136 THE NEW HORTICULTURE. 



deep and also well rammed. The trees stood about three 

 feet apart, were set on April 2, 1905, and the tops of both 

 cut back to about six inches. It will be noted that the tree 

 with the long root, though larger, made less top than the 

 other and emitted only small, fibrous surface roots, the lower 

 two-thirds of the taproot being entirely bare, showing that 

 the tree failed to appreciate my leaving so much taproot. 

 The other tree, as will be seen, at once struck several deep 

 roots from the lower end, the roots being stronger ones than 

 those from the other tree. Unfortunately, the strongest of 

 these new taproots was broken in digging the tree. 



Now, in view of this plain proof that the pecan prefers 

 to re-establish itself on a new set of taproots after short 

 root-pruning, are not our horticultural pecan scientists doing 

 inexperienced growers, as well as themselves, a great injus- 

 tice in planting, and advising others to plant, pecan trees in 

 holes thirty inches deep and thirty inches wide, as was 

 advised by one of our pecan authorities at the Dallas 

 convention ? 



I take it that every one knows that a pecan tree produced 

 from a nut will, in the end, make a much more vigorous 

 growth than a tree transplanted with long roots. Hence, in 

 cutting back the top and root, as practiced on the smaller 

 tree, it is plain that I reduced it practically to the condition 

 of a nut, the distinguishing feature of which is its ability to 

 strike a deep taproot, with the difference, however, that 

 the root-pruned tree struck several such roots instead of one, 

 and is capable of reproducing itself with a certain variety of 

 nut, which the planted pecan scarcely ever does. Another 

 fact brought out by the above experiment is, that it is simply 

 a waste of money to subsoil, or to dig deep holes, for the 

 penetrating power of a root-pruned pecan tree, like the nut, 

 is almost incredible, the subsoil under the smaller tree hav- 

 ing been a compact, hardpan clay about one foot under the 

 ground. Of course, I do not expect the orthodox pecan 

 scientists to be convinced by the above facts, for with them 

 facts cut no figure if the authorities advise to the contrary; 

 but I believe that a great many of the plain growers, who 



