S8 



vania for the black walnut and the shagbark hickory as there is in the 

 South for the pecan. 



Mr. Jones: What is the elevation at State College? 



Prof. Fagan: 1200 feet running on up to 2400 feet. As far as 

 tlie black walnut is concerned^ it can be grown in any part of the 

 state, but when it comes to the English walnut it is limited' to south- 

 eastern Pennsylvania. Down through here they can be grown quite 

 successfully. We are not opposed to its culture. W^e say that it is 

 still in the experimental stage. I think Mr. Jones will acknowledge 

 that here in this county, as to raising them for commercial purposes, it 

 is more or less in an experimental stage. We do not know what is 

 going to happen if we plant 300 or 400 acres in solid plantings. No 

 one has ever done it in this section. We know we will meet with 

 enemies. We do know the chestnut blight has wiped out the chestnuts 

 in Pennsylvania. We do not want to encourage a man to plunge into 

 this situation without giving it a good trial. I would rather see any 

 man in the state of Pennsylvania start in with a 5-acre tract than a 

 100-acre one. He is going to be more successful in the end. 



Mr. Jones: Are any of the real large fruit orchards paying? 



Prof. Fagan : Yes, but not many are going to pay this year. The 

 situation is pretty good, yet I look for a good many letters to come in 

 regarding the planting of nut trees. 



Mr. Jones: Would you about as soon chance 5 acres of black 

 walnuts as peaches ? 



Prof. Fagan: I would rather take the chance of planting 5 acres 

 of black walnuts with the state's money than a five-acre peach orchard, 

 in our northern section. I believe that at the end of 20 years the black 

 walnuts would pay better. Our peach orchards have had nine years of 

 care and only returned two crops of peaches. But we can hardly go 

 around and tell some fellow to plant six acres of Stabler walnuts and 

 tell him it is going to be successful. Some of you may hark back to 

 the dusting proposition in fruit orchards a few years ago, and if we 

 had listened to all the people that came along selling dusters and dust 

 we would have thrown away our sprayers. It took the Station 7 years 

 to learn we could dust as well as spray. Why should the government 



