40 



nut irees, experimental work and breeding new types and varieties, 

 I have my hands full and could not do this position justice. We also 

 have members in the association better fitted for this position who can 

 give it better thought and attention, and who can advance the associa- 

 tion and the interests of nut growers more than I can, while I can be 

 of more benefit to the association and the nut industry in general 

 without taking on the duties imposed by any official position. 



NOTES BY MR. BIXBY 



Thursday, Sept. 27 



Trip by automobiles to Mr. Littlepage's farm at Bowie, Md., and 

 to the U. S. Experiment Station at Bell. 



Mr. I>ittlepage has an orchard of 275 trees covering thirty acres 

 of pecans and Stabler black walnuts, the first pecan trees being set 

 in 1914, and the Stabler black walnuts some three years later. Now 

 both are starting to bear, a few nuts having appeared last year, and 

 a very few nuts the year before. 



The trees are growing finely, the leaves have a fine dark green 

 color, and nuts were noticed in clusters, the pecans being in clusters 

 of 2, ;3, 1 and 5 ; and the black walnuts in ones and twos. 



That the orchard has been given good care is evident. Commercial 

 fertilizers and green manures have been used. A winter cover crop 

 of rye was grown last fall and plowed under this spring, and a sum- 

 mer cover crop of soy bean.s was grown this summer ajul will be 

 plowed under this fall. 



'I'lu' varieties noticed in bearing were the Major, tlu- Greenriver. 

 Stuart, Busseron and the Indiana. Of the above, all are northern 

 varieties, excepting the Stuart, which is a southern variety which has 

 given evidence elsewhere of being able to grow and to bear further 

 north than almost any otiicr southern variety. 



The pecans are set in blocks, the earlier ones being set 60' x 60'. 

 Mr. Littlepage became convinced after his first plantings that this 

 was too close, and the last ])lanting of pecans was 100' x 120'. 



The black walnuts are planted along two fence rows, the trees 

 being fifty feet apart, the total length of the rows being about three- 

 quarters of a mile. The peculiarity of the Stalbler black walnut of 

 bearing some nuts where the kernel is in one piece, that is where one 

 lobe of the kernel has not developed, was noticed in some of Mr. 



