PLANTING AND GROWING 
PAPERSHELL PECANS PROFITABLY 
No specialized knowledge or skill is required 
to grow papershell pecans; the average farmer 
will find he can grow pecans with less effort 
and expense than is required to grow cotton 
or other staple crops ; the city dweller will find 
his pecan trees will thrive with less attention 
than his vegetables and rose garden demand. 
After the pecan tree reaches maturity it re¬ 
quires the very minimum of care and cultivation, 
continuing to bear ever-increasing 
yields of fine papershell nuts for 
upwards of a hundred years. 
The following directions for 
planting and caring for papershell 
pecan trees are based on our thirty 
years of pecan tree culture. Any¬ 
one who will plant good, sound, 
well-rooted trees and who will fol¬ 
low these directions may be as¬ 
sured that their trees will grow 
satisfactorily, and profitably. 
SUITABLE SOILS: Pecan 
trees are being successfully grown 
on a wide variety of soils. Stiff 
clay, poor or wet land, or shallow 
soils with a hardpan near the sur¬ 
face, are undesirable. Land occa¬ 
sionally overflowed for a short 
period of time, but ordinarily well 
drained, is not objectionable. Good, 
productive land with a retentive, 
though not tight or stiff, soil fur¬ 
nishes the best general condition. 
Pecan trees seem to prefer a loca¬ 
tion where the water table is 
from ten to thirty feet; however, 
we know of reasonably good trees growing where 
the water table is a hundred feet. Unhindered 
root growth is vitally necessary for the best re¬ 
sults. Good drainage in the upper soil is also 
essential. In brief, land that produces the best 
cotton and corn will also produce the best paper- 
shell pecan trees. Good land, well prepared; 
thrifty, well-rooted trees of the varieties best 
suited to your locality -— these are the essentials 
of a successful, long-lived, profitable pecan grove. 
SIZE OF TREES TO ORDER: Opinions dif¬ 
fer as to the best size or age (the age governs 
the size of a good papershell pecan tree) to set. 
Our experience, however, leads us to the con¬ 
clusion that trees from 3 to 7 feet are best for 
commercial plantings. For planting around 
homes, school grounds, and similar places, we 
have found trees from 5 to 6 feet, or larger, 
best suited. 
Trees under 5 feet usually have a two or 
three-year-old root system, with a one-year-old 
graft or bud growth. Trees over 5 feet usually 
have a three or four-year-old root system, with 
a one or two-year-old graft or bud growth. 
It is essential that the trees have a good 
lateral rbot system (side roots) and a reason¬ 
able amount of tap root. 
VARIETIES TO ORDER: An orchard should 
contain from two to four (or even more) va¬ 
rieties to insure better pollination and a more 
regular and better crop of nuts. Your selection 
of varieties should be governed 
largely by your location; make 
inquiry as to bearing trees in your 
vicinity. Zone map, on page 7, 
shows varieties our experience in¬ 
dicates will do best in the various 
parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkan¬ 
sas and Louisiana. For varieties 
suitable to other states, write us 
describing your land, its moisture, 
etc., and we will be glad to ad¬ 
vise you. 
WHEN TO PLANT: Papershell 
pecan trees can be successfully 
transplanted from November 15th 
to March 10th. December and 
January, particularly the early 
part of December, is the best time 
to set out your trees. 
HOW MANY TREES TO OR¬ 
DER: It is not advisable to set 
more than sixteen trees to the 
acre, which will allow fifty feet 
between trees in all directions, 
which is ample on average soil. 
(On a five-acre tract it is possible 
to get five extra trees, making 
seventeen to the acre, the trees fifty feet apart. 
Write us for planting diagram.) On strong bot¬ 
tom land twelve trees is about right; this gives 
sixty feet in all directions. Some well-posted 
grove owners advise setting the trees seventy- 
five feet apart; others, equally well-posted, ad¬ 
vise setting the trees forty feet apart on fertile 
bottom land, cutting out every other tree when 
the grove becomes fifteen or twenty years old. 
Our experience conclusively proves that you 
should plant only as many trees as you can 
give reasonable care to. 
PREPARING HOLES: It is advisable to pre¬ 
pare your land before the arrival of your young 
trees. The holes may be dug during the summer 
or fall; if the ground is dry and hard, a good 
charge of dynamite to each hole is a satisfactory 
method. Let all powder fumes evaporate before 
planting. Do not use dynamite when the ground 
is wet: it will form a jug-like hole with com¬ 
pact walls which will hinder root growth. 
For a tree with a good lateral root system 
you will need a hole three to four feet across 
Incorporated, Tyler 
3 
