NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



489 



on farms. It is just now attracting great attention and being widely 

 exploited there. Orchards are being rapidly planted, in many cases 

 to be passed on afterwards to hopeful investors, and nurserymen 

 cannot keep up with the demand for young stock. 



Tne writer thinks that more caution might well be exercised in 

 the matter. Many of the favourable calculations on which planters 

 are relying are based on figures taken from single trees grown in 

 exceptional circumstances, and would certainly not represent the 

 results from average trees grown in numbers and in average conditions. 

 It has been said also that the Pecan is subject to no diseases 

 and no pests, whereas such immunity is probably due to the fact 

 that it has hitherto been planted chiefly as single specimens or has 

 been found in its native forest. No agricultural product is without 

 its natural enemies and other obstacles that must be overcome. The 

 Pecan is no exception to this rule, and there are already both insect 

 pests and fungous diseases which are known to attack it. 



The writer gives maps showing the natural distribution of the 

 wild Pecan, describes its habit of growth, its cultural distribution ; 

 discusses its economic importance, and gives an account of methods 

 of culture and propagation. The bulletin ends with a descriptive 

 list of the best and best-known varieties which have arisen through 

 selection and propagation by growers and nurserymen. — M. L. H. 



Pelargonium Cultivation for Essential Oil. By Joseph Knight 

 {Jour. Dep. Agr. Vict. Nov. 1912. pp. 677-680). — Plants cut when 

 coining into bloom, mature foliage boiled slowly in still ; the oil distils 

 out. Five to six tons of leaves are produced from the acre, yielding 

 about 3 lb. of oil from a ton of leaves. There may be a second or third 

 cutting of leaves. — C. H. H. 



Persimmons, Experiments on Processes of Rendering them 

 Non-astringent. By H. C. Gore [U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Bur. Chem., 

 Bull. 141 ; Sept. 29, 1911 ; plates). — The Oriental Persimmon was 

 introduced into America from Japan about fifty years ago, but has 

 never become as popular there as it deserves. When it was imported 

 the process by which the Japanese remove the excessive astringency 

 of the fruit without destroying its firmness was not imported with it. 

 This bulletin tells of experiments, first in preparing the fruit in the 

 time-honoured Japanese fashion — that is, of heading it up in an empty 

 sake cask, the sake being of the best quality. This removes all 

 astringency within a short time and leaves the fruit firm and sound, 

 so that it may be pared and eaten like an apple. Later experiments 

 were tried with the view of finding some chemical substance to take 

 the place of the sake, and it has been found that carbon dioxide will 

 answer the purpose, a little dry starch being placed in the receptacle 

 during the operation to prevent the fruit cracking. 



How soon this use of carbon dioxide treatment becomes general 

 will depend more on the growers than on the dealers. In the writer's 

 opinion they should see that it is perfected and advertised, until the 



VOL. XXXIX. 2 K 



