The courier-index., 1918-03-15
MAKE YOUR SHADE
 TREES PECAN TREES
his Is the Advice Given To Arkaneas People By J, 6. Knox, Of the
 Extensi~a Division.

Make your shade trees pecan trees. Tken you will have shade in summer and good supply of peoans for the winter. This is the advice given to Arkansas people by J. s. Knox, hor- ticulturist for the Agricultural Exten- sion Division of the University of Arkansas, who says:
 Many of the farm homes over Ar kansas that do not have shade trees could be made far more attractive by the planting of several pecan trees about the premises. Not only do the trees make excellent shade trees, but they will also furnish an abundance of delicious nuts, which, according to different authorities, are the richest in food value of all the nut fruits. The writer bas been very favorably impressed with the possibility for pe- can growing in this State because of the fact that in many sections thou sands of wild pecan trees seem to thrive and bear crops of nuts. The wild species is, however, so far infe- rior to the cultivated varieties that it does not pay to plant them for commercial purposes.
 Pecan Trees Demand Fertile Soil.
 The soil best suited to pecan cul- ture seems to be the rich bottom lands where the drainage is good, but as is the case with other fruits, 1t can be grown on great diversity of soils, provided the soil be made fairly fer tile. Trees have been seen growing or soils that were far from the rich est in fertility, but as a rule trees planted oil such soils make very slow growth. It will pay the grower, therefore, to see that the soil is put in good shape. so far as fertility and cultivation are concerned, before the trees are planted
 Plant Trees Three to Four Years Old
 It is generally considered best to plant trees from three to four years old, and some nurserymen would plant them even five to seven years old. It seems, however, that for trees so large, damage done to the root sys- tenn in digging would be hard to over come. It makes little difference where trees are bought, so long as they are well grown trees that are true to name This means, of course, that they should be secured from reliable nurseryman.
 Do Not Plant Pecan seed.
 It is not considered advisable for the amateur to try to bud or graft his own trees, because pecan trees are more difficult to propagate than the average fruit tree.- One should not plant pecan seed and expect the trees which they produce to bear nuts like the ones planted. At the South Car olina Experiment Station about 90 nuts from single pecan tree were planted and not one of the trees grown from these nuts bear fruit like the original tree. As rule the seed ling trees are far interior to the budded or grafted ones.
 How to Plant Pecan Trees.
 The distance apart to plant the trees depends upon the kind of soil upon which they are to be grown. On the thinner soils from 45 to 50 feet apart each way may not be too close. but on the rich lands they should not be planted closer than 65 to 70 feet each way. If planted 65 feet each way it will require only about ten trees to plant an acre, or twelve trees if planted 60 feet apart. Since there are only a few trees for each acre, one should use every care to see that the trees are planted just right. Each tree that dies means one-tenth of an acre to plant over.
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