IRISH GARDENING. 



m 



cropper and a splendid cooker in the 

 skins."— A. S. 



We will be glad to hear from other readers of 

 any remarkable crops. Although there may be no 

 advantage in tubers of large size it is, nevertheless, 

 interesting to know what can be produced from 

 poor soil by good cultivation. ]Much help would 

 be given to cultivators next year if growers would 

 give their opinion of the merits of planting in 

 drills versus ridges or lazv beds. — Ed. 



The Walnut Tree and the Pecan 

 Nut Tree. 



In the last few years the value of walnut wood 

 has increased from £3 or £4: 10s. per cubic yard 

 to £9 or £10 10s. As a result of this rise in jjrice 

 many owners of walnuts have felled their trees 

 in large numbers, so that, in certain districts, 

 there is a considerable decrease. Nevertheless, 

 under suitable conditions, the walnut tree is a 

 profitable investment, even from a point of view 

 of its fruit only. Strong measures should be 

 taken in the different countries to protect these 

 trees, and Switzerland has already shown the way 

 in this respect. 



The author proposes that, in the south of France 

 and similar districts, attempts should be made to 

 grow an American tree of the .Juglans species 

 whose value, during the lasi few years, has become 

 equal to that of the walnut. This is the pecan 

 nut tree (Hicoria pecan Erit. = Carya olivae- 

 formis Nutt = Carya pecan Engler and Graeb.). 

 This tree grows wild in the following North 

 American States : — Texas, Oklahoma, I^ouisiana, 

 Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, 

 Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska 

 and Iowa. It has recently been much cultivated 

 in Florida, Virginia, Georgia, Carolina and on the 

 Pacific coast in California and Oregon, and even 

 in the more northern states, Ohio, Michigan, New 

 York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and 

 New Jersey. 



A century has not yet passed since the Ameri- 

 cans began to gather wild pecan nuts, to distin- 

 guish between the better and the worse varieties 

 and to graft. It is especially since 1900 that 

 pecan nut plantations have increased. In 

 America these trees suffer from certain fungous 

 diseases and from the attacks of insects which do 

 not exist in Europe, a fact which favours their 

 introduction. 



The pecan nut tree is disti'ibuted over a very 

 large area, and grows in soils and climates differing 

 greatly one from the other. It grows best in the 

 alluvium of the iMississippi, where it attains a 

 height of 130 feet and a circumference of 19i feet. 

 Its wood is much in demand, and, fi*om W§o to 

 1910, the price rose from. 2d. to 7d. per 

 pound. 



The pecan nut tree was introduced into Europe 

 a century and a half ago, but has not been pro- 

 pagated. Soine isolated pecans are almost sterile ; 

 they are not dioecious, but are incapable of self- 

 fertilisation. It is only since the last 15 years 

 or so that the Botanical Department has intro- 

 duced into France the principal large fruit 

 American varieties and cultivated them. The 



results have been decisive, and the author does 

 not hesitate to recommend the growing of the 

 pecan nut on the same ground as the growing of 

 the walnut, which it should replace in southern 

 countries where the walnut suffers from the 

 summer heat. 



Although it prefers deep, permeable, fertile 

 soils, where its deep roots may be in touch with 

 the water-bearing stratum, the pecan nut appears 

 to adapt itself easily to various soils and climates. 

 It may be sown on the spot, but is best grown in 

 a nursery. Seeds should be taken as much as 

 possible from vigorous trees which are known to 

 be acclimatised. The ntits shoidd be laid out in 

 layers, or, two days before sovWng, placed in a 

 shallow vessel full of \\ ater and exposed to the 

 sun. The soil should be light, and sandy rather 

 than loamy. During the first year the young 

 plants develop roots 4 or 5 times .as long as the 

 stem. 



Grafting is now general in all American nur- 

 series. All the different methods of grafting 

 have been adopted successfully, but shield bud- 

 ding is most used, as it is the easiest. Dull, rainy 

 days are best for grafting. Imder favourable 

 conditions trees sown in February or March may 

 give suitable subjects for grafting in the following 

 spring. These trees raust be transplanted the 

 following year. The nursery can then supply 

 subjects of from 3 to 4 years tor planting out ; 

 older subjects are difficult to transplant. Planting 

 is usually carried out in January or February. 

 Great precautions must be taken that the roots, 

 which should be 20 inches long, do not dry up 

 during transport. The subjects should be left in 

 water for a night before being planted. The hole 

 should be deep (6 feet). The lower part may be 

 filled with fertiliser, covered with good soil, on 

 the top of which the young tree is placed. Care 

 shoidd be taken that the tree be not planted at a 

 greater depth than it occupied in the nursery. 

 it should be watered before the hole is filled up. 

 It is advisable to fertilise the plantation with 

 green manure. I'rom 8 to 12 years are required 

 before any harvest is obtained. 



When ripe the husk opens out into four and the 

 nut falls, or is easily picked. The harvest is 

 gathered in the same way as that of walnuts. 

 The nuts should be placed for about 10 days in 

 shallow layers in a well- ventilated loft, and dried ; 

 they are then ready for delivery. ' 



It is necessary to clean nuts that fall and lie 

 on the ground. This is done by means of a cylin- 

 der in which they are revolved and polished. 

 Before selling, the fruit should also be sorted as 

 the larger nuts always command a higher 

 price. 



The pecan nut greatly resembles the walnut. 

 It is n)ore oily, has a more delicate taste, and does 

 not turn rancid when kept. Its thin shell is very 

 fragile, especially in the improved varieties. 



The high prices obtained by pecan nuts have 

 encouraged horticulturists to cultivate them, and, 

 at present, there are over 100 varieties grown in 

 different climates. The most interesting of these 

 are : Cordier, Curtis, Frotscher, Indiana, Major, 

 INIammoth, Mantura, Money Maker, Moore. 

 Schley, Sovereign, Stuart, Success, and van 

 Demen. Many hybrids have been obtained, by 

 crossing Carya olivaeformis Nutt. with the specJ^s^ 

 Carya aquatica Nutt. and C. laciniosa IjOud. 

 (= C. sulcata Nutt.). — International Review of 

 the Science and Practice of Agriculture. 



