BURBANK'S WAY WITH TREES 



trate possibilities that are open to the experi- 

 menter. Mr. Burbank reports that he has seen 

 nuts that he regards as undoubtedly hybrids be- 

 tween the pecan and the hickory. He suggests 

 that a new nut of hardy quality might probably 

 be produced by hybridizing the pecan with the 

 shagbark hickory, and carrying the experiment 

 forward along the usual lines of selection. The 

 chief difficulty involved is that the trees are of 

 slow growth, coming to maturity only after a good 

 many years. Comparatively few persons have the 

 patience to work under such conditions. Yet there 

 is little question that such experiments will be 

 undertaken in the near future, and important re- 

 sults may be expected in years to come. 



It is desirable also to attempt to hybridize the 

 pecan with the butternut and walnut and with the 

 English walnut. Mr. Burbank suggests that if 

 such hybridization could be effected, it may be 

 expected that trees of rapid growth, similar to his 

 hybrid walnuts, will be produced. 



Not unlikely, he says, some varieties that tend 

 to produce nuts at a very early age, like the hy- 

 brid chestnuts, may also appear as the result of 

 such hybridization. 



And in any event, it may confidently be expected 

 that new varieties will give opportunity for wide 

 selection, and for relatively rapid improvement in 

 the quality of the nuts themselves. There is every 

 reason to believe that the wild pecan will respond 

 to the efforts of the plant developer, and that its 

 descendants a few generations removed will take 



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