22 



trees begin to bear ])rofitable crops. Three and four jxars at most 

 for man-sized returns wlien using a ten foot planting. 



One planting of Du Chilly filberts last year produced an average 

 of close to i(> pounds per tree on .nine-year-old trees and an average 

 of 10 pounds on four-year-old trees. The spread of the latter trees 

 was scarce four feet, and I counted 22 nuts on a branch eight inches in 

 length. Mr. A. W. Ward reports an average crop of 200 nuts to each 

 two-year-old filbert tree in his four-acre planting this season. These 

 are also Du Chillys that are fast building up a sentiment favoring 

 them before the lower-priced Barcelona variety. The Barcelona is a 

 more vigorous tree and shells out of the husk 75% whereas the Du- 

 Chilly is but 40% self husking, but that will not offset the differential 

 of five to ten cents per pound in favor of the great, oblong nuts. 



The walnut acreage of Washington and Oregon is approximately 

 12,000 acres and is now taking a nevv hold with all the additional plant- 

 ing being made up of grafted trees. The VROOMAN FRAN- 

 QUETTE variety grafted on the California black walnut stock is the 

 tree used in these plantings. P'ormerly, seedlings of the so-called sec- 

 ond generation type were quite poj^ular, but when it became evident 

 that seedlings would not transmit the superior qualities of the parent, 

 that method of propagation was thrown into the discard. Eight thous- 

 and acres of the acreage now out, are seedling trees that must be top- 

 worked before Oregon will be truly famous for the quality of the 

 nuts it produces. These seedling trees are paying at present under 

 our present high prices after many years of barrenness. 



My own 900 seedling trees I top-worked last year to the Vrooman 

 Pranquette variety, placing- as many as thirty grafts in some trees and 

 obtained an average of 70 per cent successful grafts. These grafts 

 have made wonderful gro^^''th this season, and are quite capable of 

 bearing large quantities of nuts next season. My crew of walnut 

 grafters are becoming well known over a radius of 100 miles, and the 

 work they are doing is a road to profit for many an owner of unpro- 

 ductive nut trees. 



This fall I intend publishing some of the leading articles of the 

 nut-growing authorities of this section, in conjunction with a catalogue 

 well illustrated and containing my exjoerience as a nut grower. Any- 

 one contemplating planting walnuts or filberts may well send in their 

 reservation of copy. Generally speaking, nut tree nurserymen and 

 nut tree planters have not had time nor desire to add to the literature 

 on this subject. I believe that when the nurserymen get behind the 

 move to plant nut trees there will be some very interesting develop- 

 ments. There is one good thing in sight, and that is that it will not be 

 the old-fashioned seedling that they will push this time. I think that you 

 people of the East have got to niuike another determined effort to drive 

 home the impossibility of seedlings ever being satisfactory. Outside 

 the association a nut tree is a nut tree regardless of seedling and 

 grafted trees, and one is expected to bear just as manj- fine large nuts 



