NUT TREES FOR ROADSIDE PLANTING 99 



inflict penalties for raids on the product of roadside nut 

 trees. If the trees are planted and owned by the tax- 

 payers, such regulations will be the more readily enforced; 

 but, even in the case of private ownership, it should not be 

 difficult to afford protection which will assure the property 

 owner at least a reasonable proportion of the harvest. 



The planting of nut trees is of itself comparatively 

 new in this country. Until within the last ten years, 

 except in the regions where commercial nut raising had 

 become established, the individual's proposal to plant trees 

 for the raising of nuts was usually met by scornful com- 

 ment. One nut tree planter, in planting an orchard of nut 

 trees on his farm near Washington some years ago, found 

 himself the object of critical remarks and good-natured jests 

 from friends and acquaintances. The most frequent critic- 

 ism had to do with the length of time involved in waiting for 

 the young trees to reach the age of production. To one critic 

 who had thus questioned the wisdom of the undertaking, 

 the planter replied: "I don't know just how long it 

 will be before these trees bear, but I do know that they will 

 be bearing nuts a long time before the trees you are not 

 planting." That this planter had the right idea is borne 

 out by the experience of more than one man who has 

 found that his roadside nut trees have proved themselves 

 equal to the important task of caring for taxes and insur- 

 ance on an entire farm an experience not yet reported 

 by those who confined their activities to criticism. 



As illustrating the not isolated experience of those 

 who have planted nut trees along roadways, instead of the 

 usual shade trees, an illuminating incident has recently 

 come into notice from a Southern plantation. In this case 

 a tenant farmer in Georgia was having difficulty in raising 

 the funds for the annual payment of $600 in rent money 

 and supporting a family of considerable size at the same 



