1252 PEAR 



in passage. Another cause for loss is rougli handling. 

 In unloading, the boxes are slid on planks, and if they 

 are not removed promptly at the bottom of the gang- 

 way, one box strikes heavily against the side of another, 

 bruises the fruit and its sale is injured. The best efforts 

 and work of an entire season may be sacrificed at this 

 point. When the fruit arrives, and opens in perfect 

 condition, the pric^cs received are usually 40 per cent 

 greater than tlioso of the home market. The best re- 

 sults are ohtniiii'il -vvliin the Pears are packed and 



shipped iliT t t'r-nv iIm- "•■••}Ktrt1. 



With I'm -':■ ■ .i-r.inv . I„.it,.r ,i, .;,,.,,.,■ ;■■,.■. Ii 



FEAR. Alligator T., Persea gratissima. Avocado P., 

 Persea iirnlixsimu . Balaam P., JWomorrlifa Chnnnitin . 

 Garlic P., Vralur,, ,i„,ini„!ra. Prickly P., Opnntin. 



FEAT is a kind of soil formed by the partial decay of 

 plants in the swamps of the temperate zone. It is a 

 standard potting material in greenhouse work for cer- 

 tain classes of plants, as ferns, orchids, heaths, rhodo- 

 dendrons and other ericaceous plants, woody plants from 

 Australia and the Cape of Good Hope, and many other 

 choice and difRcult subjects. American gardeners com- 

 plain that they are handicapped in growing such plants 

 because American Peat is poorer than European, the 

 lack of fiber being chiefly deplored. 



The Peat bogs of En^-haid an- often 5 (ir G feet deep, and 



some of the Irisll "m- wv ~;ir I 1 - !<■ :i- .1. . |. :i- In Ic.l. 



They have been f"ii ,■ . r;...!. 



but are now on tl.^ i n.il 



causes. Peat bo^- * ' ;- ' ■ ii^ •! ■■■ in.i'i innK 



of aquatic and iii:ii h [•\ •• '-.i • ■ 1 inini 



(which see). Tin- •'- ! ■■■ •■'.<'.- 



below. Near the i..|. il,. !• : • ulit 



and porous: lower d. , n i' 1 1 ■ : i : ,. n-e 



and without indieai h.n Ml 1 . ,i h 



varies from 1 or •-' |"i' '■•"' I' ' - I'' i-le, 



20, or even 30 per e. i.l m ii . ; : ;• : I . "tii 



monly used for fuel li\ilii I i t 



never in America. In -i-m;.; . -i i 1'. ii - iiliM.i 

 more for its porous, moisiin* le'l'lnn-^ pr"|)rrilr^ Ilian 

 for its plant-food. If dried, ii i.ia> lie us..! :,s .ni ab- 

 sorbent for liquid manure. " \\"\ ^i> imieli f.ir jt^ inher- 

 ent value," says Roberts (in liU " I'ertilily of the I.aiiil"l. 

 "as for conserving the nitroj^en in the manure, and for 

 improving the con<lition of the stables." 



The transformation of Peat bogs into arable land is 

 rarely a pressing problem in America. It is usually too 

 costly for a new country. The notion, however, is very 

 common that Peat lands are extraordinarily rich in 

 plant-food. Nevertheless, according to Roberts, s\vaiii|i 

 muck and Peat are not richer in plant-food than the 

 good soils, with the exception of the nitrogen in the 

 Peat, which, without doubt, is far less available than if 

 is in good soils. (American Peat contains about .07 per 

 cent nitrogen, .21 per cent phosphoric acid, and .13 per 

 cent potash.) Peat lands differ from good, arable soil 

 in being cold, sour, and too wet. To reclaim them one 

 must drain off the superfluous water and apply lime 

 freely to destroy the harmful organic acids. fSoinetiiiies 

 sand or claj' may be added to improve the texturi'. 

 Tillage opens the soil to air, warms it, makes it uncon- 

 genial for nitrites, and congenial for nitrates. It takes 

 time to reclaim Peat lands. Thoroughly decayed Peat 

 is muck. W. M. 



Peat is chiefly composed of vesjefaMe iieilter in what 

 might be termed a state of suspeml. •! "i |.:iiiial -l.eay. 

 The soil which covers the greater poinon ,,i iIm , .nIli's 

 surface has been made by the disinie^'ration .,i roi'ks 

 and stones, through the a^'eney <if frost, water, and the 

 atmosphere, and is .•(,m|.os,.,l mostly of sand and clay, 

 these differing in looportions according to locality. 

 .Such soils are spoken of as mor^'anic soils, since they 



PECAN 



conttiin but a small percentage of organic or vegetable 

 matter. I'eat. on the other hand, is spoken of as an 

 or^Min« I, ns It is composed largely of vegetable 

 mall. I I 1 h as 97 per cent. It is formed either 



in tie I I 1 A ater or peculiar climatic couditions. 



That «iii.h hi- In.u formed under the inllneiiee of 



water caniiul pass away readily. A<[u:i ■ I 



mosses flourish, and at the end of flu _ . i 



sii|i;i . ill. liii \- offer fern-rout, bug Peat, and 

 oe.a I I ie',1 Peat for orchids." The fiber is 



vei \ , II : i.irin, and is the ideal material for 



oreiiiil-, aiiiliiH IS and other tropical subjects with 



routs of a more or less aerial character, as it may be 

 broken into small nodules of fiber which do not decay 

 readily with the abundance of water and humid condi- 



I moisture 

 European 

 leners use 

 tter. which 

 surface of 

 hen choice 

 wing ferns 



PECAN (nir,;,;,, p,,-,;,,, r.r\u. r;,,-,,.: ..n, ■„!;,,,„;.,. 



Nutt.). Of 111.' in or inole s|i,.ri,s ,,r liial^orN . ll,r T,.- 

 can is the most iiii|M,ilanl fn.in lle^ Imrl „ i,ll m al -lan.l- 

 point. PossesMliL', as it .lors, llie , I- ^s 1 la 1 1 1. ■ i,i.alllies of 



anil ir. i.|. Ill i nui \\iili tliiii shell, good cracking 

 (|ii:ilr I ' I . t aii.l .1. liraie ila\ or, it may well rank 



I'liH a I., a. 11 III- mils in \ aloe and cultural im- 

 poriaii. I . I:- inniialile ,-iiltiiral value has long been 

 recognized, but only within the last twenty-five or 

 thirty years has there been systematic planting of the 

 trees in orchard form with a view to deriving profit 

 from the sale of the crops of nuts. By far the larger 

 part of the commercial product of Pecans is still ob- 

 tained from the wild trees of Texas, Louisiana and Mis- 

 sissippi. 



The species is indigenous on lowlands and river bot- 

 toms throughout most of the valley of the Mississippi 

 and its larger tributaries. It is found as far north as 

 Davenport, Iowa, in the main valley, Covington, Ky., in 

 that of the Ohio, and Terre Haute, Ind., in that of the 



