Part 31 (1/2)

The cultural range of the pecan may be divided into two rather large belts, known as southern and northern. In fact, pecan culture is sometimes designated as ”southern” and ”northern” due to differences in size of nut, thickness of sh.e.l.l, and time required for maturity of nuts.

The approximate northern limit of the southern area is near the extreme southeastern boundary line between Missouri and Arkansas. The northern belt extends into Nebraska and Iowa and includes approximately the entire state of Missouri.

The chief difference between these areas is the length of the growing season. In general, the southern or ”paper-sh.e.l.l” varieties require from 240 to 250 days to mature their nuts, while the northern varieties which produce usually nuts of smaller size with somewhat thicker sh.e.l.ls need from 180 to 200 days.

VARIETIES

There is no factor in pecan growing of greater importance than the proper selection of varieties for planting. Fertile soils and good culture will not make poor varieties profitable or low yielding kinds fruitful.

Only in southeast Missouri are the southern varieties such as Stuart, Pabst, Moneymaker, Success, Schley, and others a success. This is true because the fruit buds of these varieties in other sections of Missouri are generally killed by winter cold. Furthermore even if they escape the winter cold, the growing periods for all sections except southeast Missouri may not be long enough for the full maturity of the nuts.

Since none of the sorts adapted to the southern belt are sufficiently hardy to justify their planting in Missouri except in the southeastern section, growers in other parts of the state should confine their interests and selections to the so-called northern varieties. Some of the best of these are the Major, Niblack, Giles, Indiana, Busseron, Greenriver, and Posey.

Chance seedlings which have not been named are now and then found that may be equally as worthy or better for planting locally than any of the named varieties listed above. In fact, these suggested sorts were derived from chance seedling trees. Producers generally, therefore, should be on the lookout for seedling trees of merit. When so discovered, the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station at Columbia will be glad to make tests free of charge and report upon the cracking percent, amount of kernel, appearance, flavor, texture, quality, oil content, etc.

The nuts produced by the hardy varieties adapted generally to Missouri conditions are usually smaller in size and have somewhat thicker sh.e.l.ls but may possess equally as high or even higher oil content and kernel quality than the southern sorts. The better varieties of this group, however, rank high enough to compete favorably on the markets of the country in both sh.e.l.led and unsh.e.l.led state with the southern varieties.

A full crop of pecans would run from 30 to 35 carloads, the majority of which are produced along the Mississippi river in the bottom lands from Ste. Genevieve southward. Heavy s.h.i.+pments are made in a good year especially from Ste. Genevieve, St. Mary's, Menfro, Caruthersville and Hornersville, and in these sections are some of the largest and best nuts.

Pecans are found along the Mississippi river from St. Charles north to Hannibal, but too generally in that area the trees are scarce and the production smaller, with nuts of thicker sh.e.l.ls.

Pecan trees are also found growing wild along the Missouri river bottom as far west as Lexington, and up the Grand river bottoms to Chillicothe, and the nuts in this area are about the size of those in the north Mississippi valley section, but are sweet with high oil content.

There is a pecan production district along the Osage river and the Kansas border, with heavy s.h.i.+pping section at Rockville and Sch.e.l.l City.

Missouri pecans are cla.s.sed as Westerns in the commercial market. They are favored by the confectionery trade. A great many native trees are found in the south Mississippi section, but there is a growing interest in budded pecan trees, especially around Caruthersville.

The total of the budded varieties of pecan trees in Missouri does not const.i.tute more than approximately one per cent of the total of growing trees.

Many years ago a large acreage of the bottom lands along the Mississippi river were thick with immense, heavy-producing pecan trees--but most of this pecan timber was cut down either for fuel wood or saw timber.

Short-sighted people have been known to chop down trees simply to secure the nuts.

THE HICKORIES

The native hickories of Missouri have been held in high esteem since early settlements were established. They are notorious on account of their slow rate of growth yet they offer greater possibilities to nut growers than is usually believed. As shade trees they have a high ranking.

Promising varieties may now be had by obtaining scions from superior bearing seedling trees and from young named and grafted trees in the nurseries of commercial concerns. Grafted trees may come into bearing in three or four years after the operation.

Perhaps as many as five species are native of Missouri. The big sh.e.l.lbark or kingnut is common to the south and southwest regions, but its range is not as wide as others. The s.h.a.gbark which is the most valuable nut producer of all the hickories, is rather widely distributed particularly in northern and central Missouri. Numerous varieties have been described and named because of their particular merits. Sh.e.l.lbark nuts may be large and attractive, but are often poorly filled.

The pignut, mockernut, and bitternut have a rather general distribution especially in the central and northern parts of the state. These nuts are not considered of great value except for their hybrids with other species. Perhaps the most natural type of hybrid occurring among the hickories is crosses between the s.h.a.gbark and sh.e.l.lbark, one of the best varieties of which is Weiker.

The pecan and sh.e.l.lbark hybrids include McAllister, Nussbaumer, and Rockville, while the Burton is believed to be a pecan-s.h.a.gbark cross.

The natural crosses of the pecan and hickory found in the wild have not been entirely satisfactory. The trees vary greatly in fruitfulness and the nuts in thickness of sh.e.l.ls, size, shape, and kernel quality. A strong tendency to produce nuts with imperfect kernels is common among the pecan-sh.e.l.lbark crosses.

Local varieties selected from the wild may have merit for use in top-working hickories or pecans. The pecan is suggested because it makes a good stock for the hickories and as it grows more rapidly. Some of the best of the older named sorts for planting or for use in top-working appear to be the following: Barnes, Fairbanks, Stanley, Weiker, Kentucky, Swain, Laney, Kirtland, and Rieke.

THE c.h.i.n.kAPINS