99 99 99 99 99 ---------------------------------------- -------------- ,transcriber's ,note3 ,typographical errors have been corrected in this text4 ,for a complete list1 please see the bottom of this document4 ,bold text is marked so3 bold4 ,italicized text is marked so3 italics ---------------------------------------- -------------- 99 99 99 99 99 ,,english ,,walnuts ,illustration ,,what ,,you ,,need ,,to ,,know ,,about ,,planting1 ,,cultivating ,,and ,,harvesting ,,this ,,most ,,delicious ,,of ,,nuts 7,compiled by ,,walter ,,fox ,,allen7 7,copyright #aiab7 ,foreword4 ,realizing the tremendous interest that is now being directed by owners of country estates everywhere to the culture of the ,persian or ,english ,walnut1 ,i have compiled this little book with the idea of supplying the instruction needed on the planting1 cultivation and harvesting of this most delicious of all nuts4 ,i have gathered the material herein presented from a large number of trustworthy sources1 using only such portions of each as would seem to be of prime importance to the intending grower4 ,i am indebted to the ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture and to numerous cultivators of the nut in all sections of the country4 ,i have aimed at accuracy and brevity--and hope the following pages will furnish just that practical information which ,i have felt has long been desired4 ,,the ,,compiler4 ,english ,walnuts4 ,illustration ,viewed as a comparatively new industry1 the culture of the ,persian or ,english ,walnut is making remarkable strides in this country4 ,owners of farms and suburban estates everywhere are becoming interested in the raising of this delicious article of food1 thousands of trees being set out every year4 ,there are two important reasons for the rapidly growing enthusiasm that is being manifested toward the ,english ,walnut3 ,first1 its exceptional value as a food property is becoming widely recognized1 one pound of walnut meat being equal in nutriment to eight pounds of steak4 ,secondly1 its superior worth as an ornamental shade tree is admitted by everyone who knows the first thing about trees4 ,for this purpose there is nothing more beautiful4 ,with their wide-spreading branches and dark-green foliage1 they are a delight to the eye4 ,unlike the leaves of some of our shade trees1 those of this variety do not drop during the ,summer but adhere until late in the ,fall1 thus making an unusually clean tree for lawn or garden4 ,in addition to all this1 the walnut is particularly free from scale and other pests4 ,up to the present time1 the ,english ,walnut has been more largely in demand as a shade tree than as a commercial proposition2 in fact1 so little attention has been given to the nuts themselves that there are1 comparatively speaking1 few large producing orchards in the ,united ,states1 the greater portion of the total yield of walnuts being procured from scattered field and roadside trees4 ,it is a little difficult to understand why they should have been so neglected when there are records of single trees bearing as much as #hjj pounds of nuts in one year4 ,illustration3 ,,six ,,year ,,old ,,bearing ,,english ,,walnut ,,tree ,in #ahie this country produced about #d1jjj1jjj pounds1 and more than #af1jjj1jjj pounds of ,english ,walnuts in #aijg1 with a proportionate annual increase each year to the present4 ,but1 when it is known that the ,united ,states is consuming yearly about #ej1jjj1jjj pounds of nuts1 with the demand constantly increasing1 thereby necessitating the importation annually of something more than #be1jjj1jjj pounds1 the wonderful possibilities of the industry in this country1 from a purely business view point1 will readily be appreciated4 ,and of course the market price of the walnut is keeping step with the consumption1 having advanced from #ae to #bj cents a pound in the past few years4 ,sidenote3 ,a ,rival of the ,orange ,in ,california the nut industry is becoming a formidable rival of the orange2 in fact1 there are more dollars worth of nuts 7all varieties7 shipped from the state now per year than oranges4 ,one grower is shipping #acf1jjj worth of ,english ,walnuts a year while another man1 with an orchard just beginning to bear1 is getting about #bjj an acre for his crop4 ,no standard estimate can at present be placed on the yield per acre of orchards in full bearing1 but the growers are confident that they will soon be deriving from #hjj to #afjj per acre1 this figure being based on the number of individual trees which are already producing from #ij to #abj a year4 ,the success with the nut in ,california can be duplicated in the ,east providing certain hardy varieties are planted2 and in the few instances where orchards have been started in the ,east1 great things have already been done and still greater are expected in the next few years4 ,sidenote3 ,origin of the ,english ,walnut ,but where did this walnut originate8 ,what is its history8 ,juglans ,regia 7nut of the gods7 ,persian ,walnut1 called also ,madeira ,nut and ,english ,walnut1 is a native of ,western1 ,central and probably ,eastern ,asia1 the home of the peach and the apricot4 ,it was known to the ,greeks1 who introduced it from ,persia into ,europe at an early day1 as ,persicon or ,persian nut and ,basilicon or ,royal nut4 ,carried from ,greece to ,rome1 it became ,juglans 7name derived from ,jovis and glans1 an acorn2 literally ,jupiter's ,acorn1 or the ,nut of the ,gods74 ,from ,rome it was distributed throughout ,continental ,europe1 and according to ,loudon1 it reached ,england prior to #aefb4 ,in ,england it is generally known as the walnut1 a term of ,anglo-,saxon derivation signifying foreign nut4 ,it has been called ,madeira ,nut1 presumably because the fruit was formerly imported into ,england from the ,madeira ,islands1 where it is yet grown to some extent4 ,in ,america it has commonly been known as ,english ,walnut to distinguish it from our native species4 ,from the fact that of all the names applied to this nut ,persian seems to have been the first in common use1 and that it indicates approximately the home of the species1 the name ,persian ,walnut is regarded as most suitable1 but inasmuch as ,english ,walnut is better known here1 we shall use that name in this treatise4 ,as a material for the manufacture of gunstocks and furniture the timber of the nut was long in great demand throughout ,europe and high prices were paid for it4 ,early in the last century as much as #c1jjj was paid for a single large tree for the making of gunstocks4 ,sidenote3 ,planting and ,cultivation ,everything depends upon the planting and cultivation of ,english ,walnuts as indeed it does of all other fruits from which the very best results are desired4 ,the following general rules should be thoroughly mastered4 ,,plant ,,english ,,walnut ,,trees3 ,on any well-drained land where the sub-soil moisture is not more than ten or twelve feet from the surface4 ,wherever ,oaks1 ,black ,walnuts or other tap-root nut trees will grow4 ,forty to sixty feet apart4 ,in holes eighteen inches in diameter and thirty inches deep4 ,two inches deeper than the earth mark showing on the tree4 ,,and ,,remember3 ,that the trees need plenty of good1 rich soil about their roots4 ,that the trees should be inclined slightly toward prevailing winds4 ,that the trees should not be cut back4 ,that the ground cannot be packed too hard around the roots and the tree4 ,that the trees should be mulched in the ,fall4 ,that the ground should be kept cultivated around the trees during the ,spring and ,summer4 ,that ,english ,walnut trees should be transplanted while young1 as they will often double in size the year the tap-root reaches the sub-soil moisture 7that is1 the moist earth74 ,that tap-root trees are the easiest of all to transplant if the work is done while the trees are young and small4 ,that trees sometimes bear the third year after transplanting three-year-old trees where the sub-soil moisture is within six or eight feet of the surface4 ,that the age of bearing depends largely on the distance the tap-root has to grow to reach the sub-soil moisture4 ,sidenote3 ,peculiarities of ,growth ,the growth of the ,english ,walnut is different from that of most fruit trees4 ,the small trees grow about six inches the first year1 tap-root the same2 the second year they grow about twelve inches1 tap-root the same2 the third year they grow about eighteen inches1 tap-root nearly as much4 ,for the first three years the tap-root seems to gain most of the nourishment1 and at the end of the third year1 or about that time1 the tree itself starts its real growth4 ,after the tap-root reaches the sub-soil moisture1 the tree often grows as much in one year as it has in the preceding three or four4 ,if the trees are transplanted previous to the time that the tap-root reaches this moisture and before the tree starts its rapid growth1 very few young trees are lost in the process of transplanting4 ,sidenote3 ,orchard ,planting ,for orchard planting the trees should be placed from forty to sixty feet apart and by staggering the rows a greater distance is gained between individual trees4 ,any other small fruits may be planted in the orchard between the walnut trees or any cultivated crop can be raised satisfactorily on the same land1 many orchardists gaining triple use of the soil in this way4 ,besides1 the cultivation of the earth in proximity to the walnuts proves of great benefit to the trees4 ,before trees are planted the tap-root should be trimmed or cut back and most if not all the lateral branches trimmed from the tree4 ,the tree itself should not be cut back as is customary with either fruit trees1 but by leaving the terminal bud intact1 a much better shaped tree is