Pinon

Piñon

In 1540, out of the land of Mexico to the south, known then as New Spain, came one Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. The object of his coming was the search for the fabulous Seven Cities of Cibola, reported by Indian runners from out of the North. The land of the Montezuma had paid well in gold for its conquest. Therefore, were not new riches to be had for the taking in this distant land that had been reported? So they came, they sought, and they found wealth of a kind, but did not take it, for only gold was the object of their mission, and after many months and weary miles they returned to the land of former conquest without gold they sought, for they did not find it.

In their travels they crossed the land of the Apache, also a people conquest bent, with many forays to their credit against the Pima and the Maricopa. No doubt the meeting of these two peoples of like desire caused Coronado and his band many an uneasy moment, for the rugged terrain and dense forest of the Apaches domain lent cover for the more primitive conqueror to stalk his opponent.

The cool streams, game and fish in Apacheland were re-wards to the Spaniard when the supplies of the agricultural Pima ran low and food furnished by friendly people wasnot obtainable in this wild, timbered land. Perhaps to the Apache the strange combination of horse and rider excited curiosity, as they watched them from cover, to a point that they ventured forth with offerings of food. Horsemen had caused as much panic among the Montezumas as had the musket.

Without doubt among these gifts to Coronado was found the pinon nut that had long been used by the Indian as food. This product of Arizona's woodlands is still used as food by the Indian, and many pounds find their way an nually even to the whites in the eastern market. This seed of the pine ranks high in food value.

Pinon pine is typically a Southwestern tree. There are three species found in Arizona, pinus cembroides, pinus monophylla and pinus edulis. The latter is the most important because of its greater abundance.

Elbert L. Little, Jr. of the United States Department of Agriculture's Southwestern Forest and Range Experiment Station at Tucson, brings out many interesting facts about the pinon in Chronica Botanica of April 21, 1941. In con nection with studies being carried on in the research branch of the Forest Service, he has found that the forests occurring below the sawtimber belt, made up primarily of pinon, juniper and oak, cover about 28 per cent of the area of Arizona and New Mexico, or approximately 42 million acres, and in addition there are smaller areas in adjacent states.

He learned that although crops are irregular, with from two to five and sometimes ten years between, yet the area producing the nut is so large that some portion is usually in production every year. The combined crop for Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado usually reaches an annual return of from one to two million pounds, with an occasional bumper crop such as in 1936 when the crop reached the neighborhood of eight million pounds. Concerning values Dr. Little points out that the pickers get about ten cents a pound and this nut retails for about 25 cents. Thus the value of the crop would annually be from a quarter to halt a million dollars or more.

Had some individual, with a yen for industrial development, seen the possibility of processing this Southwestern crop, it might now be an important small industry; but unfortunately it is processed chiefly in New York City and is marketed as Indian nuts.

The pinon tree is not a fast-growing species and seldom exceeds 25 feet in height. It is bushy in appearance, with limbs growing near the ground. Cones sometimes appear on the tree when it is 25 years old, but usually it does not become a good producer until around 75 years. The tree is found usually at an elevation of from 5,000 to 7,000 feet above the sea. It is, therefore, found in Arizona only on the higher plateaus of the north and the loftier portions of the southern and central part. Aside from the nut crop, the tree is highly valuable for fuel wood. The odor of burning pinon wood is unexcelled by any of the pines for its pleasant aroma. The coal mines around Gallup in New Mexico have called heavily on this pine for mine props. The area in which it occurs also is within some of the best grasslands of the state. During the era of unrestricted grazing, when the range became short and the sod grasses depleted to near extinction, these trees played an important role in holding the soil in place with their root systems and the duff they shed, thus acting as a check to erosion. Many a hogan of the Navajo is constructed of pinon logs plastered with mud. Thus, the pinon not only furnishes food for man but its wood also takes its place in other useful purposes.

The gathering of these nuts is more or less of an industry in itself. When there is a harvest at hand, Indians-whole families of them go by foot, wagon and horseback, and in recent times the more enterprising go in cars and trucks, to the pinon forest, moving their camps with then, and sometimes their sheep; and all gather the harvest by hand. These usually unpopulated areas may be transformed overnight to a maze of camps, horses, dogs and Indians, on the search not for gold, but for food in the form of this delicious nut.

