HOME ORCHARDS IN THE SOUTH 45 



it is well to plant male vines for pollinators rather than to depend 

 upon fertilization from wild vines. 



"Muscadines are commonly grown throughout the South on arbors. 

 This necessitates the extending of the arbor as the vine grows in 

 length or becomes choked with dead wood. Experiments with this 

 class of vines have shown that more and finer fruit can be obtained by 

 training on upright trellises like bunch Grapes. As they are rampant, 

 vigorous growers, they need more room than bunch Grapes and are 

 best trained by the six-arm Kniffin system. One whole arm is cut 

 out each season and a new shoot allowed to take its place. This 

 gives a complete renewal of the vine every six years, and insures a 

 constant supply and vigorous shoots. Vines handled in this way 

 are a marvel of fruitfulness, the canes at fruiting time looking solid 

 ropes of fruit. 



"PERSIMMONS. Japanese Persimmons grow to perfection in the 

 Coastal section. The trees are dwarf growers and may be set twenty 

 feet apart. Tane-Nashi, a seedless sort, is the best of all yellow- 

 fleshed varieties. The fruit ripens long before frost, thus refuting 

 the old idea that Persimmons must be frozen to get the pucker out of 

 them. Tane-Nashi is one of the few varieties that will carry its fruit 

 to maturity without pollination. The dark-fleshed varieties, Zengi 

 and Hyakume, are not astringent and may be eaten while still hard. 

 When pollinated the fruits will carry to maturity and not drop off as 

 so many Persimmons do when partially grown. 



"FIGS. Figs do not do well in the orchard, where their tender, 

 surface-feeding roots are injured by cultivation. They give their 

 best results in sheltered corners about buildings, where their roots are 

 undisturbed and can obtain a constant supply of moisture. The Fig is a 

 very productive fruit if it is assured of a continuous supply of moisture. 

 For this reason the bushes do best if heavily mulched. In long droughts 

 they should be watered with a hose. In the far South the Fig can 

 be grown as a tree, but toward its Northern range, in the Carolinas 

 and in Virginia, where it is sometimes subjected to heavy freezing, 

 it is safest grown in bush form. 



"PECANS. It would be hard to find a more satisfactory tree for 

 the Coastal South than the Pecan. Those who were far-sighted 

 enough to plant suitable varieties of Pecans a decade or so ago are 

 reaping a rich harvest today. As the Pecan is long-lived and of 

 stalwart growth, it needs too much land to grow in the acre home 

 orchard. However, these very characteristics make it an ideal tree 

 for lawn and dooryard planting. It makes a tall, beautiful, symmetrical 

 growth that is equaled by few shade trees, and in nut production it 

 has no competitor. 