developed4 ,it is not necessary to prune ,english ,walnut trees except in cases where some of the lower branches interfere with cultivation4 ,cultivation in the ,north should be stopped about the first of ,august1 thus halting the growth of the trees and giving them a chance to harden their wood for ,winter4 ,this is a good plan to follow in the cultivation of nearly all the smaller fruit trees4 ,when planting on the lawn for ornamental purposes a ring from two to three feet in diameter should be cultivated about the base of the tree4 ,sidenote3 ,selection of ,varieties ,the tender varieties that have been used in ,southern ,california must not be experimented with in the ,north1 as they bloom too early and are almost certain to be caught by the frost4 ,these varieties have been tried in ,northern ,california without success1 and the venture is quite likely to be disastrous in any but the warmest climates4 ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,e4,c4 ,,pomeroy1 ,,gathering ,,english ,,walnuts ,,on ,,his ,,farm ,,in ,,lockport1 ,n4,y4 ,the uncertainty of a crop is often due to the very early blooming of the kinds planted4 ,these start to grow at the first warm spell in the latter part of the ,winter or at the first blush of ,spring1 and almost invariably become victims of frost and consequently produce no fruit4 ,planting in the ,northwest and the ,east until recently has been limited to an extremely narrow area4 ,there was need of a variety possessing strong1 distinct characteristics1 hardy1 late to start growth1 and with the pistillate and staminate blossoms maturing at the same time and bearing a nut of good quality and flavor with a full rich meat4 ,this variety has now been found1 as will later be shown4 ,english ,walnuts grown in the ,north command from three to five cents more a pound than the other nuts in the markets1 as the meat is plumper and the flavor better4 ,most fruit is at its best at the ,northern limit of its range4 ,one experienced grower1 in reference to transplanting has said3 ,i have transplanted all the way from a year to six and the trees have grown and done well1 but so far as my experience goes1 ,i prefer to move them at three years of age or about that time4 ,the best trees ,i have were transplanted at this age4 ,sidenote3 ,fall or ,spring ,planting8 ,the following extract on tree planting in general1 pertaining to all kinds of trees1 is contributed by ,o4,k4 ,white of the ,michigan ,experiment ,station3 ,the advisability of ,fall or ,spring planting depends upon several conditions4 ,fall planting has the advantage over ,spring planting in that the trees become firmly established in the soil before ,winter sets in1 and are able to start growth in the ,spring before the ground can be marked and put in condition for planting4 ,this is important because the trees get a good growth in the early part of the season before the ,summer droughts occur4 ,on the other hand there is more or less danger from ,winter injury during a severe season or from the drying out of the trees if the ,winter is long and dry4 ,fall planting is much more successful with the hardy apples and pears than it is with the tender plums1 cherries and peaches4 ,the convenience of the season will determine in a majority of cases whether or not the planting shall be done in the ,fall or ,spring4 ,very often the rush of the ,spring work induces the grower to hurry his planting1 or to do it carelessly2 and as a result a poor start is secured1 with crooked rows4 ,others have large crops to harvest in the ,fall and would find it more convenient to do the planting in the ,spring4 ,if there is any doubt as to the best time to plant1 let it be in the ,spring4 ,illustration3 ,,thirty ,,year ,,old ,,parent ,,english ,,walnut ,,trees ,,in ,,background1 ,,young ,,bearing ,,tree ,,in ,,front ,sidenote3 ,fertilizing ,we now come to the subject of fertilization4 ,up to the time when the young trees come into bearing1 cultivation and fertilization will help them enormously1 the cultivation keeping the soil in condition to hold the moisture of the tree4 ,in fertilizing1 a mulch of stable manure in the ,fall is considered by most growers to be the best1 but the following preparation is thought to be exceptionally good for all young orchards3 ,dried blood1 #a1jjj pounds2 bone meal1 #eej pounds2 sulphate of potash1 #cej pounds4 ,total1 #b1jjj pounds4 ,this should be applied close up and about the tree1 extending out each year in a circle somewhat beyond the spread of the branches4 ,this provides a quickly available plant food1 rich in nitrogen and especially recommended for rapid growth4 ,after the tap-root reaches the sub-soil moisture it is well able to take care of the tree2 and both cultivation and fertilization may then be stopped4 ,in fact1 by this time practically no further care is needed in the nut orchard with the