BOARD OF HORTICULTUR E 131 



I spent fourteen years of my life in developing a walnut grove and the returns 

 we have received from our grove justifies us to plant another one. There were 

 years wlien the enthusiastic walnut grower of tliis State was considered a lunatic, 

 fit for the asylum. I had people in our orchard who told me they would not 

 waste good land on nut trees. They were only divided on different methods of 

 removing them, gruhbing them out by hand, or making quicker work by blowing 

 them out with dynamite. Well, I did not take their advice. Last year we took 

 from twenty-six acres of nut trees that are at an average age of eleven years, 

 $4.200 worth of nuts, which is IG^^ per cent on land valued at $1,000 per acre. 

 Less than $700 coveretl all expenses of cultivation, harvesting and drying. On 

 account of lower prices this year, our income will not be quite as great, or about 

 121/^ per Cent on $1,000 valuation. Please bear in mind that these trees are still 

 very young. 



The life of a prune free is about thirty-five years, that of a walnut about 250 

 years. So when a nut free is fifty years old it is still in its childhood days. 



In planting a walnut grove, the location of the same governs the fallure or 

 the success of the grove to a great extent. Unfortunately, there are nut trees 

 planted on too low an elevation, and the very severe winter last year injured and 

 ruined a good many promising groves. 



This mistake need not be made any more. There are thousands of acres of 

 land in this valley, as gootl as mine, where walnut trees may be successfully 

 grown and where crops are a certainty every year. "We proved this in our own 

 grove. There is not another crop grown in this valley that pays better than wal- 

 nuts, provided, as I said before, that the location is right. 



This is proven by all the walnut groves in my neighborhood. We are past 

 the stage at Dundee where we estimate the quantity of our crop, not by pounds, 

 but by tons. 



Our district had the heaviest crop of nuts that it ever had. It seems to me 

 that the heavy freeze we had last winter was rather a benefit to the trees than 

 an injury. Another important fact is the variety of trees to plant. There were 

 some mistakes made in this respect. but as time went on, we found that Fran- 

 quettes, Mayettes and Parisienes give the best results in our own grove, giving 

 the Franquettes the preference over the others, being a heavier bearer and giving 

 more assurance of a crop every year. One of our fourteen year old Franquette 

 trees had this year five two-bushel sacks of nuts and another four and a half 

 sacks, being seedling trees. 



Another thing we have never neglected was good cultivation. The more thor- 

 oughly they are cultivated, the more quickly the trees will bring an income. They 

 must not be neglected for eight years, and if good cultivation is given after this, 

 they will pay in larger crops and higher-grade nuts. I am sometimes asked at 

 what age a walnut tree will pay on a commercial basis, that means making money. 

 My answer is about ten or twelve years of age. We may have some nuts on 

 seven or eight year old trees, and they may pay in nine years of age for their 

 cultivation, taxes and upkeep, but to make money off trees of this age can not be 

 done. 



After your trees have the age of ten or eleven years. and provided they were 

 well taken care of, you have the ])est Investment that this State offers. 



Planting a walnut grove is like taking out a life Insurance policy, with this 

 difference: That if you have a twenty-year policy. you pay a certain amount 

 every year for twenty years. If you plant a walnut grove, you pa.v a certain 

 amount in cultivation, work and capital invested for ten or eleven years. After 

 this. your trees will pay your yearly dues. In twenty years you will have a 

 piece of property that is worth from $1.000 to $1.500 per acre. There is no surer 

 Investment, provided the trees have the best of care. I know that ten or twelve 

 years is a long time to wait, and this is one of the reasons why this line of horti- 

 culture is not further advanced in this State. But if we consider the long life of 



