CHAPTER XII 



Diverse Species of Nuts 



Almond Butternut Cashew Chestnut Chinquapin 



Cobnut Cocoanut Filbert Hazelnut Hickory 



Peanut Pecan Pistachio Walnut 



EVERY year nuts are being eaten in increasing quantities. Not 

 only are they used by confectioners, cake and ice-cream makers, 

 and as dessert, but some of them are rapidly approaching 

 the rank of staples in the daily dietary of the nation. Since more 

 than a dozen distinct species are now grown to some extent in the 

 United States, they are briefly discussed in this volume Almond, 

 Butternut, Cashew, Cocoanut, Chestnut, Chinquapin, Filbert, Hazel- 

 nut, Hickory, Peanut, Pecan Pistachio and Walnut. With the exception 

 of the Peanut, which is an herb, all these are either shrubs or trees. 



Many of the species so far cultivated are best propagated by 

 budding or grafting. Thus desired varieties may be secured. In 

 ordering nursery stock, therefore, it is as important to buy grafted or 

 budded stock as in the buying of Apple, Peach or Cherry varieties, 

 because seedlings, especially Persian (English) Walnuts, Pecans, 

 Almonds and Chestnuts, are generally disappointing. Another 

 advantage is that grafted and budded stock, when properly managed, 

 will usually bear sooner than seedlings, sometimes in even less than a 

 quarter of the time! Such trees are, therefore, worth the higher 

 prices nurserymen ask for them. 



The tradition that nut trees are hard to transplant is not strictly 

 correct. However, they do require more care than most fruit trees. 

 More severe reduction of both roots and tops than in the case of fruit 

 trees has given best results, preference, as with fruit trees, being given 

 to young trees two years old at oldest, one year better still. 



Some nut trees have decided preferences as to soils. For instance, 

 Filberts, Hazels and Chestnuts do best on somewhat acid soils. Chest- 

 nuts prefer sandy land to clay, and they almost fail on limestone soils. 

 Hickory and Walnut must have either neutral or alkaline soils, prefer- 

 ably rich and well supplied with humus. They may be made to 

 succeed where acid soils are sweetened by liming; and Chestnut 

 may be given a start by making the tree holes large and filling them with 

 sandy, acid soil. 



ALMOND 



Except in specially favored sections of the Pacific Coast States, 

 Utah and the South, the Almond is a failure commercially, because its 



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