40 Pecan-Growing 



the nuts about five or six inches apart in this furrow and, 

 for the time being, cover them only about one inch deep. 

 Some nurserymen cover the nuts by running a wheelbarrow 

 along the furrow which presses them into the freshly plowed 

 soil, and at the same time a barrel hoop or some similar 

 object attached to the rear of the wheelbarrow drags along 

 the furrow and covers the nuts to the proper depth. Almost 

 any implement that is used for covering corn will serve. 

 This method of planting leaves the nuts in a furrow, yet only 

 slightly lower than the general level of the land, as the 

 furrow is made by opening a ridge previously thrown up. 

 When the rains come, the soil is washed into the furrows, 

 gradually covering the nuts deeper. The nuts are left with 

 a shallow covering at first, so that when w^arm days occur in 

 the winter, the warmth, with the moisture in the soil, will 

 cause them to germinate earlier in the spring than when 

 covered much deeper at the beginning. 



Early in the spring a harrow should be run along the 

 rows to keep down weeds and grass. If the rows are uni- 

 formly spaced, the harrow can be driven very close without 

 disturbing the nuts. Some nurserymen run a weeder over 

 the land before the young trees appear. The mule or horse 

 pulling the weeder is allowed to walk between the rows, culti- 

 vating two at a time. 



As the young seedlings push through the soil in the spring, 

 they should be cultivated in the same way as annual crops, 

 such as cotton or corn. The old adage that tillage is manure 

 is as true with pecan trees as for other plants. Cultivators 

 of the Planet Jr. type, or the common scooter and scrape, 

 may be used for cultivating the nursery. The two-horse riding 



