WHAT IS BECOMING OF OUR SOILS? 223; 



forage tree crops are extensively cultivated in Europe, 

 Africa and Hawaii. The carob and mesquite bean lie 

 regards as a substitute for bran and corn meal, and the 

 yields of these crops are, according to Professor Smith, 

 " almost staggering in their significance." He states 

 that mesquite forests on rough, untilled and untillable 

 land are producing from four to ten tons of beans per 

 acre and the bean meal sells at $25 a ton. Among the 

 trees which are available for this kind of a crop he calls 

 the hdney locust in the East a counterpart of the mes- 

 quite in the West. 



The utilization of oak and hickory trees for the pro- 

 duction of mast, that is, acorns and nuts, well suited 

 to the fattening of pork, has been known since this 

 country has been settled. In addition to these the 

 beech tree of Kentucky and southern Indiana is a 

 fine mast-producing tree. It requires, however, from 

 twenty to fifty years to produce an oak, hickory or 

 beech tree of sufficient size to produce enough nuts for 

 commercial purposes. In addition to these Professor 

 Smith suggests the fig and the mulberry trees. 



THE PECAN TREE. 



The most promising of the trees suggested as tree 

 crops are the pecan, the walnut, the almond, the filbert 

 and the hazelnut. The chestnut not only produces a 

 considerable quantity of oil, but also a large quantity 

 of starch, so that the chestnut is almost a bread-pro- 

 ducing nut. This form of tree crop is to be recom- 

 mended especially because it produces its fruit within 

 a few years. If the cultivated chestnut be grafted 

 onto the native stalks, paying crops can be expected in 

 from three to five years. Just at this moment, how- 

 ever, there is a threatening pest which bids fair to 



