Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-13
Pecan Culture for TeSns.

have read with both care and interest your
late articles on pecan culture for Texas, and
find myself fully agreeing with you in every
thing your writings set forth with reference to
the matter. : truly glad that you have
brought out the idea OF setting our overtiowad
lands to pecan trees. There can exist TO doubt
whatever of its practicability and su Ccess.
would ask that you carry the subject little
further. to the extent of urging upon Texas
farmers that they stop cutting DOWN pecan trees
in the clearing no of their lands. II is only oc
feasionally. ia my travels over Ellis county, that
I meet with a farmer who sufficiently appre-
ciates the value OF pecan trees to leave them
standing when he clears up his lands. ! think
ii safe to state that since my residence in this
county began, eighteen years agO+ tens of thou
sands of tiourlshing pecan trees. young and old,
have been cut down and destroyed by persons
clearing up the lands for the pillow; and may
aud that much of this land is visited by
casional overflow, thus rendering entirely I'M
certain any calculation for the success of an
binary cultivated crop iii each season. In all
such cases, 1t seems to me. the farmer would De
acting much more on the side of wisdom and
common sense were he to leave the pecan trees
standing, for they would be sure to yield him
something of crop in any event. In most cases
he has other and safer lands that he might dedi-
Gated to cotton and corn. e.. i. HOGAN.
Ennis. Tex.
This thing of cutting out aud Destroy
ing the pecan trees in clearing up lands
is not confued to Ellis county-we find
it quite the general usage throughout the
state. In the course of an airing out i'll
Tarrant county last week we came upon
several bottom farms where the greatest
trouble, apparently, the owner had TO
contend against existed in the springing
up of pecan sprouts here and there all
over his fields. The sprouts grew out
from the still living roots or stumps of
pecan trees that had been cut away at
the clearing years ago. In several cases
we measured sprouts Of this years
growth that since the time of 'laying
by the crops had attained to the height
of from three to five feet. We saw no
other tree growth that appeared any
thing like so persistent. The pecan ap-
peared to feel that its native home had
been uujustly encroached upon, and
thet, therefore, it was resolved on stay
ing.
OF course this cutting away Of the pc
can is d mistake, most decidedly. And
really there is little excuse for doing it,
once we clearly understand the true
character of the growth. No
species of tree could be less
in the way on cultivated grounds,
for it is peculiarly q deep feeder. It's
roots tend downward, and draw the food
of the tree from far down in the soil,
consequently i. does not rob any crop
that may be growing Immediately around
it. Many persons are under the impress
sion that it is the shade of q tree that dam
ages the crop, but this is al error in al
most every instance. 1t Is the shallow
running roots that do the harm, by seizing
upon the plant food and moisture for the
use of the tree. A tree whose feeding
roots run at Il considerable depth below
the surface, does not at all interfere with
surface grOTtbs. Such tree Is the Pc
can--Its feeders seldom lie less than from
three TO four feet below the surface. 1t
is on this account that the pecan never
succeeds to Its best on other than q deep
alluvial coil. The pecan, compared 10
most tree growths. Is like clover or, al
faifa compared to most herbaceous
plants-it feeds deep aud hence gathers
in its sustenance from locality not much
ched upon by large majority of
other trees.
Many persons clearing up lands cut
out the pecan trees on account of the
that they are not productive
trees. For years the owner has known
them, perhaps, aud in all that time
they have yielded few if any nuts. This
is poor rule to go BY. You don't ex-
Dect hen to lay many eggs if kept in a
starved condition. 1t seldom happens
that pecan tree, though apparently
barren in a crowded forest, does not
become productive when the other tree
growths crowding it have been cut away
This best plan would lie in giving the
pecan fair trial after the lands
have been cleared up and put under cuI-
turs; after this, should it still remain
would be time enough for con-
vertiDg II into wood.
Another argument often brought to
bear against certain wild pecans by the