45 



agriculturists of the country. Attempts to propagate it were failures 

 for some twenty years. While now propagation, in the case of most 

 nuts, has almost been redticed to a certainty, provided good material 

 is used and skilfully handled, yet nut growing in the North is far 

 from being on the profitable commercial basis which we all believe 

 it is destined to reach. 



As a class the nuts which promise best are those that are native 

 to what might be called the middle northern sections. The nuts of 

 the more northern sections are seemingly not as well adapted. In this 

 respect nuts are like fruits. Chestnuts (where they are not subject 

 to attack by blight) and black walnuts have demonstrated in a small 

 way that they will pay well when planted in orchards. Other nuts 

 are promising. The important thing to do now is to plant orchards 

 of these species that have been shown to be successful in a small 

 way and try out the otliers that promise well. 



The species about which we know most as to behavior in orchard 

 form are the black walnut and the chestnut. At Alton, 111., on the 

 place of the late E. A. Riehl, on land too steep for ordinary cultivation, 

 these have proven more profitable than the rest of the farm. The 

 heartnut at my place (all varieties) for years has been bearing con- 

 stantly increasing crops and is giving promise of success. 



Nuts want rich soil. If it is not so naturally it must be made so if 

 best results are to be obtained. Seemingly land cannot be too rich 

 for nut trees. 



The question of annual or biennial bearing has been raised as to 

 varieties. While various conditions do make a difference in bearing, 

 so far as I have observed at Baldwin, nut trees if given plenty of plant 

 food seem to bear annually, barring unusual conditions. For example, 

 black walnuts have shown increasingi crops until the year 1926 when 

 the crop is nothing except on the Royal and McCoy varieties. The 

 hazels also are bearing very light this year. On the other hand, the 

 Persian walnuts have borne as never before. Last winter it should be 

 said was one remarkably free from sudden changes in temperature, a 

 condition which I expected would be favorable both for the Persian 

 walnut and the European hazel. It was for the Persian walnut but 

 seemingly not for the European hazel. 



The matter of which varieties to plant is one on which much might 



