Nut Trees 
The Linn County Nurseries 
NUT TREES 
TRANSPLANTING. Nut trees are not difficult to transplant but require 
more careful handling than fruit trees. The roots will not endure as much 
exposure and the tops should be cut back heavily. Usually the more the top 
is reduced the better the growth the first year. Cut ends should be waxed 
and the remaining top given a loose wrapping to prevent dessication. Nut 
trees are hand dug and usually have long, deep roots. Holes should be dug 
deep enough to avoid crowding them and pulverized moist peat mixed with 
top soil filled around them. A basin may be left around the tree and filled 
with peat to facilitate watering and hold the moisture. If peat is not available 
fill in with mellow top soil and put a mulch of strawy manure about the tree. 
The common pests of nut trees are the Walnut Caterpillar and Fall Web- 
worm. Either may entirely defoliate walnut or other trees in late summer. 
Spraying in midsummer with arsenate of lead is an effective control. 
BLACK WALNUTS are very heavy feeders and do best in deep alluvial 
soil. They are generally quite unsatisfactory on poor upland soil. Well 
established trees may be given heavy applications of barnyard manure or other 
fertilizer judiciously applied. 
Being native, Black Walnuts are hardy and well adapted to Mid Western 
planting. Growth starts late in the spring and stops early in the fall so un¬ 
seasonable cold spells are not likely to injure them. The English or Persian 
Walnut almost always grows too late in the fall and is often severely frozen. 
None has been found which has really proven dependable here, and if they 
were, do not have the fine flavor of the Black Walnut and would be superior 
only in easier cracking. No other nut except the Hickory retains its flavor 
as well as the Black Walnut after heating, and their use is increasing in baked 
goods and confectionery. Commercial crackers will buy all available nuts 
offered and pay much more for the improved kinds because their kernels have 
a better flavor and color, yield more per bushel, and a much larger percentage 
is in halves or quarters. The grafted kinds are also superior for landscape 
planting, being more thrifty and having larger, darker, glossy green foliage. 
Thomas is the best known and succeeds over a wide territory. Within the 
whole range of the Black Walnut only a few distant sections report another 
kind preferable to Thomas, and commercial plantings are mostly of it. The 
tree is hardy, very vigorous, productive, and a very young bearer, switches 
one year old often bearing the following season. The nuts are large, easily 
hulled and fairly thin-shelled. The kernels have fine flavor and color, easily 
crack out in halves and quarters, and the yield is ten pounds or more per 
bushel. Sizes, 5-6 ft; 4-5 ft.; 3-4 ft.; 2-3 ft.; 18-24 in. 
Ohio is more difficult to hull than Thomas but has a thin shell and is an 
excellent cracker, with splendid quality. The nut is long and pointed. In 
a very few places it is considered superior to Thomas. Sizes, 5-6 ft.; 4-5 ft.; 
3-4 ft. 
Stambaugh won first prize in the 1926 contest of the Northern Nut Growers 
Association with more than 1200 competitors. Reports of its performance 
so far have been remarkably, uniformly good. We believe it will prove to 
be a better tree and equally good nut and will become a strong rival of Thomas 
for first place. Sizes, 4-5 ft.; 3-4 ft.; 2-3 ft. 
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