Shiner gazette. [volume] (Shiner, Tex.) 1893-current, 1908-04-16

throughout the summer. We
pillow our orchards early in
March and then we work them
with discs and harrows, which
keeps a fine dust mulch on the
ground throughout the entire
summer.
Pruning.-Bushway method:
AS soon as the growth starts on
the trees in the spring, all buds
should be rubbed off of the trees
with the exception of two or
three on the top; these we allow
to grow so as to make a well
balanced head. These young
shoots will make a strong vigor-
GUS growth and ripe ma little
fruit during the fall, and will
lay the foundation of your fut-
ure orchard. A number of sys-
TENS of pruning have been in
use, but l believe without excep-
ton all our growers now use
what they call the "Bushway
method" The reasons for this
system become plain when [
explain to you that the Magnolia
fig produces fruit only on the
wood of the current years
growth; with this fact before us
we have to FOLLOW well known
laws governing plant growth in
order to obtain the best results;
it is a demonstrated fact that
severe pruning stimulates wood
growth. At the end of the first
year we prune off all of the new
wood with the exception of six
or eight inches; each one of these
stubs in turn throws out from
two to four strong limbs, each
one of which is a heavy fruit
producer; and to strongly illus
trate this point, | have here pho
tographs taken in our three year
old orchard remember now that
the first year we left never more
than three branches; you will
see that this three year old tree
has now over twenty fruiting
branches, which will give you
some conception of how the work
is done and how rapidly the tree
expands. The orchard in which
this photograph was taken
brought us in a revenue of $44
per acre eighteen months after
it was planted; and the crop the
next year on the three year old
trees brought us in $97 per acre,
or a total revenue of SAL per
acre for three years from the
time trees were planted. This
means we have received back in
cash much more than our total
investment, including land, pre-
paration, planting, pruning cul-
ture and gathering the crop.
After the third year no orchard
of which l have record has failed
to pay less than $3.50 and more
often they have paid over $500
per acre annually.
Marketing.-The great prob
lem that confronts us in the
growth of our fruit and vegeta-
bles is to find a market at prices
that will pay us for our work ;
. with figs there is no such prob
lem, as the demand is and will
always remain far in excess of
the supply; the reason for this
is two-fold: (1) The section
, adapted to their culture is limit
ed to comparatively small strip
/ of land bordering on the Gulf of
Mexico, and were every acre set
to this fruit we would not hope
| then to supply the demand
, (2) The supply of trees for
: planting is very limited and the
i total available stock for this year
r will plant only a few hundred
: acres. People who have not in
> vestigated can have no concep-
> ton of the demand for this
: fruit; nearly all of the Magnolia
3 fig crop is now contracted fol
: five years in advance and the
t preserving companies are ready
: and anxious to enter into lonl
e time contracts to take the fruit
n at handsome price even before
: the trees are set in the ground.
Last winter / went East t.
r confer with the largest preserv
n ing company in the United
< States, taking with me samples
r of the Magnolia fig; the result o.
q this trip is that this compan.