THE HICKORY NUT 85 



This nut grows only in the southern parts of 

 the United States, being far less hardy than the 

 other hickories. But what it lacks in hardiness it 

 makes up in quality, and it is pretty generally 

 regarded as the best nut that is grown in tem- 

 perate climates, not even excepting the English 

 walnut. 



The relationship between the northern hick- 

 ories and the pecan is attested by the fact that in 

 the regions where the two tribes intermingle, they 

 hybridize freely. 



I have received specimens of the nuts that were 

 imdoubtedly hybrids between the shagbark hick- 

 ory and the pecan, and these included two or 

 three varieties that are among the finest nuts that 

 I have ever seen. Great improvements in the 

 pecan may result from hybridizing this nut with 

 the shagbark hickory. 



The Cultivation of the Pecan 



Even in its existing varieties, however, the 

 pecan nut has most attractive qualities ; and it has 

 the distinction of being the only native nut that 

 has hitherto been placed under cultivation on an 

 extensive scale and has attained commercial 

 importance. 



We have already referred to the economic 

 importance of this nut in an earlier chapter, and 



