Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Report: Wooster, Ohio, September 3, 4, 5, 1946
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Report: Wooster, Ohio, September 3, 4, 5, 1946
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
Thus, when creek and river bottom thickets are opened up to sunshine and
air, nothing left but pecan trees properly spaced, and this on land
usually considered worthless, these trees will quadruple in production
and pay a handsome return on a $200 per acre valuation. This is a real
and altogether possible two-story agriculture to those who are fortunate
enough to own undeveloped pecan timber land. Many of our members have
beautiful groves redeemed from the wild with bounteous crops of nuts
overhead and cattle grazing on enriching cover crops underneath. The
pecan means a lot to the farmers of Oklahoma. The average yearly tonnage
is about 16,000,000 pounds, with a peak production of 30,000,000 pounds.
This amounts to an average of $2,000,000 annually, with a peak of
$5,091,000.
I want to show you what it means to some of our members to develop their
native pecans, either as natives or grafted to improved varieties. The
proceeds from one lone pecan tree in Mr. Skorkosky's cotton patch paid
the taxes on his farm several different years. Thus encouraged, he
redeemed a small thicket, added a few nursery trees of paper-shells,
about ten acres in all, which now often makes a return equal to the rest
of the farm. Mr. Kramer paid $1,000 for 10 acres, with part in seedling
pecans. He sold $1,000 worth of pecans several different times, and the
rest of the farm makes a good return in pasture and hay. He also has 51
acres that often makes a return of $50 per acre in pecans, besides
pasturing 20 Herfords. Mr. Kramer destroys trees by girdling. Mr. Pfile
makes it a business to buy farms on which there are pecan thickets. One
farm has 70 acres, all top-grafted to improved varieties. Trees were
small and no production for five years, supporting production for the
next four years. Tenth year grossed $8,500; eleventh year, $5,400;
twelfth year, $1,800, and this year his conservative estimate is
$10,000. Mr. Camp has 600 acres in pecans, 90% improved varieties. He
planted 50 acres on upland sandy land on terraces, with pecan trees 40
feet apart and an apple tree between each two pecan trees. The tenth
year he produced 8,000 pounds of paper-shells and 4,000 bushels of
apples. More recently he planted 125 acres on upland, but planted the
pecans 60 feet apart on terraces with an apple tree between. In this
orchard he produces 3/4 of a bale of cotton per acre and plants vetch in
the fall between cotton rows. In October he had four crops on this land,
cotton, vetch, apples and pecans. He says apple trees alternated with
pecans on terraces are OK. Cotton, potatoes and sweet potatoes between
the terraces for the first ten years are OK, but vetch as a winter cover
crop to improve the soil must not be neglected. Grover Hayden has the
largest native pecan grove in the world--1,800 acres fenced hog tight.
He started 31 years ago as a farm hand. He had rather have 500 acres of
pecans than 1,000 acres of alfalfa. Now after 30 years he owns the place
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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