No. 4.] NUT CULTURE FOR MASSACHUSETTS. 209 



from their half-accomplished purpose of fighting their way 

 through the hard earth to permanent water. They must be 

 visited almost daily at critical periods, and treated with all 

 the refinements of horticulture that can be mastered, but 

 above all given plenty of deeply placed water when droughts 

 are upon them and winter protection until well established. 



Soil and climate requirements are not fully known. Com- 

 ments about these will be made under the individual nuts, 

 and in the course of the general remarks. 



Planting nut trees about the house and barns may be 

 recommended, as such locations are usually fertile, bushes and 

 weeds would not be present, daily observation would be 

 more likely, and most nut trees are desirable for shade and 

 ornament. 



Fence corner planting is not to be recommended, since the 

 trees generally have to compete with native and adapted 

 weeds, bushes or trees, and they are out of sight and mind. 



Roadside planting has had advocates, but is usually un- 

 desirable, as it would be for fruit trees in general, on 

 account of the reasons given above and because of the depre- 

 dations of man and his straying animals. Some day, when 

 the whole country is a garden, and the government the gar- 

 dener as in some foreign countries, such planting may be 

 advantageous. 



For the man whose nut-growing tastes are scientific the 

 creation of new kinds of nuts by cross fertilizing offers a 

 field unexcelled in horticulture. The walnuts cross so freely 

 with one another, as also do the hickories, and even some 

 hickories with walnuts, that the possibilities seem endless. 

 Results have already been attained in breeding fine chest- 

 nuts, immune to blight, by crossing the American chinkapin 

 and the Japanese chestnut. This work ought to be much 

 more extensively taken up by experiment stations and pri- 

 vate individuals. 



The literature in this country on nut gi-owing is fairly 

 comprehensive, except that the only systematic works on the 

 subject are not up to date. Every one interested, however, 

 should read " The Xut Culturist," by Andrew S. Fuller, the 



