FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES. yyy 
cultivation, no draining, no pruning required. 
The reverse of all this is true of the orange; 
yet, how many have spent much money in 
trying to establish orange groves, and so few 
to plant pecan trees. ‘The returns from the 
first so uncertain, from the last absolutely 
sure. An orange grove in this State may be, 
and often is killed out in one night by cold, 
while a pecan grove will continue to be profit- 
able for years; for so long, in fact, that it 1s 
not even remembered who planted it. 
The pecan nut tree ‘‘Carya Olivea Formis, ” 
grows wild in many of the Southern States, 
and is said ‘‘to be indigenous along the Mis- 
sissippi river as far North as Southern Lowa.” 
The bulk of the nuts on the market are 
from wild self-sown trees. Prices vary from 
5 to 50c. per pound, showing conclusively there 
is a great difference in quality. The rich, 
sweet, oily nuts of thin shell and large size 
are the best. I have some now before me, 
some small ones. j of an inch long by § of an 
inch in diameter, and others 14 inch diameter 
by 25 inches long. These last are of ten times 
the value of the first, because of superior 
quality, thin shell and large size. ‘These nuts 
are all from self sown trees. The yield from 
full grown trees varies from one to seven 
barrels, weighing about one hundred pounds 
per barrel. 
In no other class of wild fruit or nut trees 
is there a greater chance for improvement, or 
rather so great an improvement so easily 
effected. We have only to select the best sorts 
nature has provided, and bud or graft them on 
the common kinds. 
The most successful method is by ‘‘annular 
budding.” It may be done any time from the 
end of May up to the first part of August, 
varying as seasons and localities differ, the 
earlier it can be done the better. 
With a sharp budding knife make two cuts 
completely around the stock, about one inch 
apart, cut only through the bark, cut from 
the top circle to the lower one a straight cut 
down, now slip off from the stock this piece 
of bark which is to be used as a pattern, that 
is, place it around the scion (or piece of branch 
on which are the buds you wish to use), 
covering a well-developed eye; make the same 
eut as before, on the scion, throw the first 
piece of bark away, fit the last piece from the 
scion to its place on the stock, wrap firmly 
(leaving the eye uncovered) with wax cotton, 
bass, or like soft material. To have the buds 
fit well, the scion should be as large or larger 
than the stock. If the operation is well done, 
the buds will startin about fifteen days. When 
the buds have taken well, take off the ties and 
eut back the stock to within six inches of the 
bud. When they have grown outa foot or 
more, cut back again to within a half inch 
of the bud. Thereafter allow nothing but the 
bud to grow. Pecan trees may be grafted in 
the ordinary way, but I have never succeeded 
in budding them by the common method. 
Budding or grafting will cause the trees to 
come into bearing much earlier than from 
seed, to produce more regular and more 
abundant crops, besides perpetuating the im- 
proved kinds, which is the more important, 
as they do not always come true from seed. 
Pecan seed should be transplanted soon 
after the leaves fall; it must be done before 
they start growing in the spring. As they grow 
to be large trees, they must be planted from 
fifty to seventy feet apart. Though on sandy 
poor land they may be planted closer, Keep 
down the weeds from around the young trees 
for the first year or two; afterwards they will 
take care of themselves. 
In looking over my letter in your ‘‘Garden 
Manuai,” it struck me that I would like to say 
afew words more to those desirous of planting 
a grove of seedlings, if you think it worth 
while to make room for it. I wish to impress 
them with the importance of planting only 
the very best and finest nuts obtainable. To 
bear in mind the fact that the tendency of such 
seedling is not toward an improvement on, 
but towards a kind inferior to the parent tree. 
That some only even of the best selected nuts 
reproduce their kind. (It is said about sixty 
per cent. of the seedlings from good nuts pro- 
duce good fruit.) That there is no way to 
select the best of such seedlings but by wait- 
ing until they fruit, which may be eight to 
fifteen years. 
Now, as there are many advertisements of 
‘Large Soft-shelled Pecans” for sale for seed, 
I would advise all buyers to be very particular 
as to the source from whence they get their 
nuts for planting, otherwise they will certeinly 
be disappointed in results, and incur an irre- 
arable loss of years of time. 
The tendency of this tree to sport or produce 
varieties is amply proven by the numberless 
kinds we now have. I have never seen two 
trees in a grove produce nuts exactly alike in 
size, Shape and quality. Where it is possible 
to get nuts from a tree growing at some dis- 
tance from others (the further the better) such 
nuts would certainly be the best to plant. The 
chances that they would reproduce this kind 
are greater, because the polen from other trees 
would not be so likely to reach it at the time 
of flowering. In this connection, and while I 
think of it, I certainly advise any one against 
buying seedling trees, unless from a respon- 
sible and reliable nurseryman. ‘There are 
thousands of such trees being offered for sale, 
professedly grown from good pecans, but I 
know of barrels of almost worthless pecans 
to have been sown, ostensibly to make stocks 
for budding, but doubtless many thousands 
of these will be sold to supply the demand for 
cheap trees. Far better to plant a nut of good 
| quality which you can see before it goes into 
the ground, and wait one year longer, than to 
plant such trees, even if they cost nothing. 
It is best to raise the trees in nursery before 
planting in orchard. Plant the nuts in rows 
three or four feet apart, drop the nuts in the 
row, sow four inches from each other, cover 
two inches deep, and keep the ground clear of 
erass and weeds. The seed may be planted 
