120 Pecan-Growing 



employed most successfully as fillers are peaches, plums, figs, 

 Japanese persimmons, and berries. Fig. 25 shows a plan for 

 planting a pecan orchard on rich alluvial soil near the coast 

 where figs do well. In carrying out this plan it was under- 

 stood that when the figs began to interfere, the trees on either 

 side of a pecan in the row should be removed. The next step 

 was to remove the fig trees only as they interfered with the 

 pecans. The row of figs that would then be left in the center 

 would undoubtedly reach maturity before it began to inter- 

 fere with the pecan trees. 



The plow^ should be used in the first breaking of the land 

 each spring. In turning under cover-crops and grass or 

 weeds that have grown during the winter months, nothing 

 will take the place of the plow. In the first few years of the 

 development of the orchard the plowing should be deep and 

 close to the trees. In this way the top roots will be cut and 

 the main root system forced to greater depths, enabling the 

 tree to obtain a firmer roothold and to withstand droughts 

 better. The plowing should become shallower each year until 

 finally it should go just deep enough to turn under the sur- 

 face growth. 



In cultivating growing crops in the orchard, the five-tooth 

 and fourteen-tooth harrows stand preeminent, although one 

 section of a spike-tooth harrow often can be employed to 

 advantage when the space is sufficient between the tree row 

 and the first crop row. After a protracted rainy spell it is 

 often necessary to use a sweep in order to clean the land when 

 the orchard is being cropped. When clean culture is prac- 

 ticed, the spike-tooth, acme or orchard harrow give good 

 results in maintaining a dust mulch. 



In cultivating a pecan orchard after the first few years, 



