The Atlanta constitution., 1900-01-01
PECAN GROVES DISCUSSED
BY ONE OF EXPERIENCE

Editor Consttstior--No subject related TO
horticulture is interesting the southern peo-
pie more at the present time than pecan CUT
ture. A great deal has been written ABOUT
the subject from mere theory and by people
who have had experience In me matter.
The people now anxious to near lie ac-
tual facts from some one who has had long
experience in the matter. l have spent most
of my life in pecan growing, and nave ueFei-
oped the largest pecan grove in the south NO"
In bearing, and speak entirely from eNperi-
when 1 write about pecans. During each
year 1 get a large number of letters asking
many questions from parties who wish To
engage I'm this industry, and as II Is out OF
the question to answer them all by private
letter i make it a rule to write occasionally
a letter for the press telling what l know
about the subject. Every year ma out
something about the matter
The most frequent question is: Do pecans
reproduce themselves from seed? No Not
with any exactness. but where fine large seed
are planted you get large proportion OF
trees that bear large nuts. know Tor
fact that fine grove can be had from Seeding
trees where the best nuts are planted. While
IT may be best to plant budded trees If you
know the parent tree to be all right in all
respects. still there is great risk if you do
not know all about the parent tree. The
mere fact that the pecan tree is budded
, amounts to nothing. If the variety is not first
class. number of very inferior pecans nave
been budded and disseminated. and because
they budded trees people think they are
something very extra and pay high price
for them. | know several Of these varieties
that do not compare with the best seeding
trees.
NV plan was to plant the finest nuts
could buy. Upon Investigation | found the
Louisiana pecan to be far superior to the
Texas pecan, and that they sold for double
no tyig in Nc (tri nd /
planted them in the cotton field in rows sixty
feet apart, and the trees thirty feet apart in
the rows. They came into bearing at nine
years. great many borg nuts of large size
and good quality. A few came inferior. ani
these | topped and budded 20 fine varieties
They soon formed new heads and some OF
the buds bore in three years. I find 1t verv
difficult to explain this budding process on
paper, but l have standing offer that II
any one will come to Mound. La. 7 Will
show them exactly how the thing is done. en-
tertain them while here and charge them moth
ing for the pains. A great many avail them
selves Of this offer, some coming as far as from
Chicago.
Pecans do best on river bottom land. And
yet some Of the finest trees 1 eyer saw were
in the high hills OF Mississippi I have
lately returned from visit to Port Gibson, in
that state. and saw there some magnificent
pecan trees that would put an other trees to
shame. II asked what was the most essential
thing to success in pecan culture | would
say good cultivation. Many people think II
YOU put a pecan nut in the ground and let 1t
alone that it viii make tree Of itself. In
rare cases il will But You won't get a
3 fine grove that way. II IS best to cultivate
a pecan grove for the FIRST fourteen years II
possible plant It In cotton. for you will never
neglect your cotton and the pecans win get
the benefit Then II is well 20 put as much
fertilizer around your trees as possible. being
careful not 70 put II too close So as 10 burn
the tree. Anything that viii serve to fertiiize
corn or cotton win DO for the pecan.
The pecan Is most highly priced Of all nuts
i The finer grades sell for more money today
than any other nut. The demand for them
has never been supplied. and IS growing every
day. For 4 young person or for a man with
children there is no form Of life Insurance
that viii equal good pecan grove. That Is
II YOU are willing TO take care of It, If You
are not willing to take care Of i you had
better not plant it. And yet fl is not necessary
for one to be very young to plant pecan grove
and get returns from It, My mother was
ffty-three years old when my grove was
planted. and we have already had from it re
turns that enable rs 10 have comforts which
we could not otherwise have afforded. Then
the last argument in favor of the pecan is;
They are not killed by overflow nor cold. nor
blight nnr disease So much can be said Of
no other tree. I have planted peach orchards
and pear orchards and apple orchards ana
plum orchards and strawberry patches and
chcstnuts and English walnuts. hoping that
they would remain with me and afford me
profit bu5 blight and disease and disaster
have killed them all while my pecan grove
has stood them and seems TO thrive upon them
all II is the most permanent thing l know
Of in the horticultural world
SAM H. JAMES.
Mound. La. December a. 1899