The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-09-06
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI ORCHARDISTS
SEE $4,000, 900 TUNG INDUSTRY
Livestock Plays
Big Part Toward
Increasing Income

Deep South Mississippi II get
ting ready TO harvest a $4,000. 600
tung nut crop this fall from the
growing Industry In the cut-oyer
coastal plains.
There are some 9.500.0 600 tuDe
nut trees. most OF them In Pearl
River county. huf many of them
have not yet reached The bearing
stage, Many OF the tung orchard.
lists are predicting that II is Just
a matter OF years. until IL will be
q 10000 900 industry.
The region best suited In the U.
8. fer tung orchards Is a belt from
so to 100 miles In width along the
Gulf OF Mexico including South
Mississippi, South Alabama. North
Florida, South Louisiana and an
area In Georgia and East Texas.
Although the Industry Is still In
the experimental stage, IL Is defi-
niteiy teufing out Of It's swaddling
clothes and putting on long pants.
In Pearl River county alone there
are some 7s.e0e acres or almost
haif the total acreage in the uni
ted States. according 10 the U. s..
Department OF Agriculture.
Most OF the Mississippi acreage
IN tung orchards stand where once
stood great virgin pine forests.
Research will quickly show that
the tung oil industry liz not q get
fich-quick scheme. bnt IL has aided
IN bringing Pearf River county
from near the bottom of the per
capita wealth among the so coun-
lies 10 among the top counties.
Raise Cattle Too
With the thousands of acres of
fenced orchards supplemented on
many farms BY q semf-petmanent
pasture. beef cattle and sheep are
being grated IA months In the
year without supplemental feeding
IN some instances. Many growers
are predicting choice beef steers
and marketing them from six to IS
months OF age on grazing crops
alone. Some herds have not re-
ceiyed any hay. ailase or concern
trate feed for three or four years,
but cattle have been in market
able condition throuehout the win
ters. 4
The livestock Industry is one of
the very Interesting features about
tung oil Industry. Experienced
growers feel that cattle and sheep
do much IN their own way to en-
the orchards over which they
and Ut the same time add
10 profits With beef. wool and
Ia M bs. and by controlling undesir-
able weeds and grass in orchards.
which would otherwise have to be
controlled by more frequent eiilti-
vation.
field In six Years
IL o. Crosby. Sr.. q leading tung
enthusiast. says that experiments
show that an orchardist should
to yield profits at the end of
six years. "if he starts out right"
Mr.. Crosby has perhaps more acre.
age devoted TO tung trees than any
person In this country.
Mr.. 4Crosby's interest IN tung
trees ia deepsrooted. Nineteen
years ago he and Lamont Row
another large grower. and
d "father,' OF the Pearl River
Industry, planted the first
commercial tung grove on some so
We expected tung trees to
grow Wild" said Mr.. Crosby.
They grew Wild In China and we
thought they wonld ia our part of
The state. All we did then was to
pillow fire lines to keep the fires
nut.
''For the first ten years. the
frees were not even protected from
he cattle and cattle actually de-
some Of them. The trees
bore few nuts. In 1897 we hired
/ horticuIturiet who advised us to
cut them down md start all over
from scratch.
We gave him the task of seeing
{ he could bring q successful or
chsrd out. The grove then was
fFf Isl ~ Ef AA5Hf ear hH