compact soil around it.  However, it has borne quite heavily, commenced bearing at nine years of age from seed.  The trees on the bottom land are not as large and have not borne half as many nuts as the ones planted on high land.  This is Mr. Coan’s report and he says that were he planting again he would plant entirely on high ground.  The trees shown in these photographs are located on perhaps the highest elevation in Knox County, Ind.  There are a number of other trees near the writer’s home planted on high land 150 feet above the river, back from three to six miles, that are large trees, measuring 18 to 24 inches in diameter and bearing regular crops.  Heavy clay land seems to push a stronger and more vigorous growth than does the more loamy, darker soil.  I submit here a number of photographs taken August 10 of pecan trees in the nursery row, budded one year ago, showing a growth of from 4 to 6 feet, many of them 5 to 7 feet and some 8 feet high and still growing rapidly.  These were budded on four-year-old pecans.

Propagation

We have tried all known methods of propagating the pecan with varied results; one of the methods you do not want to try is the Edwards method.  While it may be a success in Texas, where it originated, it is a miserable failure in the North.  Grafting above ground is done after the sap is well up, and gives fair results.  However, best results have been obtained by the patch bud method on seedlings three to four years old.  Good strong seedlings, well-ripened buds cut from the scion orchard or from trees two years old in the nursery have given best results—­in some cases, as high as 85 per cent stand the past season.

* * * * *

MR. JONES:  Mr. Rush had a Stuart bearing last year in south-eastern Pennsylvania.  The nuts were not very large but they matured fairly well.  I am more encouraged than ever that the Indiana variety will be safe for use in Pennsylvania.

MR. REED:  I think that if the Stuart bloomed as early as the others it would be all right, but it is about two weeks later.

MR. LITTLEPAGE:  I don’t believe in the Stuart very much:  I have better pecans myself, hardy in the north.

THE PRESIDENT:  I wish to corroborate Mr. Reed’s point about the success of the pecan on high land.  One man is, I believe, responsible for that widely circulated statement that the pecan will grow only on alluvial land.  I have travelled a thousand miles in investigating that fact, and found it a fallacy.  Some of the biggest pecan trees I have ever seen were growing at 900 feet elevation down in Georgia.  This was on clay hills.  I have seen the same thing in Raleigh.  That alluvial soil business is a hoax.

This ends the intellectual side of our program.

Business meeting.

Meeting adjourned sine die at 10 P. M.

WALNUT OBSERVATIONS IN CALIFORNIA[3]