12 
BULLETIN 1102, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
each year. Most southern soils are naturally deficient in organic 
matter, and unless supplied by means of growing cov^er crops for 
green manuring each year the trees will soon suffer. 
The cowpea for many years has been the most popular cover crop 
with pecan growers. It is an easily cultivated legume and adds a 
large quantity of organic matter to the soil when plowed under. 
However, it has been observed by the writer, as well as by several 
growers, and also reported by Turner, that kernel-spot is almost 
always found more abundantly in orchards planted to cowpeas. This 
indicates that cowpeas may have to be discarded as a cover crop for 
pecan orchards and some other luxuriant-growing legume substi- 
tuted. It appears at present that velvet beans, preferably the bunch 
variety, will largely take the place of cowpeas in bearing orchards. 
The velvet bean is a legume, a rank grower, and the writer's obser- 
vations as well as other available information indicate that it is 
not a favored host for the stinkbugs. Kudzu and lespedeza are also 
possible substitutes for cowpeas as summer cover crops in pecan 
orchards. 
The writer made a preliminary investigation during the pecan 
harvest during the season of 1921, attempting to learn in what sec- 
tion of the tree kernel-spot is most abundant. About 150 nuts were 
collected from each of five large Frotscher trees averaging from 30 
to 40 feet high. The nuts were kept separate from the lower third, 
middle third, and upper third of the trees. The nuts were cracked 
and the kernels carefully examined for kernel-spot. Table 3 gives 
the results. 
Table 
Sections of pecan tfces in which kernel-spot is nio^t abundant. 
Tree. 
Affected third (per cent). 
Lower. 
Middle. 
Upper. 
No. 1 
54 
61.2 
49.9 
92 
47 
46.6 
18.2 
19.8 
68.1 

24 
No. 2 
17 
No. 3 ... 
7.6 
No. 4 
No. 5 
2 
60. 2 29. 8 1 24 
These results indicate that while the bugs are able to fly to the 
tops of comparatively high trees, they do most of their feeding on 
the lower limbs. The evidence procured in this study is not intended 
to be conclusive, but suggests that in case the growers have an abun- 
dance of kernel-spot the}' could possibly save a portion of their crop 
by first harvesting the lower part of their trees, keeping these nuts 
separate and cracking at home or selling to a cracking establishment, 
thus eliminating what may be a total loss. 
