110 Zessons in Fruit Growing. 



diminishing, and tlie cultivation of nuts is certain to in- 

 ■crease in importance in the future. Several of the nut 

 trees are valuable for timber; others thrive on land that is 

 "worth little for farming. The time required for most nut 

 trees to produce paying crops will tend to prevent over- 

 planting, while the good keeping qualities of nuts render 

 them a safe crop to grow. 



The commercial production of nuts offers a promising 

 field to cultivators possessing suitable land in a favorable 

 climate. Most nut plantations in this country have thus 

 far been made of seedling trees. As these are extremely 

 variable, the highest success cannot be hoped for in this 

 way. Now that successful grafting methods have been 

 found, there is less excuse for planting seedlings. Named 

 varieties may be had that bear freely nuts of superior qual- 

 ity, and only those, or meritorious wild trees, should be 

 propagated for the commercial nut orchard. The leading 

 nurserymen now list the principal nut trees, and some 

 named varieties are offered. The number of the latter will 

 increase with the demand. All of the native wild nuts are 

 decidedly variable, and forms much superior to the average 

 are occasionally found. With the exception of the almond, 

 all of the nuts cultivated in this countrj'' have monoecious 

 flowers, i. e., the stamens and pistils are produced in differ- 

 ent flowers on the same plant. 



A — THE PECAiq- 



149. The pecan [Hkoria 'pecan or Carya olivceformis) is 

 the most important native American nut. The fruit is 

 largely used for dessert and by confectioners ; the commer- 

 -cial demand for it is rapidly increasing. 

 ■ The tree, in its natural habitat, sometimes attains im- 



