When he saw the type of grafting with which I had been getting good results, Mr. Wilkinson was astounded.  He declared that using a side-slot graft in the South resulted in 100% failure, while I had more than 50% success with it.  He was willing to discard his type of grafting for mine, which was adequate for the work we were doing, but I wanted to check his grafting performance and urged him to continue with his own (an adaptation of the bark-slot graft to the end of a cut-off stub).  We both used paper sacks to shade our grafts.  Although results proved that my methods averaged a slightly higher percentage of successful graftings in this latitude and for the type of work we were doing, his would nonetheless be superior in working over trees larger than four inches in diameter and having no lateral branches up to eight feet above ground, at which height it is most convenient to cut off a large hickory preparatory to working on it.

In the late fall of that year, we cut scionwood of the season’s growth and inverted large burlap bags stuffed with leaves over the grafts, the bags braced on the inside by laths to prevent their collapsing on the grafts.  So we have perpetuated the following varieties: 

     Hickories:  Cedar Rapids, Taylor, Barnes, Fairbanks.

     Hiccans:  McAlester, Bixby, Des Moines, Rockville, Burlington, Green
     Bay.

The Major and Posey pure pecans being incompatible on bitternut hickory roots were grafted on pecan stocks, but they proved to be tender to our winters and the varieties were finally lost.

[Illustration:  Largest planted pecan in World having a record.  About 17 ft. circumference breast height, 125 ft. spread and 125 ft. height.  Very small worthless pecans.  Easton, Maryland.  Photo by Reed 1927]

Other experiments I have made with pecans include an attempt to grow Southern pecans from seed, but they seem to be no more hardy than an orange tree would be.  It is certain that they are not at all suited to the climate of the 45th parallel.  In 1938, I received from Dr. W. C. Deming of Connecticut, some very good nuts from a large pecan tree at Hartford, Connecticut.  Of the twelve pecans I planted, only six sprouted, and of these, only one has survived up to this date and is now a small weak tree.  Apparently, the seedlings of this Hartford pecan are not as hardy as those from Iowa.

[Illustration:  Iowa seedling Pecans.  Tree planted in 1926 as seed.  First crop October 29, 1953. 7/8 of actual size.  Nuts were fully matured.  Photo by C. Weschcke]