To modern industry this, by comparison, is truly primitive. But to those who gather the nuts it is a cash crop as well as a supply for their own needs. The Indian is joined by great numbers of the descendants of the people of Coronado, for the Spanish-American long has participated in the harvest of the crop.

So Coronado's conquest goes on. The present version is different, for what he passed up as of no moment is now of value. The subjugation of people in this modern version has also taken a turn from prey on the produce of humans to that of animals of the small four-footed, long-tailed variety. There is a little denizen found commonly in the pinon The Pinon grows slowly, in thickets, and usually does not attain great height, but an occasional huge old patriarch, below, is to be found. belt which is probably the greatest clown of all animals found in the state. However, he does not spend much time at clowning, for he is thrifty and a hard worker. He does not sow, but he does reap and garner food supply. He has learned that the pinon tree is erratic in production, so he gathers great stores when the crop is good, to tide him over the less abundant years. He is short-legged and does not cover a great deal of territory, so contents himself in his own community, accumulating vast stores. He is a gentleman, but a great borrower; no matter how great or valuable the item taken may be, he will leave something in its place. This trait has earned him the names "swap rat," "pack rat" or "trade rat." The work of these rats to the pinon pickers is invaluable, for Mr. Rat makes no mistake by gathering bad products, consequently the hunt for nuts is more a search for his hoards than anything else, as the returns are thus greater. However, the rat doesn't usually let this modern conquistadore get by without casualty. At night he will raid the pickers' camps, and as a trade for a piece of bacon, a shoe, or a watch, he will leave a pine cone, a chip, or a stem of cactus for value received. Probably the best swap of record did not happen to be with a picker, but rather with a man of genteel rearing, in fact the son of an admiral of the United States Navy. This man, on a business trip. camped in the pinon belt and, lacking conveniences of home, was forced to deposit his artificial denture on his bed tarp for the night. In the morning, on reaching for his aid to mastication, he picked up a pine cone. It is hardly necessary to say that he promptly broke camp and hied himself to town and his dentist, leaving the pack rat in command of his realm and in possession of a gadget that the Admirals son still wonders how the rodent will use.

belt which is probably the greatest clown of all animals found in the state. However, he does not spend much time at clowning, for he is thrifty and a hard worker. He does not sow, but he does reap and garner food supply. He has learned that the pinon tree is erratic in production, so he gathers great stores when the crop is good, to tide him over the less abundant years. He is short-legged and does not cover a great deal of territory, so contents himself in his own community, accumulating vast stores. He is a gentleman, but a great borrower; no matter how great or valuable the item taken may be, he will leave something in its place. This trait has earned him the names "swap rat," "pack rat" or "trade rat." The work of these rats to the pinon pickers is invaluable, for Mr. Rat makes no mistake by gathering bad products, consequently the hunt for nuts is more a search for his hoards than anything else, as the returns are thus greater. However, the rat doesn't usually let this modern conquistadore get by without casualty. At night he will raid the pickers' camps, and as a trade for a piece of bacon, a shoe, or a watch, he will leave a pine cone, a chip, or a stem of cactus for value received. Probably the best swap of record did not happen to be with a picker, but rather with a man of genteel rearing, in fact the son of an admiral of the United States Navy. This man, on a business trip. camped in the pinon belt and, lacking conveniences of home, was forced to deposit his artificial denture on his bed tarp for the night. In the morning, on reaching for his aid to mastication, he picked up a pine cone. It is hardly necessary to say that he promptly broke camp and hied himself to town and his dentist, leaving the pack rat in command of his realm and in possession of a gadget that the Admirals son still wonders how the rodent will use.

STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, CIRCULATION, ETC., REQUIRED BY THE ACTS OF CONGRESS OF AUGUST 24, 1912, AND MARCH 3, 1933.

Of Arizona Highways published monthly at Phoenix, Arizona for the year 1945.

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