hear from Mr. Roper.