BOSETTE OF PECAN TREES 6 
stant cropping to cotton and corn, with no attempt to restore the 
steadily decreasing organic matter, although the soil is uf a character 
making it readily susceptible to improvement. 
The chemical analysis of a composite sample of soil taken from the 
orchard in 1918 is given in Table 2. 
Table 2. — Chemical analysis of X or folk fine sandy loam 1 
Constituents (per cent) 
Soil material 
Organic xitroeen Pbos- 
matter . * M K?F en phorus 
(C) 
(X) 
(P 2 5 ) 
C 'cium 
(CaO) 
Potas- Magne- 
sium sium 
(KjO) (MgO) 
Soil 0.64 0.031 0.0851 0.196 0.228 C. 053 
Subsurface soil .30 .020 .0276 .120 .216 .060 
Subsoil .22 .021 .0276 .109 .216 .068 
I ! 
1 Analysis by W. R. Leighty, Office of Soil-Fertility Investigations, Bureau of Plant Industry. 
The soil is very low in nitrogen and organic matter, as well as in 
other plant-food constituents. 
Rosette first appeared in the orchard in 1912, about the time the 
trees had reached the bearing age. From 1912 to 1918 it increased 
at an alarming rate, and at the end of that period the orchard was 
in such a condition that its abandonment was considered. 
In 1918 an experiment was begun to determine whether or not the 
application of commercial fertilizers to the soil, in conjunction with 
the use of green-manure crops, might bring about an improved con- 
dition in the rosetted trees and increase the production of nuts. One 
hundred and eight badly rosetted trees were fertilized. A number 
were left unfertilized to serve as controls. Alternate trees in the 
orchard were top-worked in 1919 to the Moneymaker variety, and 
the others were left the original variety, Frotscher. 
CULTURAL SYSTEM PRACTICED 
The cultural management of the orchard was planned so that two 
cover crops a year would be grown over the entire orchard, a summer 
cover crop of some leguminous plant and a winter cover crop of clover 
or small grain. The entire vegetative matter produced was plowed 
under to enrich the soil in organic matter. The cover crops grown 
from 1918 to 1923 are recorded in Table 3. 
Table 3. — Cover crops grown in a rosetted pecan orchard on Xorfolk fine sandy 
loam at Cairo, Ga. 
Year 
Spring and summer 
Fall and winter 
1918. 
1919. 
1920. 
1921. 
1922. 
1923. 
J Fallow Bur-clover. 
. Cowpeas Oats. 
. Beggarweed Rye. 
. Cowpeas Do. 
. Velvetbeans Rve and oats. 
do Do. 
The summer crop, which was usually plain ed in May, was plowed 
under in August or early September and the soil prepared for the 
winter crop, which was planted in early October. The winter cover 
crop was plowed under in April and the ground prepared for the sum- 
mer crop. The cost of plowing and harrowing the land in preparation 
