TiiK Bulletin. 11 



land, where the progress has been very much encouraged by the 

 writings and experiments of Professor Close, Horticulturist of the 

 State Experiment Station. Even as far north as Pennsylvania, 

 seedling pecan trees have been found growing and producing matured 

 nuts. The western range of pecan growing has also been steadily 

 advancing. The pecan is found native along the Mississippi and its 

 tributaries as far north as Davenport, Iowa ; Terre Haute, Indiana, 

 and Cincinnati, Ohio. Th(> northwestern area in which it is indig- 

 enous embraces portions of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, 

 and Kentucky. From the native areas of the pecan in these States 

 nuts have been carried and trees planted in yards, gardens, and fields 

 over a very wide range of country. Trifling as such plantings may 

 seem individuallv, thev amount in the asi'ffreffate to thousands of 

 trees. , Kentucky and Indiana have recently made distinct advance in 

 pecan growing in originating named varieties that have a short, quick- 

 growing season, and that ripen their terminals before winter. These 

 varieties start into growth late in spring, go dormant early in the 

 fall, and thus are able to withstand extreme cold. These far northern 

 varieties are being propagated for planting in the colder regions of 

 the pecan area, and w^ill doubtless extend the area of pecan culture 

 much north and west of its present range. 



In taking notes on the growth of the trees in our three experimental 

 orchards, the first year after transplanting, it was found that those 

 ti'ees that started earliest made in every case the most satisfactory 

 growth ; not a single tree thflt pushed out promptly but made good, 

 clean, thrifty branches. The trees that started about midseason made 

 short tufted shoots with many small leaves, but did not mature any 

 satisfactory permanent branches. The last trees to start out made 

 short, weak sprouts, with tufts of yellowish leaves. The trees that did 

 not start at all the first season generallv died the second season, as did 

 also many of the ones that started last. Most of those that started in 

 midseason got into vigorous growth the second year, but they, were 

 never able to catch up in growth with those that got the early start. 



PECANS DO BEST ON WELL-DRAINED SOILS. 



In going over the season's growth on the three different test 

 orchards it was found that the best stand of trees and greatest amount 

 of growth had been made on the best drained soils. Contrary as it 

 may seem to prevailing opinion, I am firmly convinced from our 

 experiments and from my observations throughout the whole area of 

 pecan culture, that pecan trees cannot be grown successfully on wet, 

 crawfishy, ill-drained land. It is often quoted that the pecan grows 

 native along the river bottoms of the Mississippi and its tributaries, 

 and that this land is frequently under overflow for weeks, sometimes 

 even for months. If, however, the observer will note these same over- 



