Last fall in Gallatin County native pecans of the best grades sold for 18 cents per pound on the market, while the average tree run stock was bringing six cents. With a native pecan crop from one county in Illinois, more or less ungraded, selling for $100,000 in a recent year, thinking horticulturists in the state are beginning to feel that there are potential profits in nut culture where better varieties are planted or top worked. Seedling trees for top working are already growing in abundance in many sections of the state with an ideal climate and soil for northern nut production.
Last year seven counties in Illinois carried on the top working project. This year approximately three times that number have been enrolled. In addition, groups from neighboring counties have been present at the demonstrations. Growers from Iowa and Indiana have also attended. The total attendance has run into the hundreds, both men and women, most of them actual growers.
All the meetings are held out of doors in the orchard or nursery and the group is instructed in the propagation of nut trees through grafting and budding. Nut growers of the immediate locality are glad to assist with the work. After the discussion and demonstration, all present are invited to learn how to do the work by actual participation and many become sufficiently skilled to top work their own trees upon their return home. Possibilities of this type of extension work are almost unlimited.
Letter from J. U. Gellatly
I enclose a short chart or graph of the flowering habits of some of my leading walnut trees. I started in 1930 to keep a record of some of the trees and have added a number since till this year when I kept a record of 17 different trees. The ones shown cover the full time from May 12th to June 25th.
Some new ideas in budding procedure that may be of value and interest I also include herein that others may test them out as I am doing. But even if they fail with me it will not prove that they have no value, for the generally approved methods have failed to give commercial results here.
My main idea was to try to find a new system of handling the budding operations that would give more definite results and if possible to eliminate the use of a wax melter and the waxing of buds. My first trial consisted in the use of florist's tin foil. Cutting bud from bud stick with my new style bud cutter, I cut out the patch from stalk and placed bud in place and with two or three turns of raffia, or rubber bands, secured bud in place, then put 2 wraps of tinfoil around the bud and stalk extending from one inch below to one inch above bud, then with hand pressed tinfoil tightly to shape of bud and stalk, then completely wrapped with raffia and tied securely. This makes a neat job and is pleasant and convenient to work with.
I have today examined some buds so treated and put on the 13th of August and they appear to be in prime shape, no apparent flooding or souring of the bud patch. As this tin foil cost me 25c per pound, I had a happy thought of using cellophane which is much cheaper and is equally easy to use, on the whole, as the tinfoil as, while it is in the first operation of actually applying to stalk not just as easily put on, it has an important advantage that offsets this, which is the ease with which one can see that the bud is in the exact place, while the tying is taking place.
My present method of using the cellophane is to apply a double wrapping of cellophane directly over the bud then to securely wrap from one-half inch below bud to one-half inch above bud. This makes a good air and moisture proof job. Experience may modify or eliminate some parts of this procedure, and it is with this in view that I pass this on that others may take it up and work out the best procedure from a wider experience than one can give.