Planting and Care of the Pecan Orchard 107 



general impression, therefore, it is not often affected by frost 

 and freezes like most other orchard trees. It is thus unneces- 

 sary to use the same precaution in selecting elevated land in 

 order to give good atmospheric drainage as in the planting of 

 peaches, plums, and the like. 



PREPARATION FOR PLANTING 



The soil for the pecan orchard should be prepared well in 

 advance of setting out the trees. Some staple crop should have 

 been grown on the land for at least two or three years before 

 being planted to pecans. It is a serious mistake to plant a 

 pecan orchard on land that still contains virgin timber or 

 that is full of stumps or sprouts, as the cultivation is difficult 

 and expensive and most of the work has to be done with a 

 sweep or turning plow. The young trees planted under these 

 conditions are very likely to suffer severely from drought, 

 insect pests and diseases, from damage by workmen, and from 

 decaying and souring roots left in the soil. 



If possible, a green-manure crop should be grown on the 

 land the summer previous to planting the orchard and turned 

 under in the early fall. A good dressing of manure broad- 

 casted and turned under at the same time will give excellent 

 results. 



The land should be broken thoroughly and deeply from 

 thirty to sixty days, if possible, before setting the trees. On 

 uplands considerable subsoil can be exposed with advantage 

 at this breaking. A harrow should be run over the soil just 

 preceding the planting. 



It is very important to purchase pecan trees from some 

 well known and thoroughly reliable nurseryman. In order 

 to save express and freight rates, it is generally advisable to 



