J. H. Burkett, Nut Culturist, Texas State Dept. of Agriculture, Austin, Texas
It requires a long time to test out the value of new pecan varieties. A new variety may be a success in the locality where found or in the locality where it has its origin and be a complete or partial failure when transferred to a different section. Also, i as much as soil types vary so much in all parts of the State from a deep sandy alluvial transported soil type to a close textured residual black waxy type, a new variety may be found on a given type of soil where it is succeeding admirably and prove a failure if used on a different soil, though it be removed only a short distance.
For this and other reasons I have encouraged the search for promising new varieties in order that they might be brought to notice and be tested out as quickly as possible.
I began to disseminate scions of Burketţ in 1911, sending them to different parts of the State at my own expense and although the Burkett has been used now for thirteen years, in many parts of the State it has not been sufficiently tested for us to determine for certain just where it will succeed. Where do the best pecans come from?
There have been so many new varieties brought into notice recently that it would be impractical to mention each one and you are referred to our table of meat percentage in our new bulletin for a further study. Also it has been impossible for us to secure a detailed history of the parent trees of these new varieties, hence the list is cataloged and the recommendation is made that they be taken under observation by those interested with a view of determining their value. These new sorts are also introduced and listed and their meat content given so as to encourage the continued search for better varieties. as it is confidently believed that we have probably not found our best native pecan varieties yet.
I will discuss only a few of those that appear to me to be the most promising as follows ·
Mcculley Sent in by Guy Risien, San Saba, Texas. Runs 63 nuts per pound, 62. 1 percent meat. Shell thin, extra good cracking quality. Resembles Burkett but the shell is thinner. Mcculley seems ţo be a shy bearer. It is very valuable if it proves to, be prolific.
San Saba Improved Runs 61 percent meat, 55 nuts shell, good cracking quality, well filled, excellent color and able, Sent in by Guy Risien.
Jersery : Sent in by Guy Risien. Runs 84 nuts per pound, 63 per cent meat. Very thin shell, excellent cracking quality meat plump solid, sweet. Releases perfect. Valuable for commercial cracking and home use.
Western Schley Runs 59 nuts per pound, 60 per shell, good cracking quality. Probably more valuable than Eastern Schyle for western conditions. Very prolific. Sent in by Guy Risien
Commonwealth Runs 60.7 percent meat, 54 nuts per pound. Thin shell, good cracking quality, meat solid, good appearance. Medium to large in size. promising. Sent in by Guy Risen.
Onliwon Rung 60.7 percent meat, 59 nuts per pound. Very thin shell, excellent cracking quality. Equal to the best. Sent in by Guy Risien.
Supreme (Risien) Runs 61.7 percent meat, 70 nuts per pound. Very thin and soft shelled, well filled meats. plump and solid. Possibly too full at the apex end. Sent in by Guy Risien
No. 60 Runs 61.9 percent meat, 60 nuts per pound, very thin shell, good cracking quality, plump and solid. Desirable. High class in every respect. Sent in by Guy Risien.
Commercial Runs 67.5 percent meat, 75 nuts. per pound. Very thin Shell extra good cracking quality, well filled. Valuable for commercial cracking machine, except possibly too round. Sent by Risien.
Leon Grown by D. A. Barnett, Lampkin, Texas. Runs 56 nuts per pound,56.4 percent meat. Thin shell, well filled, good shape and color, good cracking quality. sent in by Ross R. Wolfe, Stephenville, Texas.
Merit Grown by L. D. Merrett, Deon, Texas. Runs 53 nuts per pound, 49 percenţ meat Medium thin shell, extra fine cracking quality, good color and shape. Desirable. Sent in by Ross R. Wolfe, Stephenville, Texas.
Millican Pecan Runs 48 nuts per, pound, 59.8 percent meat. Thin shell, well filled, desirable shape. Defective in that the sutures of the kernels are deep and narrow and the corky substance hard to remove. Good cracking quality. Sent In by D. F. Moore, Bend, Texas.
Franklin Runs 48 nuts per pound, 52.8 percent meat. Medium thin shell, good cracking quaility, well filled, good color and shape. Sent in by D.F. Moore, Bend Texas.
Williams Sent in by Frank Willmann. Owner Charles Williams, Fredonia, Texas. Runs 74 nuts per pound, 59.2 percent meat. Thin shell, fine cracking quality, well filled, good color and shape. Valuable for commercial cracking plants.
Sirocka Sent in by J. A. Evans. Originated on farm of John Sirockà, LaGrange. · Texas. Runs 60 nuts per pound, 53.7 percent meat. Said to be an early and very prolific bearer. Promising for the section where it originated.
Evans Sent in. By J. A. Evans. Originated on farm'of John Sirocka, LaGrange, Texas. Runs 53 nuts per pound, 60. per cent meat. Thin shell, rich yellow oily meat, superior flavor. Promising.
Simmons Sent in by J. A. Evans. Originated in the Leon Valley near DeLeon, Texas. Too small to catch the eye of the passer by. Runs 66 percent meat. Is said to be a regular and consistent bearer. Excellent table nut. Will probably prove of special value.
Odom Sent in by R. L. Odom, Toledo, Texas. Runs 42 nuts per pound, 64. 8 per cent meat.. Extremely. Thin, loose shell.'Very best clacking quality. The individual nut is superior to any yet examined. Parent tree said to be shy in bearing. Most likely a seedling of Russell, which nut resembles closely.
Mosty Sent in by Frank Willmann. Owner Mosty Brothers. Center Point, Texas. Runs 65 nuts per pound, 55 per cent meat. One of the most prolific of any variety yet observed. Very promising on account of its unusual productions.
Alexander Sent in by Frank Willmann. Orginated at Coleman, Texas. Owner H. A. Halbert, Coleman, Texas Runs 67 nuts per pound, 52 percent meat. Very. prolific.
Menard Sent in by Frank Willman, from Menard County, Texas. Runs 74 nuts per pound, 56 per cent meat.
Govett Sent in by R. C. Govett, Seguin, Texas. Thin shell. Very prolific. Size, medium large. · One of our most promising new varieties. Said to be in same class as the Schley but more prolific.
Editor's Note:- Those who are particularly interested in new varieties should · write to the State Department of Agriculture, Austin, Texas, for a copy of Mr. Burkett's Bulletin "The Pecan In Texas." This Bulletin contains detailed information and excellent illustrations of not only the pecan varieties described above, but of others.
