124 Pecan-Growing 



have split and a small percentage of the nuts have fallen 

 to the ground before harvesting is begun. Only one other 

 picking is made, generally about the time the leaves shed, 

 when the late maturing and scattering nuts on the trees can 

 be found more easily. As a rule, when there are only two 

 harvestings, one cent a pound and sometimes less is paid for 

 the first picking when the nuts are plentiful, and three to 

 five cents a pound at the close of the season when the nuts 

 are scattering. 



When the grower is not equipped for drying pecans by 

 artificial heat, they may be dried on frames or trays in any 

 well-ventilated house, or better, in the sunshine during the 

 day and put into the house at night. Frames or trays for this 

 purpose may be of lumber three and one-half inches wide and 

 one inch thick, with heavy galvanized wire netting with one- 

 half-inch mesh. The frames are made seven feet long and 

 thirty inches wide. The side timbers, which are allowed to 

 extend six inches at each end, are pared down and dressed 

 to serve as handles. The wire netting is securely fastened 

 on the bottom of the frame, giving it a depth of three and 

 one-half inches, the width of the board. Each tray holds 

 about 125 pounds and can be handled by two men in sunning 

 in the open air. When carried into the house, these trays 

 can be stacked one upon another and still permit ventilation. 

 The curing of these nuts to fit them for the market will require 

 from a week to ten days, depending on weather conditions, 

 the length of time they are allowed to remain in the sunshine, 

 and the degree of maturity when harvested. 



If the nuts are to be sold through an association or exchange 

 equipped with drying rooms, they will be cured by artificial 

 heat before being placed on the market. However, this does 



