The Charlotte Democrat., 1892-10-07
Planting a Pecan Orchard.

q
An old Italian proverb says: can olive
orchard is a gold mine on the face of the
earth"
AS true OF the olive and more 80 is it
true Of the Texas thin shell pecan, which
is now so much interesting, not only az
riculturists throughout the country, but
all classes of people who own but small
tracts Of ground. The first thought with
many is: ooh, we cannot wait for them ;
it takes so long for them to come into
bearing"
They are a long time coming into bear
ing when growing wild without care, but
science, with accidental discovery of the
advantages of planting trees by the use
of dynamite (Which is handled with per-
feet safety, has developed the fact that,
where the preparation of the ground by
dynamite is properly made, the soil is
thoroughly pulvcrized, which allows
very rapid root growth, 80 that the Pc
can can be brought into profitable bear.
ing in six years from the planting of the
pecan nut.
Domestication of the pecan has q
wonderful influence on the nuts, which
are much larger than those of the wild
growth
In me wild state the trees are not
uniform in size, age nor distance
apart, and the bloom, as it is blown
about by the wind, does not reach all
the trees and some will not bear every
year.
The cultivated trees are uniform in
age, height and distance, and conse
quently the bloom blown from one tree
will easily reach others near, and they
will bear more uniformly y than trees grow
ing wild.
Planting the trees 35x35 feet apart
gives plenty of room for the growing of
vegetables or Of smallgrowth crops
while the pecan trees are growing, so no
land is lost. When the trees are six
years old they will bear as full crops as
do the trees at ten years with ordinary
planting.
Wherever the hickory will grow the
pecan can be grown with profit, and
no tree can be planted that will pay
such large income for the cost of the
investment, not only for few years,
like the pear, or orange, or apple, but
for generations, living to the age of 600 to
800 years.
While it costs from 800 to $3.50 per
planted at cost of only So per acre for
the nuts.
Wild trees here are earning small for.
tunes for their owners on the cost of the
investment, and even selling the nuts at
low prices.
When they grow but so pounds to the
tree and sell at only 123 cents pound,
the cultivated trees planted 35x35 feet
apart, 36 trees TO an acre, earn 1925 per
acre. Very comfortable earnings on a
small investment.
Don't waste time and money in plant
ing out transplanted trees, but plant the
nuts where the trees are to stand. Unlike
many orchard trees the pecan has long
tap root. When this root is injured or
destroyed the life of tho tree is gone.
The tree will grow and make beautiful
shade tree, but for nuts they will bring
only disappointment. While some care.
tul men may succeed in removing trans
planted trees the majority would fail.
The pomologist at Washington says that
nut culture is one of the most valuable
industries that can be carried on in
the United States, and none more pro-
ftable than planting the Texas thin she'll
pecan.
Parents who arc working hard for the
benefit of their children and spend their
years in laying up money for their
benefit, in education, travel and giving
them a start in life, can accomplish
the desired result no more easily or
surely than by planting out a grove
of thirty to fifty acres in the Texas thin
shell pecan.
Should your trees bear but twenty
five pounds of nuts each, at 10 cents per
pound it would mean an income of 800
per acre.
When they bear 100 pounds at the same
price as above the earnings are $3.50 per
acre.
When wild trees bear at Is years of age
from $50 to 500 pounds each it means an in
come which no other agricultural industry
has ever attained on the amount of money
invested.
These statements above are not guess
work as to the bearing of wild trees even
greater results are well known. Cultivated
trees should very largely increase their
product.
Plant none but the best pecans. They
are cheap; and sound nuts are sure to
grow. Should the planting of pecan
grove cost $1OO per acre before they come
into bearingit would be splendid in-