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NUT TREE NOTES— VIRGINIA 

 September 8, 1926 



But little interest is manifest in the subject of nut tree growing 

 in Virginia. There are in and about Williamsburg several pecan trees 

 of large size, evidently dating from the days of Thomas Jeiferson. 

 These trees are fruitful and bear small sized nuts of good quality. 

 But no one has seen fit to plant trees until within the last few years. 



I have trees in bearing of the Stuart, Moneymaker, Mantura, and 

 Carman varieties. Of these I regard Moneymaker as the only sure 

 cropper of Virginia. I have several northern varieties growing but 

 not in bearing. 



Filberts grow well here but trees are not old enough to bear. The 

 filbert is attacked by the larva of a butterflv which mav be con- 

 trolled by a spray of lead arsenate. 



It is uncertain about the Persian walnut being profitable in tliis 

 section. I have several varieties growing but they give little promise 

 as yet. I know of two seedling Persian trees in this section whicli are 

 fairly fruitful and the nuts are of good quality, but grafts from these 

 trees have not proved' very fruitful. 



Ten years ago I set some pecan buds in hickory stocks (bitternut). 

 They have grown well but bear very few nuts. One had better cut 

 out the hickory trees and set grafted pecan trees. In ten years the 

 grafted pecan trees will be bearing good crops of nuts. 



Two years ago a lady in this section decided to start a pecan 

 orcliard. I did what I could to get her to purchase northern grown 

 trees but she purchased trees from Mississippi because they were cheap. 

 She set one hundred ten trees. The first winter about one-half of 

 them died outright, the others sprouting from below the graft. The 

 second spring the man to whom she rented the place plowed up the 

 whole business. Tlius endeth the first chapter. 



Black walnuts are indigenous to this section and' grow rapidly and 

 bear abundantly. I have the Thomas and the Stabler varieties grow- 

 ing and bearing. From present prospects I believe that black walnut 

 growing offers more inducements as a commercial proposition, in this 

 section, than any other nut tree. 



The butternut also grows well here but the trees are subject to a 