exception of that required at the harvesting time1 and this is a pleasant and easy occupation1 especially in the ,northern and ,eastern states where the frost opens the shuck and the nuts drop free upon the ground where they may be picked up and put into sacks of #aaj to #abj pounds each1 ready for the market4 ,just before the first frost it is a very good idea to remove all leaves from the ground so that when the nuts fall they can be readily seen and gathered4 ,an excellent method of accomplishing this is by means of a horse and rake4 ,the nuts may be left on the ground to dry or may be removed to any convenient place for that purpose4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,different ,kinds ,there are three distinct kinds of ,english ,walnuts--hard-shell1 soft-shell and paper-shell1 the soft-shell being the best4 ,each of these three is divided into a number of varieties1 the names of some of the more popular ones being the ,barthere1 ,chaberte1 ,cluster1 ,drew1 ,ford1 ,franquette1 ,gant or ,bijou1 ,grand ,noblesse1 ,lanfray1 ,mammoth1 ,mayette1 ,wiltz ,mayette1 ,mesange1 ,meylan1 ,mission1 ,parisienne1 ,poorman1 ,proeparturiens1 ,santa ,barbara1 ,pomeroy1 ,serotina1 ,sexton1 ,vourey1 ,concord1 ,chase and the ,eureka4 ,the question of the best varieties for planting in the ,north as well as in the ,south is somewhat open to discussion1 due largely to a lack of sufficient information in regard to some of the more promising kinds4 ,there is but little question that the best proven variety for the ,northwest is the ,franquette and for the ,east and ,northeast1 the ,pomeroy4 ,both of these are good producers bearing a fine nut1 well filled with a white meat of excellent flavor1 and of good shape and commanding the highest market prices4 ,the two varieties are also very late in starting in the ,spring making them safe against the late frosts4 ,their pistillate and staminate blossoms mature at the same time4 ,illustration3 ,,english ,,walnuts ,,bear ,,in ,,clusters ,,of ,,two ,,to ,,five ,the white-meated nut is far superior to any other4 ,the browning or staining is caused by the extremely dry heat and sun in the far ,south4 ,in the ,north or where the tree has an abundant thick foliage the meat is invariably whiter4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,mission ,nut ,the ,mission ,nut was introduced by the priests of ,los ,angeles and is the pioneer ,persian ,walnut of ,california4 ,most of the bearing orchards of the state are composed of seedling trees of this type4 ,the nut is medium-sized with a hard shell of ordinary thickness4 ,it succeeds admirably in a few favored districts 7of ,southern ,california7 but fails in productiveness farther ,north4 ,its most prominent faults are--early blooming1 in consequence of which it is often caught by the late frosts2 the irregular and unequal blooming of its pistillate and staminate blossoms1 and the consequent failure of the former to be fertilized and to develop nuts2 and lateness in ripening its wood in the ,fall and consequent liability to injury by frost at that time4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,santa ,barbara ,nut ,the ,santa ,barbara ,english ,walnut 7soft-shell7 variety is about ten days later than the ,mission in starting growth and in blooming in the ,spring4 ,it fruits from four to six years from seed and usually produces a full crop every year4 ,it is not as strong a grower as the ,mission and more trees can be grown to the acre4 ,the shells are thin and easily broken1 therefore the nuts are sometimes damaged in long shipment4 ,the kernel is white and of very fine quality4 ,sidenote3 ,the ,pomeroy ,nut ,the ,pomeroy variety was started in a most peculiar and interesting way4 ,the late ,norman ,pomeroy of ,lockport1 ,new ,york1 made the discovery quite by accident4 ,when he was in ,philadelphia in #ahgf visiting the ,centennial ,exposition1 he awoke one morning to be greeted by the leaves of a gorgeous tree1 which just touched his window and through which the sun shone brightly4 ,he soon was examining a magnificent ,english ,walnut tree4 ,on the ground directly under he found the nuts1 which had fallen during the night4 ,their flavor was more delicious and the meat fuller than any he had ever before tasted4 ,the shell was unusually thin and ,mr4 ,pomeroy was astonished1 for he never believed the ,english ,walnut grew in the ,east4 ,knowing the varieties grown in ,california could not be raised in the ,east or ,north1 he questioned his landlord and found that this particular tree had been brought from ,northern ,europe4 ,mr4 ,pomeroy determined at once that possibly this variety would be hardy enough for cultivation in ,new ,york ,state4 ,he procured some of the nuts and put them in his satchel which he entrusted to a neighbor who was about to start home4 ,the neighbor reached home all right and so did