143 



PROMISING NEW FRUITS. 485 



pitted ; color dark orange-red, covered with bluish white bloom which 

 persists in the pits; skin moderately thick and tenacious; seeds few, 

 of medium size, plump, brown ; flesh orange-red, abundantly flecked 

 with purple, giving it a brownish effect in many specimens; texture 

 crisp and meaty; flavor sweet, rich, entirely without astringence 

 after the skin reddens ; quality very good. Season August to October 

 in McLennan County, Tex. 



The specimens illustrated on Plate XL VIII were grown by the late 

 Mr. C. Falkner, at Waco, Tex. 



The relative hardiness of the variety yet remains to be determined, 

 as it has not been fruited elsewhere than at Waco. It is considered 

 worthy of trial throughout the territory where other varieties of the 

 Japanese species succeed. 



PECANS. 



[PLATE XLIX.] 



The planting of extensive commercial orchards of this valuable 

 nut in the Southern States continues, and interest in the species as 

 a roadside and dooryard tree through a much wider geographical 

 range has become active. While the importance of securing varieties 

 adapted to local conditions is much less in such cases than where a 

 commercial investment depends upon it, planters of even a few trees 

 should endeavor to secure varieties that are known to have succeeded 

 tinder conditions similar to those under which they are to be planted. 

 This is especially important where the planting is made in a different 

 climatic region from that in which the varieties originated. 



The earlier plantings of budded and grafted trees of ten or twelve 

 of the leading varieties are now gradually coming into bearing in 

 widely separated localities throughout the South, so that a fairly 

 definite appraisal of the value of these sorts for many sections should 

 soon be possible. Meanwhile the behavior and characteristics of the 

 thousands of seedlings of these choice varieties that are annually 

 coming into bearing should be closely observed, with a view to 

 locating still more promising varieties that may reasonably be 

 expected to appear among them. 



TAYLOR PECAJ*. 



The original tree of this variety is supposed to have been grown 

 from a nut planted by the brother of the present owner, Miss Lulu 

 Taylor, of Handsboro, Miss., about 1885. The exact source from 

 which the seed came is not known, but it is supposed to have been 

 from some tree in that neighborhood. The tree began bearing when 

 1-2 years old and has borne regularly since that time, the crop for sev- 

 eral years past having averaged about 125 pounds. The variety was 

 first propagated by W. F. Heikes, of Huntsville, Ala., at his Biloxi, 



