﻿34 
  

  

  bought 
  and 
  sold 
  as 
  stock 
  food. 
  The 
  beechnut 
  and 
  the 
  hickory 
  nut 
  

   are 
  rich 
  and 
  much 
  prized 
  swine 
  food. 
  

  

  Legumes, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  species, 
  can 
  be 
  grown 
  between 
  

   nut-yielding 
  trees 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  fertility 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  through 
  the 
  

   nitrogen 
  gathering 
  nodules 
  upon 
  their 
  roots. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  often 
  seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  cultivate 
  trees 
  of 
  this 
  character 
  where 
  

   possible, 
  the 
  tree 
  crops 
  agriculturist 
  is 
  above 
  all 
  others 
  able 
  to 
  

   adjust 
  his 
  crop 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  device 
  thart 
  permits 
  the 
  tillage 
  of 
  hilly 
  

   land 
  — 
  terracing. 
  Terraces 
  interfere 
  with 
  machinery 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  

   increasingly 
  essential 
  in 
  the 
  cultivation 
  and 
  harvesting 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   crops. 
  But 
  terracing 
  interferes 
  least 
  of 
  all 
  with 
  the 
  tree 
  crop 
  agri- 
  

   culture, 
  because 
  the 
  trees 
  can 
  stand 
  in 
  the 
  terrace 
  rows 
  and 
  make 
  a 
  

   fortunate 
  combination 
  of 
  the 
  heavy 
  yielding 
  tree 
  crops 
  and 
  the 
  soil 
  

   preservation 
  through 
  terracing. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  an 
  interesting 
  example 
  of 
  tree 
  crop 
  productivity 
  in 
  

   Hawaii, 
  where 
  the 
  agaroba 
  was 
  introduced 
  from 
  Peru 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  

   century. 
  It 
  has 
  now 
  spread 
  until 
  it 
  covers 
  considerable 
  area 
  with 
  

   forests, 
  and 
  information 
  from 
  the 
  Hawaiian 
  Experiment 
  Station 
  is 
  

   to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  mainstay 
  of 
  the 
  dairy 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  

   island. 
  The 
  annual 
  crop 
  of 
  four 
  tons 
  of 
  big 
  beans 
  to 
  the 
  acre 
  can 
  

   be 
  and 
  is 
  ground 
  into 
  a 
  highly 
  nutritious 
  meal 
  food 
  selling 
  at 
  $25 
  a 
  

   ton, 
  an 
  agriculture 
  which, 
  for 
  ease 
  of 
  operation 
  and 
  richness 
  of 
  

   return, 
  puts 
  Ilhnois 
  to 
  shame, 
  for, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  $100 
  worth 
  of 
  

   animal 
  food, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  wood 
  per 
  acre 
  every 
  year. 
  

  

  The 
  tree 
  crop 
  agriculture 
  seems 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  letting 
  

   the 
  worst 
  third 
  of 
  our 
  soil 
  (Class 
  1 
  as 
  mentioned 
  above) 
  become 
  as 
  

   productive 
  as 
  the 
  best 
  land 
  (Class 
  3), 
  while 
  (Class 
  2) 
  the 
  hill 
  land 
  

   can 
  probably 
  be 
  doubled 
  in 
  productivity. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  goal 
  well 
  worthy 
  

   of 
  much 
  endeavor 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  breeder. 
  

  

  Tree 
  crops 
  offer 
  equal 
  possibilities 
  for 
  the 
  arid 
  land. 
  The 
  grains 
  

   with 
  their 
  period 
  of 
  crisis 
  are 
  an 
  uncertain 
  dependence 
  on 
  land 
  of 
  

   such 
  uncertain 
  rainfall 
  as 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  

   100th 
  meridian. 
  This 
  is 
  attested 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  this 
  land 
  

   has 
  been 
  settled 
  three 
  times 
  and 
  abandoned 
  twice 
  to 
  the 
  wreckage 
  

   of 
  hundreds 
  of 
  thousands 
  of 
  private 
  fortunes. 
  Yet 
  the 
  tree 
  with 
  

   its 
  far-reaching 
  roots 
  and 
  abihty 
  to 
  store 
  energy 
  can 
  survive 
  in 
  

   much 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  where 
  grains 
  are 
  so 
  very 
  uncertain. 
  The 
  mesquite,. 
  

   yet 
  a 
  tree 
  weed 
  over 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  area, 
  has 
  one 
  species 
  which 
  pro- 
  

   duces 
  a 
  nutritious 
  seed 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  used 
  for 
  bread 
  stuff 
  by 
  un- 
  

   known 
  generations 
  of 
  Indians. 
  The 
  screw 
  bean, 
  a 
  legume, 
  with 
  a 
  

   nutritious 
  seed, 
  grows 
  from 
  El 
  Paso 
  to 
  the 
  Imperial 
  Valley; 
  while 
  the 
  

   broad 
  leafed 
  honey 
  locust, 
  with 
  a 
  seed 
  closely 
  akin 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  