﻿112 
  

  

  Va. 
  When 
  I 
  purchased 
  the 
  tract 
  the 
  chestnut 
  and 
  hickory 
  were 
  thriving. 
  I 
  

   have 
  had 
  about 
  one 
  haK 
  of 
  the 
  property 
  cleared 
  and 
  some 
  trees 
  planted. 
  Among 
  

   the 
  trees 
  are 
  twehe 
  hardy 
  EngUsh 
  walnuts 
  from 
  Green's 
  Nursery, 
  Rochester, 
  

   N. 
  Y., 
  6 
  "Mayo" 
  and 
  6 
  "Pomeroy" 
  walnuts 
  from 
  Glen 
  Brothers, 
  Rochester, 
  

   N. 
  Y. 
  I 
  am 
  interested 
  in 
  nut-culture. 
  I 
  ha\ 
  e 
  inquired 
  of 
  Glen 
  Brothers 
  if 
  the 
  

   Kentish 
  Cob 
  would 
  thiive 
  there. 
  They 
  assure 
  me 
  it 
  will. 
  If 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  chance 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  success 
  of 
  nuts, 
  I 
  would 
  turn 
  my 
  time 
  and 
  thought 
  to 
  the 
  raising 
  of 
  wal- 
  

   nuts 
  and 
  Kentish 
  cobs 
  and 
  filberts. 
  What 
  would 
  you 
  advise? 
  If 
  you 
  cannot 
  

   give 
  me 
  the 
  desired 
  information, 
  kindly 
  give 
  me 
  dii'ections 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  who 
  can. 
  

   I 
  was 
  brought 
  up 
  among 
  the 
  walnuts 
  and 
  filberts 
  and 
  colj-nuts 
  in 
  the 
  County 
  

   of 
  Kent, 
  England, 
  and 
  now 
  my 
  thoughts 
  are 
  turning 
  to 
  the 
  delights 
  of 
  earlier 
  

   days 
  and 
  I 
  intend 
  coming 
  to 
  the 
  Shenandoah 
  VaUey 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future 
  and 
  mak- 
  

   ing 
  mj' 
  home 
  there. 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  THE 
  SECRETARY'S 
  REPLY 
  

  

  Georgetown, 
  Conn., 
  November 
  13, 
  1914. 
  

  

  My 
  dear 
  Mr. 
  : 
  

  

  It 
  gives 
  me 
  great 
  pleasure 
  to 
  reply 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  able 
  to 
  your 
  letter 
  of 
  Novem- 
  

   ber 
  10th. 
  You 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  many 
  thoughtful 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  

   in 
  craving 
  the 
  peace 
  and 
  delight 
  of 
  a 
  life 
  that 
  is 
  nearer 
  to 
  nature. 
  You 
  have 
  also 
  

   a 
  small 
  tract 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  a 
  favored 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  coimtry, 
  and 
  you 
  have 
  been 
  led 
  to 
  

   believe, 
  by 
  the 
  statements 
  that 
  you 
  have 
  run 
  across 
  in 
  chance 
  sources, 
  that 
  the 
  

   returns 
  from 
  nut 
  growing 
  may 
  enable 
  you 
  to 
  attain 
  your 
  ambition. 
  

  

  Our 
  president 
  has 
  a 
  place 
  at 
  Roundhill, 
  Va., 
  not 
  very 
  many 
  miles 
  from 
  yours. 
  

   He 
  is 
  a 
  professor 
  of 
  something 
  like 
  "Efficiency" 
  in 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Pennsyl- 
  

   vania. 
  He 
  is 
  young, 
  aggressive 
  and 
  very 
  efficient 
  himself. 
  His 
  father 
  was, 
  and 
  

   he 
  himself 
  is, 
  an 
  orchardist 
  and 
  fruit 
  grower. 
  Both 
  he 
  and 
  I 
  hav 
  e 
  been 
  for 
  some 
  

   years 
  working 
  at 
  the 
  problems 
  of 
  nut 
  growing. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  this 
  year 
  that 
  we 
  

   seem 
  to 
  have 
  overcome 
  the 
  difficulties 
  of 
  grafting 
  and 
  budding 
  nut 
  trees. 
  We 
  

   have 
  the 
  greatest 
  faith 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  success 
  of 
  nut 
  growing, 
  but 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  

   how 
  long 
  it 
  wiU 
  be 
  before 
  we 
  shall 
  know 
  just 
  what 
  varieties 
  of 
  nuts 
  to 
  plant 
  our- 
  

   selves, 
  least 
  of 
  all 
  to 
  advise 
  others 
  to 
  plant, 
  with 
  any 
  certainty 
  of 
  success. 
  For 
  

   the 
  man, 
  however, 
  who 
  realizes 
  that 
  nut 
  growing 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   perimental 
  stage, 
  we 
  have 
  no 
  end 
  of 
  information 
  and 
  advice. 
  

  

  The 
  information 
  you 
  have 
  had 
  from 
  interested 
  sources 
  is 
  misleading. 
  Prob- 
  

   ably 
  you 
  would 
  not 
  live 
  long 
  enough 
  to 
  get 
  satisfactory 
  results 
  from 
  the 
  seedUng 
  

   trees 
  you 
  might 
  plant, 
  even 
  if 
  such 
  results 
  ever 
  came. 
  To 
  get 
  reasonably 
  prompt 
  

   and 
  certain 
  results 
  from 
  nut 
  trees 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  grow 
  such 
  trees 
  grafted 
  or 
  

   budded 
  from 
  trees 
  of 
  known 
  good 
  bearing 
  record, 
  just 
  as 
  the 
  same 
  thing 
  is 
  nec- 
  

   essary 
  with 
  the 
  common 
  fruit 
  trees. 
  

  

  Your 
  information 
  about 
  the 
  Kentish 
  cob 
  and 
  the 
  filbert 
  is 
  but 
  half 
  the 
  truth. 
  

   The 
  slirubs 
  will 
  thrive 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  in 
  almost 
  any 
  place. 
  But 
  they 
  have 
  nowhere 
  

   in 
  the 
  East 
  been 
  a 
  success 
  because 
  sooner 
  or 
  later 
  they 
  are 
  destroyed 
  by 
  a 
  disease. 
  

   One 
  of 
  our 
  great 
  nut 
  growing 
  wants 
  is 
  a 
  filbert 
  or 
  hazel 
  of 
  good 
  size 
  and 
  quality 
  

   that 
  has 
  the 
  blight 
  resistant 
  quahty 
  of 
  our 
  native 
  hazel. 
  

  

  My 
  advice 
  to 
  you 
  then 
  would 
  be 
  as 
  follows. 
  If 
  it 
  is 
  your 
  idea 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  living 
  

   by 
  nut 
  growing 
  on 
  your 
  ten 
  acres 
  in 
  Vu-ginia 
  within 
  a 
  reasonable 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  

   I 
  do 
  not 
  advise 
  you 
  to 
  attempt 
  it. 
  If 
  you 
  wish 
  to 
  take 
  up 
  nut 
  growing 
  as 
  offering 
  

  

  