Page:Tree Crops; A Permanent Agriculture (1929).pdf/266

 tree needs distinctly more petting in its early stages than the apple tree. In contrast to this the seedlings are very tough.

The pecan can scarecly be called a tender tree. Once it is established its great root system makes it hard to kill. Mr. Ford Wilkinson, of Rockport, Indiana, reports three-foot seedlings with roots nine feet long. Unfortunately the blossoms are not as hardy as the trees. I have not tabulated the record, but I have noticed that in some seasons a combination of weather factors will kill pecans, walnuts, and hickories, while apples and peaches come through with fair crops.

In its wild condition the pecan is a tempting tree. I am surprised that we have neglected it so long. It was an important asset to the carly settlers of the central Mississippi Basin. In