the nuts--but--the neighbor's children found the rare delicacies and ate all but seven4 ,they would doubtless have eaten these too but fortunately they had slipped into the lining of the satchel where ,mr4 ,pomeroy found them on his return to ,lockport4 ,these seven nuts1 which had so narrow an escape from oblivion1 are now seven beautiful ,english ,walnut trees1 sixty or more feet high and the progenitors of the ,pomeroy orchards1 all of which are now producing nuts like the originals--a very fine quality4 ,sidenote3 ,some uses of ,english ,walnuts ,english ,walnuts to be used for making pickles1 catsup1 oil and other culinary products1 are gathered when the fruit is about half mature or when the shell is soft enough to yield to the influence of cooking4 ,the proper stage can be determined by piercing the nut with a needle1 a certain degree of hardness being desired4 ,the nut is often utilized for olive oil in some parts of ,europe4 ,it takes one hundred pounds of nuts to make eighteen pounds of oil4 ,in ,england the nuts are preserved fresh for the table where they are served with wine4 ,they are buried deep in dry soil or sand so as not to be reached by frost1 the sun's rays or rain2 or by placing them in dry cellars and covering with straw4 ,others seal them up in tin cans filled with sand4 ,sidenote3 ,examples of ,hardiness ,as an illustration of the hardiness of the ,english ,walnut1 there is a tree at ,red ,hill1 ,virginia1 which was brought from ,edinburgh1 ,scotland1 when six months old1 planted in ,new ,york1 where it remained three years1 then removed to ,staunton1 ,virginia1 and after two years taken to ,red ,hill4 ,in consequence of so many changes1 the tree at first died back1 but is now thrifty--twenty feet high2 trunk1 eight inches in diameter at the ground4 ,during several severe ,winters1 the thermometer fell so low that some peach trees and grape vines growing near ,english ,walnuts on the ,pomeroy farm near ,lockport1 ,n4,y4 were killed1 while the nut trees were not in the least injured4 ,illustration ,the ,english ,walnut at its ,best4 ,a smooth1 soft-shelled nut4 ,meat full1 with sweet1 hickory-nut flavor4 ,nuts fall clean and free from outside shuck4 ,frosts harvest the nuts--in ,october4 ,they are self-pruning4 ,require no care after arrival at bearing age4 ,an alkali sap keeps scales and pests from the trees4 ,blossoms immune from late frosts1 as they start late4 ,pistillate and ,staminate blossoms mature at same time in the best varieties1 insuring perfect fertilization and productivity4 ,bears more regularly than other nut trees4 ,bears heavier crops the older it becomes1 unlike other fruit trees the size and quality of whose fruit degenerates with age4 ,interesting ,figures about the ,english ,walnut4 ,in ,spain and ,southern ,france there are trees believed to be more than #cjj years old which bear from fifteen to eighteen bushels of nuts each1 annually4 ,in ,whittier1 ,california1 is a famous tree which has been leased for a term of years at #ejj4 ,orchards seven and eight years old bring all the way from #a1jjj to #b1jjj per acre and are a fine investment1 yielding from #ae to #abe per cent4 according to age4 ,the total cost of producing and harvesting an ,english ,walnut crop is about one and one-half cents a pound4 ,illustration ,kernels of ,fact about the ,english ,walnut4 ,the ,united ,states consumes more than #ej1jjj1jjj pounds a year4 ,the ,united ,states imports about #bg1jjj1jjj pounds a year4 ,the price is advancing steadily with the demand4 ,besides being profitable1 the ,english ,walnut is a clean1 highly ornamental shade tree4 ,the leaves remain on the tree until late in the ,fall1 not littering up the ground during the ,summer4 ,english ,walnuts are not only a rare table delicacy1 but may be utilized for catsup1 pickles and oil4 ,one pound of walnut meat equals eight pounds of steak in nutriment--and is a far more healthful food4 ,what ,luther ,burbank has to say3 ,when you plant another tree1 why not plant the ,english ,walnut8 ,then1 besides sentiment1 shade and leaves1 you may have a perennial supply of nuts1 the improved kind of which furnish the most delicious1 nutritious and healthful food which has ever been known4 ,the consumption of nuts is probably increasing among all civilized nations today faster than that of any other food2 and we should keep up with this growing demand and make it still more rapid by producing nuts of uniform good quality1 with a consequent increase in the health and a permanent increase in the wealth of ourselves and neighbors4--,from ,address at ,santa ,rosa1 ,california1 in the ,fall of #aije4 ,illustration 99 99 99 99 99 ---------------------------------------- -------------- ,typographical error corrected in text3 ,page #ba3 suceeds replaced with succeeds ---------------------------------------- -------------- 99 99 99 99 99