The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1905-11-15

back to six inches, and about the size
of a pencil when transplanted, had
sent out from three to five strong roots
from ends. some of these, as cut will
show, going directly downward as tap
roots. besides great number of other
lateral roots healthy and strong dis
tributed from the collar to the end Of
the tap root. In fact l have never
seen a better rooted tree nor any
transplanted tree with such a COM
plete network of healthy, strong roots.
Not satisfied with this we took up
another tree transplanted one year
later. now two years ago. Fearing
[ had cut the tap roots too short in
my first planting l cut these two
feet. double the length of my first
planting This tree. when dug up
today. was reproduction of the first,
showing a complete set of healthy,
strong roots all the way to the end
of the tap root with the end COM
pletely covered with root from the
size of a knitting needle to One-half
inch in diameter. l sawed off some
four inches of this tap root and it
appears inverted i'm the cut by the
side of the larger root. so you can see
fully the size and number of roots this
tree has made. 1t shows, 1 believe,
twenty-seven roots evenly distributed
around the end. and as you will see,
nearly all of these roots go directly
down and Indicate tap roots. This
tree also has lateral roots evenly dis
tributed along the two feet of the tap
root All of these, as in the first
case. had sent out from the cut end
los
numerous other laterals and fibrous
roots made since transplanting.
Now tree number three. and a bit
of history connected with it. Twelve
years ago, and before | had even
thought of prOpagating the pecan by
budding the young trees in my Brazos
bottom orchard as l am now doing, l
hired a Mr.. Barnett, fresh from the
states. who did not know how to
slight a job. to grub these pecan
sprouts. | had had these sprouts
taken out repeatedly before this, but
next year they would always appear
on time and they seemed stronger and
larger than ever. l told Mr.. Barnett
Of this and cautioned him to dig down
and cut them at least two feet under
the ground. This he did. A number
of these stumpS, after this deep cut
ting. sent up vigorous sprouts the next
year and seemed to be the stronger
by the deep cutting, so let them grow
as this seemed to be the only alterna-
tive. When eight or ten feet high |
budded to fine pecans and now some
of them are fifteen feet high and bore
their first crop of pecans two years
ago.
But now back to this big tree, the
large one appearing in the cut. Two
years ago this coming March 1 dug
this tree out of the right of way of
a new railroad passing through by
orchard. and hoped to save it al
though transplanted this late in the
season. 1t was then three inches i'm
diameter at collar and about fifteen
feet high. 1t failed to put out and,
as | thought. had died from late
transplanting. but late in the sea-
son | noticed sprouts putting out at
the ground. These sprouts, though
extremely dry most of last year, made
Il vigorous growth. as shown in the
.ut. A further glance at the cut will
show that we. in transplanting this
tree two years ago. cut the tap root
six inches below where Mr.. Barnett
cut it ten years before; making this
tap root thirty inches long and six
inches in diameter at end. This cut
also shows where we took two suck
ers or sprouts off of this tap root