Status of the Northern Pecan

W. W. Magill, University of Kentucky, Leader of Discussion

MR. MAGILL: I offer no apologies for being late. My car broke down. Mr. Armstrong is with the car and will be up here most any time. Since three o'clock this morning I have been trying to get here by bus. I was stranded over in Danville.

This is the first round table discussion I ever tried to lead without previously talking to some members of the panel. Mr. Best, Mr. Crane, Mr. Gerardi, Mr. Weschcke, Mr. Snyder, Mr. Wilkinson.

In leading a discussion on northern pecans, I don't know how well this group of nut enthusiasts agree. I think we should have an understanding of what a northern variety is. About all I picked up I got from Ford Wilkinson, introducer of many of our leading varieties. He knows where every one of them is standing. I don't know how many times he has been up there. We owned two of the most valuable. During the floods of '37 when water was over Louisville, Paducah and the original Major and Greenriver trees the farm hands were sent out to clean up the debris so they worked it out and ended those two trees. Now this Niblack, that is from up here around Vincennes, the Posey originated in Gibson County, Indiana, the Busseron is from southern Indiana. The Goforth is from New Haven, near Shawneetown, Illinois. The Tissue (Tissue Paper), the Giles and Johnson are from Kansas. Gerardi has a few from Southwest Illinois. We can't say north of the Mason-Dixon line; we say "close to the Mason Dixon."—Is that north or south out there in Kansas?

MEMBER: It's Republican.

MR. MAGILL: I'm not counting that. West of the Mason-Dixon line.

I assume that this group would be interested in certain factors and maybe we can get it out to the crowd in a more interesting way by asking questions. What factors would you take into consideration in trying to make a decision? We recognize the southern varieties would be more easily killed by certain temperatures. You're from Illinois. Read off your contribution. What is your observation on these northern pecans?

MR. GERARDI: The varieties that we introduced around our particular area I could give as much for as any. These others have all been tried and with close observation there is not so much difference in the varieties I can see. I will name three or four of those varieties. The Gildig pecan is a little longer than the Indiana, but the same shape. This variety I tasted. I think the flavor is better in the Gildig. Soil variations will make a difference and it is a little longer. That is the one variety I like very well. A little slow in bearing, the trees in the nursery have no nuts before five years. After that time, it began to build up, until we had spittle bug infestation and that has been a battle. It suddenly appeared. The first I noticed was the native seedlings with spittle bug and then it moved into these plantings of these better varieties and it is very bad. In the last four years it is noticeable on the amount of nuts taken off. Because of killing that latter twig growth, it destroyed the crop of the future years. We have had the trees bear at four years old. They have a wonderful set until the spittle bug gets hold of them. From the first to the tenth of June, it's around until the 25th of July. And the second brood was active and of course it doesn't take the nut off. Most of the damage is on the twig. The first brood insect gets right around where the cluster of nuts set and it drops off. It seems to girdle the tree. The insect bores into it. I had a little difficulty telling just what quantity was on this Gildig pecan.

The next variety is the Fisher pecan, very much like the Major. The fact is I think it is a little more elongated. The youngness of bearing is the same. The Major started at three years old. The three-year tree had several sets of nuts. It keeps building on and the bearing isn't getting less.

MR. MAGILL: Do you find your bearing earlier? In top working a seedling tree?

MR. GERARDI: Top working will gain at least two years. Then again depending on the size of your root stock. You will gain at least two years. Under adverse soil conditions at least five years.

MR. MAGILL: Do you plant seedlings where you want them to grow and then later top work?

MR. GERARDI: I haven't because I have been producing them in a nursery. I don't think we have time for pre-planting these pecan seeds where you want the tree to grow. I think it is advisable in many areas. If you can plant a nut tree you can go right ahead and there is no further care to be given it. After the Fisher and the Gildig is one called the Queens Lake. (This was called Gildig number 2.) It is a little more round. It is stubby and heavy in diameter something like the Money-maker among the southern varieties only not as large. It is a little smaller.

Another variety is the Duis. He had named two or three, including the Swagler and Duis variety. I noticed two years ago after he had died, the ground had changed hands. I saw the tree but it had very few nuts. The tree was apparently ten years old. I don't believe there are more than a dozen nuts. It was in a creek bottom, growing very rapidly. The Duis pecan is a nice size. It is a little larger than any of the commercial northern varieties. As for the bearing, I am a little skeptical. The Swagler variety I have practically abandoned. It is very much like the Norton. Clarksville I like very well. The Norton (parent of Clarksville) does not bear at all for me. I have ruled that one out. The Swagler gives a little trouble with late growth and winter trouble, winter damage, from the late growth in the fall. Consequently I haven't had any fruit until the present time.

MR. MAGILL: We'll come back to you later. I want to present some points in a letter from Dr. Frank B. Cross, of Oklahoma A.&M. College. They spent a lot of time on pecans in Oklahoma. They don't all have oil wells. He makes two or three statements I hadn't thought of. I will just throw these in to carry this discussion along.

