HICKORY NUTS. 193 



or small, is pretty certain to throw up sprouts, this not 

 only showing their great vitality, but that propagation 

 by root cuttings is perfectly practicable and may be util- 

 ized whenever and wherever it may be desirable. The 

 man who attempts to raise hickories from root cuttings 

 must have patience, for very frequently the cuttings 

 will remain apparently dormant in the ground one entire 

 season before the sprouts appear above the surface. I 

 will also add that this slow or retarded germination fre- 

 quently occurs with the nuts, especially if they have 

 become somewhat dry before planting. 



For commercial purposes root-grafting small stock, 

 as described, during the fall and winter, gives promise 

 of being the best and most practicable system of multi- 

 plying varieties ; but there is much yet to be learned in 

 regard to details, and hundreds of carefully conducted 

 experiments may be necessary to determine the exact 

 time, condition and mode of operation. It may be that 

 very early grafting is better than late, or that we have 

 not, as yet, found the best species for stocks, and that a 

 half-ripened one will be preferable to one fully matured. 

 Neither has it, as yet, been determined what kind of 

 material is best in which to store the grafted roots : sand, 

 soil or sphagnum (moss) from the swamps ; or whether 

 they should be kept very moist, or comparatively dry ; 

 very cold, or moderately warm. Here is a wide field for 

 experiments, and a most interesting one ; for the suc- 

 cessful propagation of the hickories by any mode that 

 will insure the perpetuation and rapid multiplication of 

 varieties, means millions of dollars added to the wealth 

 of the country. 



Age of Fruiting. We hear much of the preco- 

 ciousness of pecan trees in the South, and many are 

 reported as coming into bearing at the age of six to ten 

 years from the time of planting the nut ; but these are 

 probably exceptional instances of early fruiting and not 

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