St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-02-26
PLANT PECAN TREE
Industry Expected to Become
Source of Wealth in Texas.
Culture Receives Taeit Approval Of
Recent Annual Convention OF
Texas Citrus Fruit Growers
Wild Variety Thrives.

Pecan tree planting was one of the
things that received tacit approval at
the recent annual convention of the
| Association of Texas Citrus Growers
held in Houston. and from the re-
marks made during the convention it
| seems certain that pecans will soon
take equal rank in the minds of the
people of South Texas with oranges.
strawberries, figs and truck.
State Commissioner OF Agriculture
Judge E. r. Kone took occasion to
call the attention of the members Of
the association to pecan growing. and
prophesied that cultivated pecans
would in time be known as one of the
most valuable products of all of Texas,
and especially of the coast country.
The known fact that wild pecan
trees thrive on the costal plain of
Texas seemed convincing evidence to
the citrus growers that cultivated trees
duce good revenue annually. Many
Of those present spoke of wild pecan
trees in their respective neighbor-
hoods in the coast country and some
Of the Houstonians present offered to
take the visiting members out to diff
ferent parts of the city and show them
pecan trees that were literally bur-
dened with the ripened nuts.
j. A. Granger of Monticello, Fla,
accompanied the exhibit from that
state, which was the only one at the
convention, although there are several
Texas Nurseries that make specially
of supplying young pecan trees for
transplanting. Pecan trees make
beautiful shade trees, shedding their
leaves in the winter when sunshine
is needed and providing thick shade
in the summer. AT. the same time
er shade trees produce nothing of ma
terial value.
Pecan trees, according to Mr.. Gran
ger, should be given two or three cul-
tivations the first year. He recon-
mends to those who are thinking of
planting them in large numbers about
20 trees per acre. Planted this thick
they offer no interference with any
thing else that may be planted on
the same ground. He says that cot
ton, or oranges, or figs, or strawber-
ries may be cultivated in the pecan
orchards for ten years after the pecan
trees are set out.
At the end of ten years the profit
from the pecan trees will be so great
that further cultivation of anything
else will not be desired. He does not
mean that pecan trees come into bear
ing at the age of ten years; on the
contrary, he says that pecans begin to
bear when FIVE years old. and grad
ually increase until they reach the age
of 25 years, but at ten years the trees
are large and profitable. The Guilt
walton Of other crops also benefits the
pecan trees. A crop of cow peas be-
tween the pecan trees during the sec
ond year after they are transplant
ed is very stimulating to the young
trees.
Mr. Granger recommends for this
section trees that are from three to
five feet in length, with a three-year
root. As to varieties he recommends
the planting of Stuarts, Frotcher, Del
mas, Schley and Rex. These, he says,
are annual bearers, thrifty growers
and less susceptible to disease than
probably any others. He says that
there are none more hardy than pecan
trees, none stand transplanting bet
ter and the planter takes less risk of
loss with pecans than anything else
he attempts to grow.
At the end of eight years, he says,
an acre of pecans will be producing
$50 worth of pecans, besides the other
products that may be taken from the
same land. At the end of Is years
20 pecan trees should be producing
$1,000 worth of nuts.