MULBERRY — NUTS — ORANGE 433 



hardy in the northern states; but New American is often sold under 

 this name. Mulberries thrive in any good soil, and need no special 

 treatment. 



Nuts. — The nut trees demand too much room for most home- 

 ground fruit plantations, although they are also useful for windbreaks 

 and shade. The hickories, all American, make excellent lawn trees, 

 and should be better known. The filberts and cobnuts, small trees 

 or bushes, are not successfully grown in this country except in very 

 special cases. 



The commercial nut-growing in the United States and Canada is 

 chiefly of almonds (p. 415), walnuts, and pecans, with some attempt 

 at chestnuts. Of these the chestnut is the most adaptable for home 

 places in the northeastern section. 



Of chestnuts there are three types in cultivation: the European, 

 the Japanese, and the American. The American, or native chestnuts, 

 of which there are several improved varieties, are the hardiest and 

 most reliable, and the nuts are the sweetest, but they are also the small- 

 est. The Japanese varieties are usually injured by the winter in cen- 

 tral New York. The European varieties are somewhat hardier, and 

 some of the varieties will thrive in the northern states. Chestnuts 

 are very easily grown, although the bark disease (p. 208) now threatens 

 them. They usually bear better when two or more trees are planted 

 near each other. Sprouts in old chestnut clearings are often allowed 

 to remain, and sometimes they are grafted to the improved varieties. 

 The young trees may be grafted in the spring by the whip-graft or cleft- 

 graft method; but the cions should be perfectly dormant, and the 

 operation should be very carefully done. Even with the best work- 

 manship, a considerable percentage of the grafts are likely to fail or 

 to break off after two or three years. The most popular single variety 

 of chestnut is the Paragon, which bears large and excellent nuts when 

 the tree is very young. When the home ground is large enough, two 

 or three of these trees should be planted near the borders. 



Orange. — Oranges are grown extensively in Florida, in places 

 along the Gulf, and in many parts of California, but in the most favored 

 sections there is occasionally some injury from cold or frost to the 

 trees or fruit. 



