CHAPTER XVI. 



NUT TREES. 



It seems to me that a good nut orchard is worth working for. Tim. 



The almond of commerce is the "soft shell" or 

 * ' paper shell ' ' type, but the variety is too tender for 

 satisfactory orchard growing in cold sections of our 

 country. In California, etc., the business is a mod- 

 erate success. Occasional trees have been made to do 

 fairly well in northern and eastern states where the 

 peach succeeds, but, without protection, such attempts 

 are uncertain. In the South, the trees are apt to 

 bloom very early and be nipped by spring frosts. 



BEECH NuT. This well-known forest nut is hardly 

 adapted to orchard planting. 



BUTTERNUT AND BI.ACK WALNUT. These, though 

 very useful trees in their way, are scarcely in the 

 orchard class at the present time. Trees are usually 

 propagated by raising seedlings from choice nuts. I 

 believe that more of these trees should be planted. 



CHESTNUT. Now we come to a species of nut 

 which has distinct commercial possibilities for the 

 average American. Mr. Joseph L. Lovett, of Pennsyl- 

 vania, now has about fifty acres on his own farm 

 planted to improved chestnuts, mostly Paragons. 



Mr. Lovett plows his orchard each spring and then 

 gives the soil regular cultivation until September 

 first. No autumn or winter cover crop is planted, 

 because such a growth would interfere with the 



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