It was decided to ship their bodies to England, preserved in casks of rum. 

 Part of the preparation consisted in removing the internal organs, which were 

 buried under the pecan tree already mentioned. The story goes that this 

 sympathetic tree promptly dropped its leaves, and superstitious negroes for 

 decades pointed to blood stains on its trunk. 



The pecan has much economic importance because of its nuts, which 

 are long, smooth, reddish and slender, and so thin-shelled that they may 

 sometimes be crushed with the fingers. Aside from its value as a nut-bearer, 

 however, the pecan is a beautiful ornamental and shade tree which well deserves 

 a thorough trial in California. 



A tree of this species near the Bidwell residence in Chico is 120 feet 

 high and one of the stateliest of the many beautiful trees on the grounds. 



On the Patterson ranch near Newark, Alameda County, are five specimen . 

 trees of the. King-nut (Hicoria laciniosa) and the Shagbark hickory (Hicoria 

 ovata), which were grown from nuts brought across the plains by Mr. Patterson 

 in the late 'so's. 



HOLLIES 



The hollies belong to the genus Ilex, which is the classical name of the 

 evergreen oak of Southern Europe. They are small trees and shrubs which 

 have much ornamental value because of their evergreen spiny foliage, their 

 delicate, white flowers and bright red berries. 



From the earliest .days the holly has had a religious significance. There 

 is a tradition that the holly sprang up beneath the footsteps of Christ when 

 he first walked on earth, which led to the belief that it was reverenced by 

 animals, who were never known to injure it. To Christians the evergreen 

 leaves spoke of immortality and the blood-red berries foretold the Passion. 

 The Romans used holly branches in their winter festivals of Saturnalia, and 

 when Christianity supplanted heathen worship the custom was carried on 

 until now the holly is associated with Christmas festivals. 



Many superstitions are connected with the use of holly at Christmas 

 chiefly on account of its leaves. The upper leaves on the tree tend to lose 

 their prickles, which are abundant on the lower leaves as a protection against 

 browsing animals. In the north of England the prickly leaves are known as 

 "He-Holly," and the smooth leaves as "She-Holly." It is popularly believed 



(77) 



