Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Report: Wooster, Ohio, September 3, 4, 5, 1946 — John Shaqi
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
Another failure is to be noted in my original plan for cattle guards.
These guards were 12 feet in diameter, and about 6 feet in height. These
were satisfactory for sheep after I had installed pipe for posts, but
not for cattle. Trees grow horizontally as well as vertically. Cattle,
reaching for these side shoots, reached over the guards and pushed in
and under. I later reduced the guards to a 6-foot diameter of stronger
woven fence-wire with 6-inch stays, not 12-inch, and raised the height
to not less than 10 feet. The cattle may now nibble off the side shoots
if they wish but the vertical growth is protected. Above 10 feet the
trees can spread out without danger.
Others say, "Permit no grazing at all." This statement, I think, should
be made with certain qualifications. Where bluegrass bottom is used for
the orchard planting of pecans or black walnuts, there is a possible
slight reduction in growth from lack of cultivation, but this loss will
be nowhere nearly proportionate to a farmer's loss of pasturage. And
even in my 8 x 8 x 22-foot planting of seedlings, though no grazing was
permitted while the trees were young, now the older trees are large and
strong enough in the good soil to take care of themselves. Some lower
branches are rubbed off but they should be off anyhow. Also, thank
heaven, the weeds are at last kept down by grazing, the grass is
utilized and, most important of all, the hazard of grass fires is
entirely wiped out. I know of a neighbor's planting destroyed in this
way and I shall always fear fire. I should not permit grazing in a
general purpose woods lot where young growth is constantly coming on.
Failure three: I have failed completely to interest my tenant in my
project. Each mowing or clean-up job is just a chore to him. I can't
blame him. Why should I expect anything else? With a World War on hand,
and with his son in the army, and with two farms to care for, the
immediate bread-and-butter jobs come first and my mowing suffers.
However, the wonderful trees somehow continue to grow in spite of weeds
and wars, perhaps a bit more slowly than they otherwise might, but I am
in no hurry.
The last war casualty was my original plan to make a further orchard
planting of seedlings in loco, ready to be top-worked to the wood of
some outstanding find among the selected seedlings. It has not been
done--period.
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