BLACK WALNUT: ITS GROWTH AND MANAGEMENT. 33 



if erosion is not actively taking place, are promising sites for the suc- 

 cessful growth of walnut. Similarly, the level, rolling country of 

 southeastern New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey west 

 of the sandy parts, where the soils are deep, present favorable sites 

 for walnut. Western Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Vir- 

 ginia are generally well suited, but eastward to the coast the soils 

 are usually not adapted, although occasional sites on river bottoms 

 or rich flats are excellent and have produced walnut shade trees of 

 large size. In North Carolina, South Carolina, and northern Geor- 

 gia, except in the mountain region, it is doubtful if the climatic condi- 

 tions are best for walnut. The species range almost to the Gulf and 

 has been planted as an ornamental tree in Florida, where phenome- 

 nal crops of nuts are reported; but often in this region the tree is 

 poor in quality and becomes defective at an early age. The planting 

 of walnut for its wood in most of North and South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Alabama, and Louisiana is problematical, because there has been no 

 experience with actual plantations in that region. 



The best criterion for determining a planting site, either in the East 

 or West, is whether walnut grew on the site naturally and made a 

 good development. If it did, planting is safe ; if it did not, the plant- 

 ing may be successful with good management, but there is an element 

 of uncertainty involved. 



The soil needed for the most satisfactory production of merchant- 

 able stands of walnut is nearly everywhere the best agricultural soil. 

 Placed on a strictly economical basis, there is little argument for 

 growing walnut for wood production on these soils. Tillotson x 

 shows the net annual yield for 12 plantations from 12 to 42 years of 

 age scattered from Indiana to Iowa. The best stand shows an annual 

 income of 91 cents an acre ; the poorest, a loss of $1.50 an acre an- 

 nually, while the average plantation shows a loss embodying failure 

 to pay taxes and interest charges on the expense of establishment. 

 In the States in which walnut is of chief importance the gross income 

 from farm crops amounts annually to about $15 an acre. Excluding 

 all interest charges, it would be necessary to have about 65 thousand 

 feet, board measure, to the acre at the end of 75 years in order to yield 

 an equal gross annual income. According to the most optimistic 

 estimates the amount would hardly be 20 per cent of this. There is 

 no point in giving up good agricultural land that can be used as 

 such to the growing of walnut for wood only. 



MANAGEMENT OF PLANTED STANDS. 



Walnut is intolerant of shade, and this is an important item in its 

 management, disregard of which is one of the causes of the unsatis- 



i" Forest Planting in-Eastern United States," by C. R. Tillotson, Bulletin 153, United 

 States Department of Agriculture, p. 31. 



