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and a few miles north of the northern shore of Lake Ontario, having its eastern ex- 

 tremity at or near where Cobourg now stands, and extending westerly to a point where 

 London now stands ; thence in a north-westerly direction to Lake Huron. The reason 

 why this line was its northern limit might be an interesting subject for investigation ; 

 but it is not my purpose at present to proceed on this branch of the subject. The fact is 

 well established that the line indicated was its northern limit. Subsequent events, how- 

 ever, prove conclusively that its extension northwards, and also to the east, was not pre- 

 vented by the severity of the seasons or unsuitability of the soil. Mr. G. M. Dawson 

 says ' one specimen at least has been growing in the Province of Quebec for over forty 

 years and is perfectly hardy.' The Hon. H. G-. Joly, who has planted a large number of 

 walnut trees in the Province of Quebec, says their growth is beyond his expectations, and 

 gives dates and figures, showing the rapidity of their growth. One tree in 1880 was 

 fifteen feet and a half high, having been grown from a nut planted in 1874. All his 

 trees are quite healthy. There are many trees growing on my grounds in Lindsay, 

 measuring from 20 to 28 inches in circumference four feet above the ground, which are 

 not over 13 or 14 years old. In England it has proved itself well-suited to the climate 

 and soil, and is now pretty generally cultivated throughout that country as well as in 

 Scotland, both in the Highlands and Lowlands. It is also grown in some parts of Den- 

 mark and of Sweden, where, however, — as in some other northern localities — it pro- 

 duces no fruit. I know no reason why it should be less hardy than the sugar-maple and 

 basswood, and as the northern limit of these trees is about 250 miles north of Lake 

 Ontario, it seems quite safe to say that the Black Walnut can be successfully grown in 

 any part of the Province of Ontario, wherever the soil is suitable. 



Let it be conceded that the Black Walnut can be successfully grown in Ontario, the 

 question very naturally arises : Can its growth and cultivation in Ontario be made a 

 profitable enterprise 1 That is to say : Would it be a safe and wise investment to plant 

 Black Walnut trees on a large scale simply as a business transaction 1 In this connection 

 the following questions naturally present themselves for our consideration : — 



1st. What amount of money will it be necessary to invest for the planting of a given 

 area ? 



2nd. How much will be required for future cultivation and maintainance 1 

 3rd, How many trees can be grown in a given area? 



4th. What amount of time will be required for the trees to arrive at maturity? 

 5th. What will be the market value of the trees at maturity 1 



1st. The amount of cash necessary for the first investment will be the price only of 

 the land intended to be used for that purpose, because the crops which should be grown 

 on the land for the first fifteen years, together with the proceeds of the sale — or use of 

 — the trees it would be necessary to weed out, would amply repay the small outlay for 

 nuts, and also for the planting and subsequent care of the same for that length of time. 



2nd. The money which could be realized from the sale of trees which it would be 

 necessary to thin out, from time to time, after the first fifteen years, would much more 

 than re-coup the owner for all cost for care, cultivation, interest on capital, and 

 maintainance from that time forth. * 



3rd. I have no exact data at hand, showing the number of mature Black Walnut 

 trees, which should occupy an .acre of land. The tree, if grown isolated, will be short in 

 the trunk, with a very wide, spreading head ; but, if grown closely together, will be long 

 in the trunk, and the head much more contracted. As this is a question of profit, which 

 can only be obtained from timber, it would, therefore, be advisable to grow the trees as 

 closely together as possible. It will require about 3,000 nuts, or between five and six 

 bushels, to plant an acre, in rows, eight feet apart, and the nuts two feet apart in the 

 row. Within three years, three-fourths of the trees should be removed, leaving the 

 remaining one-fourth, eight feet apart each way. These could be allowed to stand until 

 they became sufiiciently large to pay the expense of removal, which would be in from 

 15 to 20 years from date of planting, by which time three-fourths of this number may 

 be removed, and three-fourths of that number might be advantageously removed during 

 the succeeding 20 years. There would then remain about 40 trees to the acre, distant 



