The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-11-08
CULTURE
II TIE SOUTH.
By RENE BoUCHEI.LE.

Given plenty Of rain, sunshine ard
! an equitable climate, and the POS
sibilities along horticultural lines src
practically unlimited. The South
Atlantic and Gulf States are particu-
larly blessed in these climatic con
ditions. OF which fact landowners arr
slowly beginning to avail themselves.
For the past few years, pecan cul-
ture has been receiving attention, but
1t Is yet In its infancy. The main
preJudices against 1. have been ths
impression that 1t required a genera
ton to attain growth and THAI ii
was delicate and hard to cultivate.
Both ideas are entirely erroneous II
attains nut-bearing age in from
eight to ten years, is quite hard,
and tenacious of life.
1t thrives on any except exceed
ingly sandy soil, and seems to have
no preference between the lowlanlc
and the hills, doing equally wei.
from the Brle Ridge range to the
| coast. Like any other tree, it re-
spends to cultivation, though 1t docs
not require much fertilization. In
TACT, the best plan is to plant other
crops in the orchard until the trees
reach a nut-bearing age, which is IN
from eight to ten years. This keeps
the soil well stirred, and enriches the
land sufficiently for the best growth
of the nuts. ,rhe growth for the
first year or two seems slow, as the
tree goes more to root than top, the
roots growing almost straight down..
and sending out ve..r few surface
runners.
| A good crop to plant in pecan
orchard is the common field pea,
known throughout the South as the
cow pea. The roots Of this are rich
in nitrogen, and no other fertilizer
will be necessary, while the hay from
the vines can be marketed at good
profit. Two crops of this are made
year.
| The trees should be planted about
forty-fve feet apart, or from sixteen
to twenty to the acre, to get the best
results. Budded stock is lest, and
Frotscher is one OF the most popular
varieties.
| When from eight to ten .'ears old,
the. trees may be expected to bear
from twenty to forty pounds of nuts,
this amount increasing yearly until
the trees reach their full growth.
when the average yield is one hun.
dred and fifty pounds to the tree. A
net profit Of 5000 can be safely
counted on from an acre of paper.
sheet pecans that have attained their
maturity. This is low estimate.
as this variety brings high prices,
and the supply is never equal to the
demand.
The nuts ripen about the middle
OF October, and may be gathered
from then until December. The
smooth, hard bur in which the nut
is enclosed cracks open, and 1t is
easy work to shell the nuts out End
prepare them for market.
One OF the few enemies of the
pecan is the fall web-worm. 1t is
best to watch for this carefully, re-
moving the webs as they appear,
thereby preventing any harm to the
tree.
The much dreaded San Jose scale,
so prevalent among fruit trees in the
] South, does not trouble the pecans
at all. In one instance pear
orchard, badly affected with. San
Jose scale, adjoined a pecan orchard
without the latter showing the slight
est signs Of becoming infected.
Rabbits sometimes gnaw the bark
OF very young trees, but this is easily
prevented by tying around the root
OF the trees a handful of broom
sedge, which grows SO plentifully
along the fence corners in this Sec
ton.
The pecan stands high among the
list OF ornamental trees also. The
leaves are a glossy. dark green,
somewhat similar to the hickory, and
the trees are as stately and symmet-
rical as the beautiful live oaks that
abound throughout the South. Many
of the smaller towns are beginning
to use them as shade trees in place
OF oaks, and in few years they will
become a source of revenue to the
far-sighted municipalities. A few
nurseries have been started and some
groves planted, but there is still
much undeyeloped territory that
/ might be made to yield a good in.
come at minimum outlay OF ex.
pense and labor. The soil is pecu.
liarly adapted to their culture
New England Grocer.