46 LUTHER BURBANK 



Cultivation of the Walnut 



The idea of growing walnuts commercially is 

 one that has scarcely been thought of in the tem- 

 perate regions of the United States. Even in 

 regions of the Middle and Eastern States where 

 the English walnut will grow, it has never been 

 cultivated extensively, and of course this tree is 

 yet too tender to be profitably grown in the 

 colder Northern States. But the black walnut 

 and butternut, on the other hand, are exceed- 

 ingly hardy trees, thriving even in regions where 

 the winters are excessively cold. 



All of these trees, however, require a deep, rich, 

 moist, loamy soil, in order to thrive. Trees that 

 produce wood of such extraordinary hardness of 

 texture, and nuts so stocked with fats and pro- 

 teins, could not be expected to draw adequate 

 nourishment from impoverished soil. In fact, 

 the black walnut and the butternut, in the re- 

 gions of the United States to which they are in- 

 digenous, are usually found growing along the 

 rivers, or in rich alluvial valleys. The idea that 

 they could be raised to advantage on soil that is 

 too poor to produce ordinary crops of cereals or 

 vegetables is fallacious. 



At the moment, there is not demand enough 

 for the black walnut or the butternut to justify 



