San Saba County news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1874-19??, 1892-03-25
CULTIVATION OF PECANs
IN THE BEAUTIFUL VALLEY OF THE
SAN SABA.
Where the Pecan Grows in Luxuriance-
An Attractive Industry With Good
Money Results.

spring. Its buds are seldom injured b
frosts; no drouth seems to effect seriousl
its growth. 1t is Indigenous to the soil {
this country, where the conditions are e1
itrr.Dsii5 Favorable = It's every wan'-I
requires rich soil and sub-irrigatior
thriving best upon the banks of constaR
streams. The roots penetrate to a grea
depth.
A plant of years growth will send
taproot to depth four or FIVE times tn
length of the top above the ground. Thi
makes transplanting difficult, and this i
the reason why tits best to grow the pecal
from seeds planted where the trees are Il
stand Nursery stock invariably las thu
taproot cut off; this renders the plant IN
thrifty in the bottoms where the taproot
is essential for reaching the water. Unit
it gets ataproot deep into the soil it doe!
not thrive, nor will it bear we'll.
THE BEST TINE FOR PLANTING
pecans is Immediately after the nuts fall
from the trees. No particular skill is re-
quired in this nor in the cultivation of the
tree. There are many points to be consid.
cred in the planting of pecan orchards that
it will take trouble to learn.
The first and most important point is to
select suitable soil and position where
there is an abundant and constant supply
of water within reach of the roots of the
trees.
The best possible means we have for de-
Gliding this question is by observation.
where thepecan grows and flourishes in
the forest, there we may safely plant the
nut. Away from such localities there is a
risk.
Even in our rich bottoms there are many
tracts of land surrounded by timber on
every side, yet not pecan tree can be
found there.
There are many tracts of land from
which large pecan growth has been re-
moved for the purpose of cultivating the
soil for ordinary crops. All such lands are
the best that can be found for culture of
the pecan in regular orchards. Many op-
portunities are presented where large
bottoms can be secured at very reasonable
rates, having large bearing trees in abund
ance. This presents o4ooiIesIt Up t,oftai7
nifty to the young man of moderate means
to secure an income which will be on the
increase as be lives. The growing trees
will require topping; the other timber
must be removed and the young pecans
thinned out. The trees bearing worthless
nuts may be either removed or made to
bear
THE FINEST NUTS BY BUDDING
with some of our finest thin-shelled nuts.
The entire tract should be planted in reg
ular rows thirty feet apart each way.
The young trees do best in shady bottoms
for a few years. but when they bear nuts
they do better where thesoil is cultivated
Mode of planting in the forest: Line out
your rows, say thirty feet each way; where
a pecan tree should stand, clear off space
eight feet in diameter, in the center of
which sink hole two feet deep with a
post augur. Scrape into this hole surface
soil until it is filed and plant three or four
. uts about four inches deep, pressing the
iiI't down firmly with the foot. 1t is well
% remember that these delicious nuts are
ought after aud enjoyed by others than
Dipeds. To guard against depredations of
squirrels it may be necessary to cut or col
ect little pile of brush and cover the
iill with it; this completes the work.
After the young plants are up and well
the weak ones may be cut
lway, or better still, they may be used for
in grating or ring-budding to
secure superiority in quality of the nut.
Grating SO far has proved an utter fail
IRE. a process of budding is practiced by
l gentleman of this county, who claims to
be successful in securing the much desired
results. shC I'D time prove his process to
be successful and practicable it will work
l revolution in pecan culture.
1t is well known that the pecan nut,
ike the seeds of many others trees, will
BRING seedlings almost always differing in
'ruit from the parent trees.
Plant 100 nuts all from the same tree and
Tou win get scarcely two trees bearing the
Iame kind of nuts.
The enormous prices paid for extra sized
highly favored thin shelled nuts fol plant
ng purposes, is in most cases, money
brown away, especially when the nuts
Ire yielded by trees growing in the forests.
The Seeding from such trees can never be
'elied upon to yield nuts true to the nature
If the parent trees. In most OF our pecan
groves are found trees which yield ueli-
;ious nuts of extraOrdinary size, Others of
Extra fine flavor, thin shells and enormous
bearers. 1t is certainly unfortunate that
we have been unable to take advantage of
the development of the pecan in this state.
The plant under favoroble circumstances
will begin to bear auts the fifth year from
planting, and from thIs on will steadily
increase its crop.
There are few favorable localities in
Texas where the conditions are most con-
genial to the gro sth of the pecan. In
those localities will be found trees ofenor-
nous size and thenut in its greatest peg
lection.
THEsAN SABA RIVER VALLEY
is perhaps tho most favored, everything
considered. In those wide, rich bottoms
every required condition is had to meet the
wants of the pecan. The beautiful clear
stream is constant in its supply of pure
water, having immense springs as its
source and being from its head to itsmodth
replenished all the way by the waters of
cur great springs. The water which the
pecan must have must be constant in its
supply. onr great springs are never eff
fected by local drouths. Having these adj
vantages it is not surprising that notwith-
great lack of enterprise in our