The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-05-30
PECAN CULTURE.

1uAAAeO0 aAu CdTIl6u Dy the WIND, ana
nature does the rest. Unfavorable
pollination periods, then, may lesson
the set Of the fruit, but, aside from
this, the weak points are remarkably
few. f
! AS intimated in an earlier part of
this paper, the nuts vary greatly in
size. Some Of them weigh as mucA
as an ounce, while others weigh less
than an eighth OF an ounce. Then
| there is an extraordinary difference
in the thickness of the shell, the i'm
proved varieties being veritable pa
per Shells"
| Propagation Propagatio at the
present time differs little from the
method practised in propagating
stone fruits. Seedlings are grown
from cheap nuts, and these are graft
ed or budded. Different growers
have their preferences in regard to
methods of propagation. One man
! who practices cleft grating says that
this is the method for him. while
another man who is an adept at whip
grating clings to this method, while
another says that patch or ring bud
| ding, which means the transfer of a
strip of bark from the scion with the
bud to the stock, is the only plan
worth practicing.
! A good deal of top working is now
going on where Seeding trees of sat-
isfactcry vigor but of poor quality
OF fruit are grown. These, with care
and good Judgment, may be changed
over to profitable varieties, and this
work is being done by some of the
skilful propagators of Georgia and
Florida.
| The pecan is, as noted above. a
large growing, long-lived tree. It
needs, therefore, plenty of space in
the orchard. Growers are now set
ting them at forty to fifty feet apart.
II one sets forty by forty, twenty
seven trees to the acre are required.
| Forty by forty-five calls for twenty
four trees, while fifty by fifty requires
only seventeen trees to the acre.
The reader will ask, How soon do
they come into bearing? How long
must a man. wait for his investment
to begin to yield q dividend? Well,
this is not altogether difficult ques-
ton to answer, although results will
vary in different parts of the country.
1t may be said that in general the
pecan orchard will bear as early as
an apple orchard and remain in bear
ing twice as long. Planting as far
apart as has been suggested gives
opportunity for utilizing the ground
with other crops during the unpro-
ductive period. Some of the best
growers in Florida and Georgia are
planting peaches. between their pc
cans, and then for the first two or
three years growing cotton IN the in
terspaces. This. method is all right
II it is prosecuted with good judg-
ment and skill, but there is danger
of overworking the ground, and some
danger of injuriously crowding the
pecans.
| Among the varieties now generally
recommended are Stewart, Van De-
man and Frotscher. Other good
kinds are Schley and Curtis. AS in
growing apples, think that man
should avoid planting too many
kinds.
The pecan is certainly one of the
attractive fruit crops of the Middle
South, and pecan orchard in that
region promises as we'll and probably
better as an investment than any
other kind Of field crop that a man
can go into. 1t is crop which, as
far as our knowledge Of its require
ments extends, will take care of it.
self as well as any, has fewer en-
emies, and has greater possibilities
from the standpoint of handling and
holding the crop than any other or
chard fruit cultivated at the present
time. Large areas are being planted
in the Gulf States, but in my opinion
there is little fear OF the industry
being overdone for the reasons al
ready stated. New York Tribune
Farmer.