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NUT BEARING TREES. 



By f^OKESTKR. 



IN LOOKING over all kinds of 

 trees, or seedlings if in a condition 

 to be handled, the nuts would be sure 

 to be most noticed. Apart from their size 

 there is a certain firmness about them, 

 and in the small tree, such as we 

 would have for plantations, a sturdy 

 health making them special favorites 

 with me, and, I think, with other 

 planters. 



Among seeds it would seem im- 

 possible that the little wafer of an elm 

 seed would produce as large and strong 

 a tree as the rough hard walnut, and 

 the seed of the eucalyptus which 

 makes such great and rapid growth in 

 warmer latitudes is only a fine powder. 

 Many trees have a seed like a bean or 

 legume which is easy to plant and to 

 rear ; but from a collection of seeds I 

 think both novice and planter would 

 select a nut as certain and reliable 

 and would say to themselves " I would 

 like to see what kind of a tree this 

 would produce." 



The nut plantation is not raised 

 without some difficulties, as in all 

 seedlings there are variations just when 

 least expected by the inexperienced. 

 After planting the nuts, before they 

 dry out in the fall, in good clean land, 

 we go about the following spring 

 looking for the little trees. I found it 

 surprising how many weeds got up 

 earlier than the nuts. In May pro- 

 bably not one will sprout. In June 

 we are suddenly surprised, a walnut 

 standing up six inches in a single 

 night and a little later the hickories 

 and acorns are starting regularly. 



The butternut is still slower and on 

 first July none are yet found — soon 



after an odd one will appear. The 

 chestnut is more satisfactory, for it 

 sprouts vigorously the first thing in the 

 spring, and has a good show of leaf be- 

 fore the weeds start the race. Many 

 acorns and all of these nuts are to be 

 found sprouting still later in the season, 

 and a few will lie over one or two 

 more winters to gather up sufficient 

 moisture before looking for sunshine — 

 seeds of ash, locust, and pines some- 

 times do the same and we do not like to 

 attack the weeds too vigorously for 

 fear of cutting up the precious trees. 



In the little trees of the first year 

 the nuts so generally send down a 

 strong tap root often longer than the 

 stem that when fit for transplanting 

 there is a most satisfactory appearance 

 of vigor, and the loss of the tap root 

 will not permanently injure the tree, 

 for in practice I find no such results ; 

 as after cutting oft" the tip if broken, 

 the large fleshy root of a walnut has 

 nourishment enough in itself to start it 

 into active growth in any soil. There 

 is only one case I ever heard of in which 

 the tap root is essential to the success of 

 the tree. That is in oak planting on the 

 hills of California where it seems the 

 grandest success has been obtained by 

 planting acorns of the English oak 

 in the place where they are to re- 

 main, and the tap root finds its way to 

 moisture in a position where no other 

 tree can live. In the nursery, if the 

 long root is cut by a tree digger or by 

 a spade a year before the tree is to be 

 moved a full growth of side roots will 

 be induced and the tree may be 

 transplanted at any time. These 

 large rooted seedlings are not too 



