The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-02-26

above the level or the earth. IL is no
small job to remove the dirt: from the
roots of these stocks, as it must be
cleaned out at least six inches deep.
We usually throw the dirt away from
each side of the row with one horse
plow and then dig out the remaining
ridge with a potato fork or some such
tool We then have man to wipe off
each stock with rag SO that there
is no sand to dull the grafter's knife
or dirt to drop into the cuts. The ope-
ration of putting on the scion is ex-
actly the same as the ordinary bench
grating, except the position and
movements of the operator are differ
ent If the stocks are too large to
work nicely with the whip graft, the
cleft or wedge method is used. A
good workman can put in thousand
CRAFTS day when conditions are ldv,
orable. A tier follows each CRATER
and securely wraps each graft with
waxed string The tieing is almost
as important as the grating and must
be looked after closely by the graz
ter. The arm is usual carried entire
ly around the long graft with each
wrap of the string and if the operator
touches the scion he is apt to dis
place it slightly and break the close
contact of the cambium layers and
cause it to die even if it had been
ing of pecan CRAFTS just as Important
grated right. We consider tight tie
as tight tieing of cherry buds. A
third man is usually employed to
pack the earth securely around each
scion with his hands and to fill up the
furrow again after all operations are
completed.
Perhaps the easiest and most GER
tain method of .propagating the pc
can is by budding. xbe ordinary shield
bud which Is commonly used in work
Ing most of the fruit trees is not sue
scessful on the pecan. The annular
bud or some of it's notifications
seem to be the most efficient method.
This ring bud usually entirely encir-
cles the stock, but if the tree is large
it may go only part way around and
do just as well. The buds are tied
with cloth and usually by the bud
der himself, as he wishes to
leave the bud exposed to the air
as short a time as possible. The wraps
should come off in fourteen to eighteen
days. If the budding has been done
early in the season the buds should
i.be forced out; if done late in the sum-
they should be left dormant We find
one of the best ways to start the bud
/ is by cutting the top about half way
or breaking it over, then as soon as
the bud breaks, make the second cut
just over the bulge over. the top ring.
If the stock is cut off at the bud it is
apt to bleed considerably.
''In Louisiana the budding season
lasts from June until September, and
occasionally into October. Grating
can be successfully done from the
first of December until the first of
March. AS spring budding is also
practiced to some extent in. April and
chip budding in March and April. it
is seen that propagation may, 60 on
almost throughout the entire year.
sDry fhn not rf hn
can nurseryman's problems is that of
| digging. TIL pecan has a tap root that
is often longer than the top, and to
get this root or enough to satisfy our
customers, we have to dig the trees
by hand. II the weather is very dry,
| as often happens in the fall Of the
year, a pickaxe is sometimes used. 1t
Lcosts us about three cents each to
| dig an average sized pecan tree with
labor at our command. The cost
! however, is not the chief trouble;, il
lis the the time required that gives us
1 the most trouble. As the average. ne
gro will not dig over twenty-five t
i feet trees in day, If one had t.
b ship say two thousand trees in a days
}snotice, it would require Just eighty
men to dig them. Therefore you see
that to fill such an order would bt
impossible for most Of us. OF course
la / to or to3 foot tree can be dut
much faster and handled more rapid
i ly than the larger ones. We usual!
| furnish a root running from 1S to 81
q inches long, depending on the size o
| the tree.
"'The pecan tree being high price,
i product, should be packed with ex
, ceeding care. In our work we us'
nothing but spagumm moss and al
4 ways "paperline" the packages
Il even bales sent by express. Tree
/ packed securely in this manner vii
! reach their destination in AZ goo'
| condition as they left the packinl
shed. We have had bales which wer
I lost BY the express company 10 opel
I up in first class condition aftsr beinl
il packed for thirty dayA Ths roots 9
! pecan trees consist chiefly go
Z Iixoots. admit Of very snug, ti16t
=