"In comparing the two groups of nuts, namely, northern and southern, we find that practically all northern nuts require a longer rest period, than do the southern nuts. This means that the northern nuts for the most part begin growth later in the spring and begin to mature leaves and shed leaves and drop nuts before the southern varieties. The Major and the Greenriver are perhaps somewhat different from others of the northern varieties in that their maturity date usually falls with the earlier southern varieties.

"In order of production, I would rate the northern varieties as follows from highest to lowest: Major, Greenriver, Busseron, Indiana, Niblack, Kentucky, Warwick, Posey, Coy, Tissue, Johnson. Perhaps a little broader classification and grouping should be made. In my judgment, the Major, Greenriver, Busseron, Indiana, and Niblack compose one group which may be depended upon for fairly satisfactory production. The Kentucky, Warwick, Posey, Coy, Tissue, and Johnson have consistently been much lighter producers than those named in the first group.

"In order of desirability for planting I would make a list about as follows: Niblack, Major, Greenriver, Busseron, Indiana. I list the Niblack as first choice because it seems to be about as productive as any of the other varieties, and because of its excellence as a cracking nut and the quality of the kernel. The Niblack is really a very desirable nut for cracking, when it is cracked by such devices as the Squirrel cracker which applies pressure to both ends. The kernel comes free from the shell. In a good many varieties, such as the Indiana and Busseron the kernel and shell do not drop free, but the kernel frequently is wedged in furrows in the shell so that the two must be pulled apart. This is not true of the Niblack. When they are cracked by end to end crackers, the shell and kernel drop free. I list Major as second choice because of its good production. It is a little bit late in maturing for a variety of the northern group, and will sometimes get caught by frosts in many northern localities. The nut is not a desirable one for cracking because of its shape. A good cracking nut must be oval. The Major is comparatively round and many of the kernels will be crushed when they are cracked. The Greenriver is a good producer but it is a little bit late. The Indiana and Busseron are both proved to be good producers.

"Comparing the general production of the northern varieties and the southern varieties, as groups, the northern varieties seem never to be so productive in Oklahoma as are the southern varieties. Much more dependable production may be obtained from the southern varieties.

"Some data on cracking percentage of nuts and size of nuts might be desirable. This list is not complete, but contains several different varieties.

VarietyNo. Nuts per PoundKernel Percentage

Busseron6247

Greenriver8049

Major5745

Posey5354

Warrick6348

"Of the nuts mentioned, the Posey is definitely larger than any of the others. It is a very fine type of nut, having a high kernel percentage. It is rather flat in shape, but is attractive in appearance. Were it not for the fact that the trees are consistently light producers, it would be a very desirable nut."

MR. BEST: They bear all right up here.

MEMBER: Where would it rank in the ability to bear?

MR. GERARDI: I would say third or fourth. Gildig, Major, Greenriver and Posey.

MR. BEST: I'd want to put Indiana and Busseron pretty close to the top. Major as one, probably Busseron and Indiana as second. Then I'd come along with probably Posey as third or fourth because, while Posey may not be the best bearer in our section, it does make a wonderful quality of nut which always matures. This matter of maturity in pecans is important.

MEMBER: How about Niblack?

MR. BEST: We haven't had too many trees that produce too many nuts. It is a high quality nut. It would be somewhere near the top. You wouldn't call it a relatively heavy producer. It hasn't fruited as early as the rest. We have had trees as old as 15 years. There is another good pecan. That is the Stevens.

MR. MAGILL: You and I will have to have Ford Wilkinson do our climbing. You find that to be a good producer. It's early. Getting back to our first consideration, we are pretty close to the north line. We have these Cass County pecans. We are just getting our first nuts. Close to Cass County—Champaign-Urbana still is the United States—not all Republicans.

MEMBER: How does that compare in Missouri?

MR. GUENGERICH: What little observation I have had about west central Missouri, it has been satisfactory. I would pick out Major from my observations. Then probably the Indiana, Greenriver. Beyond that there is some question.

MR. MAGILL: I have an idea about that Major I have been a crank of pollination on apples. We had many orchards planted in Kentucky. The Major for pollination is what Jonathans are to apples.

A week ago we had a couple hundred people at a field day down in Kentucky. We were going around over the ground and we got five pecan trees and a lot of the records were lost. I don't know how old these pecans are. I think they were planted in '17 I don't know what variety they are. We think there is one Greenriver. We really don't know what they are. There is many a pecan planting in Kentucky that was a failure because there wasn't anything to pollinate. If you were to judge the value of the tree, two and a half feet in diameter, big enough to make a world of pecans, you would have to remember that just because we didn't have something to pollinate we didn't have any pecans. I got a few to graft in Greenriver and they do fine bearing. So things like that lead me to believe there is something in pollination. We plant them out there on the bank of the west fork of the Kentucky River. We got the Major, Greenriver, the Busseron, and one other, and the Major had more crop every year. The Greenriver is about two years later. I don't know which are the best pollinaters.

