OUR NUT TREES 



native of this country is of course the Pecan {Carya 

 -pecan), which grows wild in western Mississippi, in 

 parts of Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The 

 latest authorities consider that it was planted by the 

 Indians in the Mississippi Valley and elsewhere, and 

 it is therefore not easy to determine the natural dis- 

 tribution of this tree. The Caryas are among the 

 noblest trees of North America and furnish tough 

 and valuable timber. A few years ago a species (C. 

 cathayensis) was discovered in eastern China but up to 

 that time the genus was considered peculiarly North 

 American. The Pecan probably exceeds all other 

 species in size, and in rich alluvial soils trees 1 75 feet 

 tall by 16 feet in girth of trunk often occur. In the 

 Arnold Arboretum there is one healthy young Pecan- 

 tree which is one of our proudest possessions for its 

 hardiness is a surprise to us. In this connection it 

 is necessary to emphasize the fact that the Pecan is a 

 Southern tree which cannot be expected to be hardy 

 in the cold Northern states. There is a wide region 

 in this country where Pecans can be successfully 

 grown but it is not New England nor any of the cold 

 Northern or Middle-West states. If intending nut 

 growers will properly appreciate this fact it will save 

 them money and disappointment. Pecan-nuts are 

 too well-known to need description here. They are 

 variable in size, and the best forms are about 2^ 



183 



