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  lighter 
  than 
  others, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  an 
  orchard, 
  even 
  

   from 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  unusual 
  bearers, 
  can 
  be 
  obtained 
  which 
  will 
  not 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  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 
  ([ualities 
  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 
  thiclmess 
  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 
  parti- 
  

   tions 
  do 
  not 
  adhere 
  to 
  them. 
  AVhen 
  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 
  800 
  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 
  exam- 
  

   ple, 
  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 
  

  

  