The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1916-11-04
SHORT PECAN CROP AND WHY.
Hurricane of 1915 Responsible for
Low Yield This Year.
C. w. EIcHLING in Modern Far

BY C. w. EICHLING in Modern Farming.
When the hurricane of September
20, 1915, struck the Gulf coast, the
pecan trees were loaded to the break
ing point. All the fruit was knocked
off, and not being fully matured, it
was total loss. But this was not
the only damage the storm did to
pecan trees; it also destroyed the
done. v
The pecan tree, like other fruit
| trees, has two distinct kinds Of buds,
the fruit bud and the leaf bud These
buds form during the period Of rest,
| say from October to March. The
fruit bud forms the embryo or germ
for the coming blossom and fruit,
| which in some varieties of trees is so
| distinctly developed in the fruit bud
as to be easily distinguishable upon
dissecting the bud These fruit buds
are to remain in dormant condition
during the winter and bring forth the
blossom with the rising of the sap in
the spring.
When the 1915 storm struck the
trees in September, it defoliated them
completely, and the trees being yet in
sap, this sap had to find an outlet.
There were no leaves to take up tha1
sap, and it pushed -
which were yet undeveloped
should have rested during the winter
We all rem ember the budding out and
blossoming of many kinds of trees
last year after the storm; the pears
and wild cherries even blossomed and
almost ripened a crop. But the pecan
buds simply came out in form of
leaves and there was not sufficient
time to form new fruit buds. This
meant the destruction Of the fruit
crop of 1916.
There is an erroneous belief among
some people that pecan trees bear on
ly every other year There is nothing
in the nature of the pecan tree to jus
tify this statement The crop depends
very much on the proper fertilization
of the blossom.
The pecan has a distinct male and
female blossom. The male blossom
appears in advance of the female and
is in form of catkins or wornlike
blossoms similar to those of the live
oak. The female blossom resembles
a cluster of tulip-shaped upright lit
tie flowers ranging in number from
one to six. When the male flower is
in perfect condition to shed the pollen
and fertilize the female blossom, it
sometimes occurs that steady rains
prevent the pollen from flying and
reaching the female blossom. The pc
riod feonceptive condition passes
and there will be very small crop,
if any. This is in the vegetable king
dom the same as in the animal world.
OF course there areaother causes Of
sslorG pecan crops, but this Is ono
which has never been sufficiently ex-
planned in literature as to make it gen
orally understood.
Notwithstanding the discourage
ments of the past season pecan cul-
ture the coming year promises to show
an increase in keeping with the true
value of the industry. Taken alto
gether, it is difficult to find a crop
which is as certain or is as able to
withstand the unfavorable conditions |
as the pecan.
Even after the damage done by the
big September storm of last year, we
all saw decided impetus to pecan
paintings. The writer has noticed with |
pleasure that each succeeding season
there is a greater tendency to effect
increased paintings of the best named |
varieties in Louisiana and Mississippi |
The purchase of stock from reliable
nurserymen insures success when a
due measure of attention is given to
the crop, and the trees will begin to
bring returns far sooner than most
people think.