We are getting some place with this program, as evidenced by the data on last year's cracking contest. Normal seedling pecans yield about 33 per cent kernel to the packing plant. In last year's contest, as I say, there were over 200 entries, and I was just looking to see what the low was. I really haven't paid enough attention. The lowest entry apparently was about 33 per cent, and the highest entry was 59 per cent kernel. Over 30 of these seedling nuts yielded better than 50 per cent kernel, and that is better than most popular varieties.

These nuts are relatively small. The cracker doesn't care how small they are, he wants a nut that handles well in the cracker, a nut that is the shape of a football. A miniature football is an ideal cracking type of nut. The cracking docks come together from the ends. We cannot use a round nut. About two-thirds of these good nuts which yielded over 50 per cent kernel were so round that the machinery in cracking would not place the docks on the ends, but they were apt to hit anyplace. So they had to be discounted.

It is quite a job to evaluate these nuts. We have been arbitrary about it. We haven't developed any scoring system, because there are so many variable factors that it seems to be almost impossible to do so. In our general plan of operation in the state we expect this native grove improvement program that I described to continue, and as the trees get larger the growers will topwork sprouts which develop from the trees which have been removed so that the thing goes on and on with a constant improvement in the quality of the nut.

We also have many, many acres of nuts being propagated by topworking to varieties rather than by letting the seedling continue to produce. That is the reason why we are so much interested in getting a better type of pecan.

One man who makes it a commercial practice puts on thousands of scions every year. We in Oklahoma can't understand why you all seem to have so much trouble propagating nut trees. It is just as easy to propagate pecans and walnuts—not quite as easy—as apples, but then it isn't too difficult. I think it is the attitude and frame of mind in which you go about it.

Thank you very much, I appreciate the time.

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President Davidson: Thank you. Now, then, Mr. Magill of the University of Kentucky, will give us "A Planned Program for Improving the Pecan Industry in Southwestern Kentucky."

A Pecan Improvement Program for Southwestern Kentucky

W. W. MAGILL, Extension Horticulturist, University of Kentucky