WALNUT 



2003 



are favorable for an extensive root sys- 

 tem." 



English Walnuts in Southwestern 

 Washington 



The planting of nut-bearing trees has 

 gradually attained such proportions in 

 this section that nut-raising undoubtedly 

 will in the near future become one of 

 its important industries. Foremost 

 among a variety of nut trees planted is 

 the walnut, known in America under the 

 name of English walnut, given it by the 

 colonists to distinguish it from the na- 

 tive or black walnut. 



In Clarke county about fifty-five years 

 ago was planted the first English walnut 

 tree in all the Northwest which, with- 

 out any particular care, had grown to 

 such proportions that when cut down in 

 1907 to clear the way for the North Bank 

 railroad, its trunk measured seven and a 

 quarter feet in circumference and the 

 spread of the crown was over fifty feet 

 in diameter. 



There are two strains of English wal- 

 nuts grown on the Pacific coast — ^the 

 Southern California or Spanish Mission, 

 and Chili varieties, and the European or 

 French varieties. The first-mentioned 

 strain of walnut trees is tender, buds 

 out too early in the spring, is irregular 

 in blooming and does not succeed well 

 in the Northwest. 



From the sole planting of that unpro- 

 ductive kind of walnut trees people for 

 a long time were under the impression 

 that this part of the country was not 

 adapted to walnut culture, as trees even 

 40 to 50 years old remained compara- 

 tively barren. 



With the introduction of the hardier 

 and late-blooming French varieties that 

 opinion has changed, and walnut-growing 

 is now considered one of the most prom- 

 ising of future industries. The climate 

 and soil are said to be very similar to 

 those portions of France which for gen- 

 erations have been producing the world's 

 best walnuts. 



The first French walnut trees, six in 

 number, were planted in Clarke county 



in the spring of 1888 by William Smiley 

 in Fruit valley; they were bought from 

 that veteran French walnut propagator, 

 Felix Gillet, of Nevada City, California, 

 and among them were two grafted trees, 

 one Mayette and one Franquette, which 

 for the past 12 years have borne con- 

 tinuous crops of fine nuts, showing that 

 just as good nuts may be grown here as 

 in France, where walnut culture has 

 been an industry of such vast propor- 

 tions. 



The next lot of French walnut trees 

 brought to Clarke county consisted of 

 nine trees, also bought from Felix G-illet, 

 in the winter of 1893 and 1894, by the 

 writer, and planted in Fruit valley. In 

 the spring of 1894 Augustus High set out 

 the first trees of that now fine French 

 walnut orchard in Fruit valley, and the 

 same year Henry J. Biddle planted the 

 first walnut trees on his place six miles 

 east of Vancouver. 



These experimental French walnut 

 trees flourished surprisingly and were 

 the cause of later plantings, which have 

 been increasing annually. The writer's 

 15-year-old trees now measure three and 

 a quarter feet around the trunk near 

 the ground and their height and spread 

 of crown are each about 30 feet. 



The old French standard varieties such 

 as Mayette, Franquette, Chaberte, Pari- 

 sienne, Proeparturien, etc, are mostly 

 planted Second-generation trees are 

 those grown from nuts borne on the first- 

 generation trees or the original variety 

 reproduced solely by grafting 



While the orchard is young, hoed crops 

 can be raised between the trees or other 

 fruit trees may be planted as fillers and 

 removed when crowding begins. 



So far the English walnut trees have 

 been remarkably free from disease and 

 insect pests in Southwestern Washington, 

 and with good care and cultivation they 

 generally have come in bearing when 

 seven or eight years old, and their bear- 

 ing capacity naturally increases with the 

 age and size of the trees. However, "wal- 

 nut blight" has now made its appearance 

 m the Northwest, and that will necessi- 



