Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-18
Anrirnlt..raL pepartmE,.t.
FHE FIELD, FARM AND GARDEN.

THE FIELD, FARM AND GARDEN.
We solicit articles for this department.
"A The name CT the writer should accompany
m the letter or article, not necessarily
for publication, but as evidence of good
faith.
Almonds, Butternuts and Pecans.
Mr. B. A. Porter, at Egypt, bingham
county, Ca, desires 70 know whether the
above nuts will grow in this section, and
how they are cultivated. The first will
grow here like the peach, but produces
little or no fruit; the second is strictly
tropical plant and cannot be grown here
in the open ground; pecans, however, will
grow and fruit throughout the Southern
belt of States as vigorously as the well
. known hickory tree, to which orders it
A belongs.
Nearly fifteen years ago the writer
called attention to the value of the pecan
and its adaptablity to Southern Georgia
\ and Florida. Since that time he had the
1 qualification of seeing the spread of its
popularity and many trees in full bear
ing where before they were not known.
i A few trees can be found in bearing on
many places in both States, and in some
instances large areas have been planted.
One gentleman of our acquaintance
& planted a large field, from which
F. we yet have no report, but we have
no doubt that they are doing well.
q Our own experiment, made at the time of
our writing on the subject, embraced half
a a dozen trees only, several of which have
been in bearing five years, leaving ten
years for growth up to that period. They
we're not very fayorably located and the
soil was not rich. We are satisfied that
in good soil and proper attention, the pc
can Will fruit in eight years from the
planting Of the nut. Like the hickory
they have very long tap roots, grow deep
in the earth and gradually enrich the soil
round about them. They are adapted to
high, well-drained lands, and in Texas
produce forests on such lands.
Their cultivation is easy. If the nuts
are to be planted where the trees are to
grow, stake off the land fifty or sixty feet
apart every way, and dig holes two feet
square and two feet deep; fill these up
"a
face of rich forest land, including any
good compost or rich top soil at hand.
Pack it sufficiently to retain moisture
and plant the nut in October or Novem,
Der about four inches below the surface.
A stake should be left by each to mark
the spot until the plants are large enough
to be easily seen. The only cultivation
necessary in the future will be to keep
down other growth from the soil: or the
land may be cultivated in other crops I'M
til the pecan trees are large enough to
shade the ground.
If the mats are planted in a nursery re-
4uiring future transplanting, it will be
necessary to place under them fat stones,
slate, old sheet iron, or other such mate
rial toprevent the tap roots from descend
e ing too deep in the earth.
If this cannot be done, however, and
the tap roots are allowed to descend, they
should be cut off at a depth of
twelve or fifteen inches below the
surface, a month or two before
transplanting, in order to be healed
over by that time. This can be done
Il by digging down on one side of each
s. plant to the point desired, but the later
4 ais or side roots should be cut or dis
4 turbed as little as possible in the opera
ton, and, for this purpose, let the dig
ging commence six or eight inches from
the plant and slope downward toward the
lower part of the tap root, which will be
found fully as deep in the ground as the
plant has grown above it. In setting out
the plants, the preparations before de-
scribed for the nuts must be made for
the best results. and care taken not to
bunch, but to spread out the roots, and
fill in all between them with loose but
moist good soil. If these hints are fol-
lowed there will be success in starting
the plants and in producing pecan for
est.