MR. SNYDER: I better tell you where the Iowa trees are. They are approximately 300 miles from here. We are 150 miles north. We are also 180 miles west. We have temperatures up there too that we have to figure on. The temperature in most years gets to minus 20 and the coldest we ever had was minus 42, but that was only for an hour, but temperature is only one factor. An old professor of the University of Iowa, regarded wind as more important than temperature. The more I see of wind killing, the more I believe he is right. Wind is more important than temperature. If you have your trees surrounded, you don't get wind injury. The trees I am reporting on were planted from 1920 to 1930. Some of them now are 16 to 18 inches in diameter and 30 feet high and the varieties are such as we got from Mr. Wilkinson. Indiana, Busseron, and one other which Mr. White—he is a wholesale druggist interested in horticulture—selected and he knows the nut trees probably better than any other one man. He kept in contact with these river rats and they would always bring anything to him they thought was of interest. We have a bunch of seedling trees about the same age and size which never bloom at all and of course they are ready for cutting out. I don't know why there would be a number of seedling trees that would never bloom.

DR. CRANE: In extensive breeding work, Mr. Clarence A. Reed started in at Albany, Georgia, with 4,000 seedlings and out of 4,000 about half that many came into production and bore fruit enough so we could tell what the fruit was like in about 15 years. The other half just never did bear. Those trees had grown and made large trees and in a lot of cases they carried large leaves but there was no way we could predict anything about fruiting. It was discouraging for that reason. We quit, in our breeding work, growing the seedlings beyond one year. We make our crosses now and grow them one year in the nursery. We plant nuts at harvest and grow them until they form leaf buds and graft from the seedlings on old trees cut back. We can save anywhere from one to three, four, or five years. There are a great per cent that will not bear.

MR. MAGILL: In Iowa, out there, what varieties are making good?

MR. SNYDER: There aren't any. As nut producers they aren't worth anything. Why not plant the hicans? They ripen better but don't bear. The hicans make one of the prettiest trees but they don't bear.

We make no plans for pecans unless we have a season with no freezing until the middle of November. So that is where the pecans are that far north, except as shade trees.

MR. H. W. GUENGERICH: I feel that I am out of my territory in talking about nut growing to this Association, but I have had a few things forced on my attention that may be of interest.

When I first joined Stark Brothers Nursery, Paul Stark asked me to look into the possibilities of locating a pecan variety that would be satisfactory north of the southern pecan belt. I talked to our Missouri extension horticulturist, Bill Martin, and he informed me that a lot of pecans are being grown around Brunswick, Missouri, on the Missouri River. The Missouri flows northeast from Kansas City for about 75 miles and then swings toward the south again. Brunswick is located at the northernmost point on the river, between Kansas City and St. Louis. It is about 150 miles west of Louisiana, and in general the weather becomes more severe as you travel West. So pecans that thrive and mature at Brunswick are pretty rugged.

I went over to Brunswick to see a friend who introduced me to some pecan growers. One of these men has an interesting story and I wish he were here. I tried to bring him along but he could not get away from his farming operations. He operates several hundred acres of farm land in the Missouri River bottoms and his house stands in a grove of native pecans. When he went into his house he pointed to a hook on the door post where he tied his boat the previous spring when he moved his family out because of high water. That year, 1947, all his grain crops were destroyed by the flood but that fall he harvested 50,000 lbs. of pecans. They sold for 25¢ a pound and the total expense was for picking them, off the ground. In a year like that, $12,000.00 would come in handy. It rained again in Kansas this year and I called him and asked about the flood. He said he had a couple of inches of land that wasn't covered with water, but he expects to gather 40,000 lbs. of pecans this fall. That is interesting because there are thousands of acres in the middle west where crops have been destroyed by floods. Yet here is a crop that grows on native trees with very little care, that will pay off despite high water.

I asked my friend what effect the high water would have on the pecan foliage and he replied that the leaves would fall, but that the trees will produce new leaves and the nuts will mature. He has been through this before and knows what he is talking about.

Reference was made a short while ago to the pecan as a shade tree. I think this is one of the big opportunities in pecan growing. Recently I drove from Louisiana, Missouri, to central Ohio and saw a string of dead elms along the entire route. Now the oaks are threatened in the same way. We don't know what to do about shade trees. Some scientists from Holland visited us several weeks ago and they weren't very enthusiastic about their disease resistant elm selections. We had hoped that these selections might provide the answer to the elm tree problem.

Now pecans make very attractive shade trees. I used to live near Kansas City on a place where someone had planted 18 or 20 pecans right along the side of a golf course. When the trees were about 20 years old a fairway was laid out through this pecan grove and now blue grass grows right up to the tree trunks. A lot of other shade trees are shallow rooted and lawns do not grow well under them. I think there is a tremendous opportunity to plant pecans as shade trees.

There is just one other point I want to make. Undoubtedly we need better varieties. The nurseryman realizes this better than anyone else. But when my friend from Brunswick sold his native pecans he got just about as much for them per pound as the southern growers got for their much larger southern seedlings. Several commercial pecan crackers that I asked about this stated that the northern nuts have a better flavor and they produce more kernels per pound. So the size of the kernel doesn't make too much difference, although we all prefer the larger nuts.