92 NUT CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES. 



PINE NUTS. 



(PinuuL.) 



This name is derived from the Latin word ptx, picis, and means the tree that 

 produces pitch. The pine nut has a rich marrowy kernel in a shell that varies in 

 thickness from that of a chestnut to that of a hard-shelled hazelnut. Its form and 

 size of nuts of different species vary greatly, as may be seen on pi. 16. The several 

 species of pine yielding edible nuts are found on the Pacific Slope of the United States 

 and in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. The nuts are but little known 

 to a majority of the people of the United States, though they are marketed in large 

 quantities in some of the cities of California. Some of them are of good size for 

 dessert or confectionery purposes, and in quality and flavor are so superior that their 

 general introduction will doubtless make them very popular. The pine nuts are 

 generally harvested by Indians, whose method is to heat the cones until they open, 

 when the nuts are easily rattled out, having been roasted in the process. This 

 accounts for the fact that few pifions can be secured in the market in the raw state. 

 When a quantity of the nuts has been secured, the Indians dispose of them at the 

 stores, whence the nuts are retailed in a small way for local consumption. Some are 

 shipped to the larger markets of the cities on the Pacific Coast, and rarely to Eastern 

 cities. Along the borders of Mexico the nuts are called " pifions," and to an increas- 

 ing extent this name is being accepted as applicable to all pine nuts. To what extent 

 the several species would reward the planter when brought into cultivation is a matter 

 of mere conjecture. As an indication of the extent to which these nuts are gathered, 

 and the esteem in which they are held, a few extracts from our correspondents are 

 given. 



NOTES FROM CORRESPONDENTS. 



O. P. Chubb, Orange, Cal. : "The pifion is gathered on San Bernardino Mountains 

 in great puautities. They are gathered and sold with profit by Indians and border 

 settlers." 



Scipio Craig, Eedlands, Cal.: "Pifions are the most plentiful wild nuts. They 

 grow in the mountains and are systematically gathered and marketed by the Indians." 



D. S. Grimes, Denver, Colo.: "Piuon pine is found in extensive bodies in 

 western Colorado. It produces edible nuts, which are gathered in large quantities 

 for market." 



J. J. Leeson, Socorro, N. Mex. : "The pinon grows to perfection in our mountains, 

 and thousands of pounds are sold, the Mexicans preferring them to all others. They 

 sell, when roasted, for from 10 to 20 cents per pound. Some trees produce as much as 

 5 bushels. They are fine-flavored and attain the size of acorns." 



A. J. Johnson, Astoria, Oreg. : " The pines are all of dwarf habit and grow in 

 high altitudes. The nuts are picked by Indians and roasted in hot ashes until the 

 cones open, when the nuts will rattle out very easily. I have collected seed nuts of 

 Finns albicaulis and Pinus flexilis in the Cascade Mountains, near the snow line of 

 Mount Hood, at an altitude of 7,000 to 9,000 feet. The trees make low, dense growth ; 

 are compact, and are very ornamental. Some years they are loaded with seed cones." 



By the kindness of Prof. J. G. Lemmon, of Oakland, Cal., the herbarium of this 

 division has been supplied with a very satisfactory collection of these nuts. We 

 quote at some length from his interesting pamphlet, "Pines of the Pacific Slope," 

 concerning several species: "The Indians and Mexicans eat a great many kinds of 

 seeds and nuts and roots. Of seeds, they eat those of any of the pines they can reach. 

 Of course, the most desirable are the largest and most abundant species; so, chief 

 of the so-called pine nuts, or piuons, are the long-cone pines, globe-cone pines, and 

 heavy-cone pines. There are other species of pine which bear large and very desirable 



