PINACEAE 



however, seems to produce many empties and those sampled were not 

 so well flavored. Reports cone to us that the best pinon nut comes 

 from southern California and northern Lower California. It is the 

 nut from the Parry Pine (P. quadrif olia) • Thus far we have failed 

 to collect nuts of our pinon so common. in the extreme southwestern 

 ranges, i.e., P. cembroides, and at present our information on their 

 importance is nil. 



Other pines than the pinons produce edible nuts. One, P. 

 s trob if ormis , the Mexican vihite Pine, produces nuts comparable in 

 size to those produced by P. edulis. These are sometimes sold on 

 the market as pinon nuts along the Mexican border or were in the 

 past. The Torrey Pine, the Digger Pino and. the Coulter Pine, all 

 produce nuts of good size. Very extravagent statements have been 

 made about the nuts produced by P. pines., an exotic, and the number 

 of people they feed. All these and the pinons are too slow growing 

 to warrant the nurseries in producing certain selections. Such 

 work must be left to other agencies. Our own men can render a ser- 

 vice to future generations by reporting the exact location of trees 

 producing nuts of superior size or quality. 



GEAMTNEAE 



♦Agropyron cristat um, Crested wheat Grass, has been introduced 

 long enough that it is considered naturalized in many places. Some 

 years back it was tried out by the Forest Service at Flagstaff but 

 the results at that time were not promising. P.ecently Dr. Raymond 

 sowed it on his ranch near Flagstaff and. he reports excellent 

 results. The difference is probably due to strain or to the source 

 of the seed used. Dr. Hardies in his experimental work is finding 

 that seed from grasses brought from the north, for example from the 

 Dakotas, commonly does not respond so well at Tucson as seed produced 

 in warmer sections. Crested VJheat is being tried on the Rio Grande 

 and the 1'avajo prefects. I'r. Musgravo reports very excellent results 

 with it at Mexican Springs. An interesting feature of his work 

 and one which may prove very significant later is that Crested '..heat 

 Grass and M'estern VJheat Grass planted in association, have hybridized. 

 Vi/hat part this hybrid will play of course remains to be seen. Crest- 

 ed V:heat is one of our most promising exotics for our dry southwestern 

 conditions. It is not suitable for our low altitudes such as those 

 around Tucson and on most of the Gila projects. 



*Agrop yron smithii, Western 1/Vheat Grass, has such a wide 

 distribution that this discussion will be limited to observations 

 made in the Southwest. This species is one which in the struggle 



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