J. STECKLER SEED CO., LTD., ALMANAC AND 



Mr. 



I^ettet on Pecan Culture. 



Richard Frotscher — Dear Sir: 



The trees, as far as my observation goes, are 

 subject to no disease, and have but few insect 

 pests to contend with. They will grow in almost 

 any soil, on high or low land, no eultiration, 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. There- 

 turns from the first so uncertain, from the last ab- 

 solutely sure. 



The pecan nut tree, "Yuglans Oarya Olivmfor- 

 mis," grows wild In many of the Southern States, 

 »nd is said "to be indigenonb along the Missis- 

 sippi river as far north as Soiithern |Iowa." 



Fecau trees. Any one giving the matter a 

 little thoiiofht, can easily see the profits are 

 enormous, much greater than, in any other 

 line of fruit culture. fiCt would-be planters 

 make their calculation as to what these { 

 profits will be, there has been of late a i 

 great impetus in Pecan planting, and al- 

 though we have an unusually large stock I 

 for this season's planting, we would urge j 

 our customers to send in their orders early, j 

 as the indications are that we will sell out 

 of some quantities at least before s.eason 

 opens for planting. 



We recommend the planting of Budded 

 Pecan trees as a safe investment. As a 

 proof of this we give the following instance; 

 we recently purchased the crop of one tree 

 for $183; there is nothing on earth that 

 would pay better. You must, however, be 

 extremely careful in buying trees from only 

 reliabiC people. We wish to warn our 

 customers against buying Pecan trees from 

 other than reliable nurserymen; because 

 the genuine trees are high in price and 

 difficult to bud or graft sometimes taking 

 three or four years to make a good saleable 

 tree, the temptation for fraud is great. 

 Worthless pecan, pig nut and hickory trees 

 from the swamps are sold for first class 

 grafted or budded trees. Fraud is haid to 

 detect. Even experienced nurserymen are 

 sometimes in doubt when called upon to 

 examine such trees; the only safe way is to 

 buy from men of established reputation. 

 Nurserymen and gr.owers who are inter- 

 ested in pecan culture recently organized a 

 Nut Growers Association of which we are 

 members. We offer for delivery in Decem- 

 ber, January and February, but would ad- 

 vise purchasers to order early as the de- 

 mand is always greater than our supply, 

 our three varieties which lead all others in 

 the pecan industry in size, quality and pro- 

 ductiveness. Prices on any of our leaders, 

 "Frotscher's Egg Shell," "Centennial" or 

 "Rome" are as follows: 4 to 5 feet budded, 

 ^2.00 each; 3 to 4 feet budded, $1.50 each; 

 2)4 to 3 feet budded, $1.00; Pecan Nuts for 

 geed, New Kome, Frotscher's Egg Shell, 

 Rome and Centennial, each at fl.CO per 

 lb., if by mail add 9 cents postage; Steck- 

 ler's Mammoth at $2.00 per lb. If by mail 

 add 9 cents. 



The bulk of the nuts on the market are IroRft 

 wild self-sown trees. Prices vary from .5c. to .50c. 

 per pound, showing conclusively there is a gre.aT 

 difference in Quality. The rich, sweet, oily nuts ol 

 thin shell and large .size are the best. I have some 

 now before me, .«oine small ones, J^ of an inch 

 long by 3/8 of an inch in diameter, and others l>fc 

 mch in diameter by 2V^ inches long. These last 

 are ten times the value of the first, because of 

 superior quality, thin sh-jll and large size. These 

 nuts are all from self-sown trees. The vield from 

 full grown trees varies from one to seven barrels, 

 weighing 100 pounds per barrel . 



In no other class of wild fruit or nut i.recs is 

 there a greater chance for improvement, or rather 

 5o great an improvement so easilv effected. We 

 bave only to select the best sorts "nature has pro- 

 vld«id, and bud or graft them on the common kinde 



The most successful method is by "annular bud- 

 ding. " It may be done any time from the end of 

 May up to the first part of August, varying a^ sea- 

 sons and the localities differ, the earlier it can be 

 done the better. 



With a sharp budding knife mali6 two cuts eom- 

 uletely 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 otf 

 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 yon 

 wish to use), covering a well developed eye; make 

 the same cut 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 (leav- 

 ing 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 welt 

 take off the lies and cut back the stock to within 

 six inches of the bud. When they have grown out 

 a foot or more, cut back again to within a half inch 

 of the bud. Thereafter allow nothing but thebud 

 to grow. Pecan trees m/iT be grafted in the ordi- 

 nary 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 pro- 

 duce more regular and more abundant crops, be- 

 sides perpetuating the improved kinds, which is 

 the most important, as they do not alwavs come 

 true from seed. 



Pecan seedlings should De transplanted soon 

 after the leaves fall; it must be done before thev 

 start growing in the spring. As they grow to be 

 large trees, they must be planted from fifty to sev- 

 enty feet apart. Though on sandy poor land thev 

 may be planted closer. Keep down the weedV 

 froni around the young trees for the first year or 

 two; afterwards "they will take care of them- 

 selves. 



I wish to impress the farmers with the impor- 

 tance of planting only the very best and finest 

 nuts obtainable. To bear in mind the fact thar 

 the tendency of such seedling is not toward an 

 Improvement on, but towards a kind of inferior to 

 the parant 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 produce good fruit.) That there is no way to 

 select the best of such seedlings but by waiting 

 until they fruit, which mav be eight to fifteen 

 j'ears. 



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 or 

 planting, otherwise they will certainly be diflap- 

 pointed in results, and iiicnr an irreparable lo^e of 

 j'ears of time. 



It is best to raise trees In nursery before plant- 

 ing in orchard. Plant the nuts in rows three or 

 four feet apart, drop the nuts in the row, sow fosr 

 inches from each other, cover two inches deep, 

 and keep the ground clear of grass and weeds. 

 The seed maybe planted any time after the mjti» 

 ripen until growth starts In the spring. When t»r«- 



Ppatt's Animal Regrulator, 26c. and 50c. 



