Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1913-10-16
Nut GROWING
AS AN INDUSTRY
NUT GROWERS CALL ATTENTION
TO VALUE OF NUTS AS FOOD
AND TO POSSIBILITIES IN NUT
GROWING.
GROWERS MAKE SYSTEMATIC AT
TEMPT TO DEVELOP AND EN-
COURAGE THE GROWTH AND
CULTURE OF PECAN TREES.
(By &. s. Ncms Serrice.)

Mckinney, Tex. Oct. 16.-The growing
belief that the diminishing supply OF
food products may be recruited by the
production of nuts-especia1y the
growth of pecans. fin:ls able expression
in the following letter addressed by the
Texas nurserymen to growers Of pecan
trees in Oklahoma. Arkansas and Tex
as.
Dear Sir: The Texas Nurserymen.
while in session at Waco, Texas. on Sept
"a 1913, appropriated 5000 to be used
i'm securing pecans and paying premiums
to the growers of the most valuable var
ieties of pecans grown in Texas, Oklaho-
ma and Arkansas, and exhibited at the
National Nut Growers Association when
i'm session on Nov. 9Th to 9TH at Rice
Hotel, Houston, Texas.
Appeal is hereby made to people of
each Of these states. especially to owners
of pecan trees, to aid us in making the
best possible display of nuts. We wish to
receive. by purchase or donation, one or
more pounds of finest known pecans and
other nuts.
A list of liberal premiums will be
paid to growers who supply us nuts,
by sale or otherwise. of finest varieties.
For the encouragement CT growing
and preparing nut trees, we wish 10 10
cate the most valuable nut trees in these
three states. Premiums will be paid on
first and second best variety. first and
second best display of valuable varieties,
and most valuable crop from any sin
gle tree
Those competing for most valuable crop
from a single tree, will be required to fur
nish satisfactory evidence of good faith
and also sample of nuts from the tree.
Each variety of nuts exhibited should
be accompanied by a history of the tree,
giving location. name and address of own
er, approximate size and ace of tree, and
such other facts necessary to locate and
identify tree.
The most alarming crisis impending
before this country is the perilOuS short
food supply caused by an increasing pop
ulatiOn and by a decreasing fertility Of
the soil from which the food supply is
drawn. The only method We have by
which we can await the critical cmcr-
gency is that of making heavier drafts
upOn the soil. Our annual method OF
drawing upon the soil has been confined
to a few inches on the surface through
the agency of annual plants. short rooted
and short lived plants, We now realize
the fact that this thin layer of soil is
losing its fertility which must be aug
mented i'm some way.
The easiest and most efficaciouS method
of increasing the yield of the soil is
found in the planting Of decp-rOoted. deep
feeding plants such as fruit and nut trees
that send their roots down many feet
below the surface where they feed upon
rich elements far below the reach of an
nual plants SUCH as grass and grain.
A conservative estimate fixes 10 acres
of grass land necessary to supply a fam
iv with beef one year. The same cOnser-
vative estimates fixes one acre Of land
planted to the best commercial va ne of
pecans to produce the equivalent annu-
al supply of food for a family. The Ia
Dor and expense of production is great
~ in favor of the nut supply
Nuts are the natural food of man, more
wholesome and more sanitary than any
animal food. All animalitv invites i'm
purities of disease, and slaughter in
ures us to shedding of blood and to tax
ing Of life all of which is undesirable.
Tree growth will also rc-establiSh sur
face fertility of soil, increase rainfall,
check the rasping wind and modify eli
mate and temperature.
f. w .KRKPA: RICK.