The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-25
THE GRATED PECAN.
Same of Its Enemies Graphically
Described.


This is the time of year that the en-
emies of the grated pecan do the
most damage, and as this business is
attracting considerable attention at
present, few hints may be useful to
those who are interested in pecans.
The bud-worm, So called from his habit
of attacking the young and tender buds
of the CRAFTS, is a great pest and kills
a great many CRAFTS that otherwise
would make trees. Some small moth,
Il do not know her name or habits),
deposits an egg in the tip of the tender
buds that are just swelling. In short
!. time a small black worm is Matched
out and Immediately begins to feed on
the tender leaves of the young shoot.
The shoot turns brown and dies, and
an unobservant person usually attrib-
utes this dying to some disease. 1 have
heard 1t called die-back, and in older
trees this is just what happens, the
tender shoot being eaten into by the
worm dies back to the old wood, and
another bud puts out this in it's turn is
attacked and dies back. Our entomolo-
gists must study the life history of this
pest and tell us how to combat it,
suppose the moth is nocturnal. as l
have never seen it.. If so, some form
OF lantern to attract the moth to her
death in coal oil would seem the way
to fight it,
In my young grated trees l find it
worth my while to hunt them down
and kill them. This is a considerable
job in block of over five thousand
young trees, but as they are valuable.
II pays to protect them. The presence
of the worm is always indicated by a
long black silk case in which he lives,
letting his head alone project while
eating. Later in the season l find
him on the outer leaves of the little
trees. Two leaves sticking together
with the black case between them
shows his presence. Mash this case
between finger and thumb and you
have her. Another pest are yellow
crickets. They will cut down tender
graft four to six inches long, cut il
up and carry the entire cut part into
their holes near the trees. Little piles
OF earth shows the mouth of her hole.
| run a straw down this hole, and
follow it down with a trowel till the
hole widens out. Then pour boiling
water down and scald the cricket and
sometimes fifty young ones.
The last and greatest enemy of those
grated pecans is the INSCRIPTIONS
tree agent, and this is the time of year
that these agents travel around and
with plausible tales dupe the unsuspi-
cious. Already this season have had
letters from half dozen parties say
ing they had been offered cheap graft
ed pecan trees by a travelling sales
man who showed samples of budded
trees. Even to their unprofessional
eyes the fraud was apparent, as the
samples represented pecan trees bud
ded with the common shield bud. Early
this spring. at the earnest request of
former customer, went to his place
to see some budded pecan trees that
he had paid 81 each for, but of which
he was becoming suspicious. 1t was
the boldest fraud that l ever saw.
They were nothing but Seeding pc
cans that had been cut down to with
In six inches of the ground and the
top eye allowed to grow. My advice
to all who contemplate investing in
grated or budded pecan trees is: Don't
pit your judgment against the wiles
of a dishonest tree vender, but buy
only from a reliable man. The best
way is to consult the experiment sta
ton of your state and act on its adj
vice. Entomologists who inspect every
nursery of state and see and know
the men who own them. are skilled
men, who could not be deceived by the
clumsy subterfuges of a dishonest
dealer. A letter to the state entomol-
ogist of either Georgia or Florida en-
closing stamp. would be the best in
vestment that could be made by one
who thinks of buying grated pecan
trees. And while you are writing, ask
him if he thinks that a seeding Pc
can tree, grown from the nest nut that
can be procured, will be as likely to
mr. Cd a .4.af fro,
the tree that bore the best nut would.
and be guided by his opinion and not
by the speeious arguments Of dealers
that have no grated trees for sale.
]. H. Girardeau,
Monticello. Fla.