THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA. 



131 



NUT CULTURE FOR FUN AND PROFIT. 

 By H. E. Vax Demax. 



There is an increasing interest in nut culture all 

 over America, and ver\- properly so. This is largely 

 owing to a better knowledge than formerly of the value 

 of nuts as an article of food and in some degree to an 

 increase of production through their culture in the 

 hands of intelligent and enterprising growers. The 

 most valuable of all the native nuts of America is the 

 pecan, known by botanists as Hicoria pecan. It is 

 the best nut in all the world, so far as discoveries have 

 been made, unless it be the cocoanut, which has a 

 wider field of usefulness because of its oil used in 

 commerce and manufacture. But for richness of ker- 

 nel, delicious flavor and generally satisfying qualities 

 to the consumer there is no other nut that is its equal. 



Its natural range is from southern Iowa to Mexico, 

 but mainly in the valley of the Mississippi and its trib- 

 utaries. Unfortunately, for its general culture, the 

 southern tj'pes of the pecan, which bear the best nuts, 

 are tender in tree, and not suitable to the more north- 

 ern sections. It was in Louisiana that the first efforts 

 were made in pecan culture, and in the culture of any 

 of our native nuts as well. This was done by the 

 French and Spanish pioneers, who, seeing the excellent 

 character of some of the wild pecans, planted them 

 about their homesteads and some of those trees, now 

 centuries old. are yet standing. But it was not until 

 recent years that propagation by grafting and budding 

 was undertaken. Xow it is a common practice and the 

 culture of many choice varieties is extensive and emi- 

 nently successful in the cotton-growing area. 



Stuart, Schley, Success, \'an Deman, Pabst, Money- 

 maker, Alloy, belmas and Frotscher are among the 

 best of the choice varieties, and grafted and budded 

 trees ma}- be bought reasonably. They should be 

 planted in rich land and not nearer than 60 feet apart, 

 and 100 feet is a better distance. 



But the culture of the pecan in the regions north of 

 the cotton belt is a most desirable thing to attain and 

 it is being attempted by selecting the choicest varie- 

 ties of the hardier t\pes of the species and propagat- 

 ing them by grafting on to seedlings of the same type. 

 In the creek and river bottoms of the southern parts 

 of Indiana. Illinois and Missouri there have been 

 found a very few varieties that are reasonably large, 

 thin shelled, that have plump kernels that come out of 

 the shell easily and that are produced abundantly on 

 hardy trees. These are being tested out and trees 

 will soon be for sale by the nurseries, although it is too 

 soon to list many varieties now. Indiana, Major and 

 Green River are the best of those now known. 



There is one species of hickory that grows over a 

 large territory, from Xew England to Wisconsin and 

 Missouri, that is well worthy of far more attention 

 than it has yet been given. This is commonly known 

 as the Shagbark or Little Shellbark, otherwise Hicoria 

 alba. In quality of the kernels it is scarce!}' inferior to 

 the pecan and some think the flavor even superior. 

 The nuts are highly esteemed and find ready sale in 

 the market at good prices. The size is somewhat 

 variable and the shape also, but the nuts average about 

 an inch in diameter and are oval or roundish in shape. 

 The shell is reasonably thin and the kernels are not 

 very hard to extract. There are a few varieties that 

 are far better in all respects than the average and 

 some of them have been named and are being propa- 

 gated by budding and grafting them on to seedlings of 

 their own species. Among these are the Rice. Kirt- 

 land, ^^'eiker and Milford. 



It is quite essential that the kernels and shells be of 

 such character that they part easily, that the meats 

 may be extracted in halves, for upon this point de- 

 pends much of their value. There are many such kinds 

 and they should be sought out and none others planted. 

 Seedlings from them would be of more value than if 

 any kind of hickory nut was planted, but there is no 

 certainty and little probability that nuts of very su- 

 perior value would be secured in this way. The plant- 

 ing of groves of hickory might be done with such seed- 

 lings or with the nuts placed directly where the trees 

 are to stand. There are thousands of waste corners 

 and little fields that could be covered with hickory 

 trees at small expense that would change them into a 

 condition that would be beautiful, profitable and last- 

 ing. Among the oldest of the cultivated nut trees is 

 the walnut. The species that is commonly grown for 

 its nuts, Juglans regia, is a native of parts of eastern 

 Europe and Asia Elinor, and was brought to France 

 and the British Isles by the Romans centuries ago. 

 In America it is commonly called "English" walnut, 

 but Persian is a more suitable name and the one now 

 considered proper. The early settlers in America 

 brought it from England and France to our eastern 

 coast and the Spaniards to the Pacific coast. Owing 

 to climatic causes, in part, and others not well under- 

 stood, there has been little development of the walnut 

 industry east of the Rocky mountains, but on the Pa- 

 cific coast it has grown to be a large and flourishing 

 business. The walnut growers of California are in 

 the lead, but Oregon and Washington are likewise 

 adapted to the business, and many orchards are now 

 being planted there. 



In the eastern States there is wide opportunity for 

 walnut culture, that is almost untouched. The climate 

 of the Central States seems to be unsuitable to this 

 tree, but there are many trees in the Atlantic States, 

 both old and young, that are flourishing and bearing 

 good crops of nuts. Some of them are in Pennsyl- 

 vania, Xew York and Xew Jersey, and there is no good 

 reason why there may not be thousands more planted 

 with success. It is a neglected industry that will, in 

 due time, it is hoped, be developed as it should be. 



The varieties that have been planted in nearly all 

 parts of the country have been seedlings, and for the 

 most part of types that are rather tender. In general, 

 those af the Pacific coast are not suitable to the At- 

 lantic regions, but occasional trees have been found 

 that are not only hardy but bear superior nuts in abun- 

 dance. From these trees young ones are being propa- 

 gated by grafting on native walnut stocks, chiefly of 

 Juglans nigra, that are well adapted to the wants of 

 planters in the Eastern States. Rush, Cumberland, 

 Hayes and Pomeroy are some of the best. A few of 

 the Pacific coast varieties seem to be suitable to east- 

 em conditions, among them Mavette Frauquette and 

 Wiltz. 



The soil best suited to walnuts must be deep and 

 rich, not low and wet. but well drained. Some bottom 

 lands are very good if dr}% but rich uplands of a rolling 

 character are better. 



The distance apart to plant walnut trees is about 50 

 feet. More would be better than less, because of the 

 large size they finally attain. They will live and bear 

 for a century or more, if planted in proper soil and cli- 

 mate and are well cared for while young. Walnut 

 trees are well suited for planting among peach, plum 

 and other early-bearing fruit trees, the latter being 

 temporar}- and subject to removal when their room is 

 needed. 



Of the Asiatic walnuts there are several species, the 



