Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-02-25
Nut-Bearing Trees and shrubs.

| IIfGu ulOEc VI lC65 plCaoulC IL Ol0Ihln6
and eating hickory and butternuts. 1t is
said of Washington that he always kept
his camp-chest well supplied with hick-
DRY nuts in winter, passing many an
after-dinner hour over this primitive but,
doubtless, healthful dessert.
Our forests have, and do still furnish,
quite an abundant supply of the various
kinds of native species of nuts--such as
the chestnut, hickory, and butternut;
but they are constantly decreasing, and
many boy is obliged to travel goodly
distance from the spot where his father
once filed pockets and hat right speed-
lily. The fact is quite apparent that the
planting of nut bearing trees has been
to great extent neglected in this coun-
try, owing, no doubt, to our free forests
as well as their abundance.
The residents upon our Western pral-
ries feel the loss of the nut-Satherings
and nut-crackings far more than those of
the Eastern States; but they need not be
long without these pleasant adluncts OF
country lite, for the trees can be OBJ
tanned and will grow rapidly if planted
carefully and then given good culture.
But, whet her man is located upon
prairie or in a region where forest trees
are abundant, few nutbearing trees
and shrubs will surely add to the value
and pleasures Of his home.
In many localities the young trees OF
various kinds may be obtained from the
woods, and by carefully transplanting
they may be made to live and grow Wig
orously. In searching for young trees OF
hickory, butternut and black walnut one
should look for those which are supplied
with side or lateral roots and short per
pendicular or tap root. have usually had
better success with trees found in low,
rather wet, soils than from high ridges
and heavy clay soils; for it is well known
that trees growing In swamps usually
have an abundance of small, fibrous, sur
face roots, and few which penetrate very
deeply. In digging up such trees it is a
very easy matter to follow out TO the
end and preserve the roots almost ii not
quite entire. 1t will not be necessary to
dig holes for the reception of the tree as
wide as the roots would extend ii
stretched out their full length, because
if only few are very long they may be
bent about the stem or shallow trench
dug for their reception, thereby laying
them in natural position when again
placed in the earth. In transplanting
the butternut and hickory, especially, it
is quite important to preserve all the
small fibrous roots; hence the necessity
of following the laterals to the very end,
not cutting them off at q convenient dis
lance, as is generally practiced with APP
pie and pear trees.
Pruning portion of the branches land
might say the more the better is also
an important matter in transplanting all
the different kinds. When nursery grown
trees can be had they will be found
preferable for removal to those from the
woods, and the smaller they are the more
certain to grow.
The American sweet chestnut is well
known as beautiful, rapid-growing tree,
valuable for its timber as well as the
nuts.
The European, or French chestnut, as
it is usually called, succeeds in the Mid
die States, but is very liable to disease
further north. The nuts are much larger
than our native sort, but inferior in
quality, being scarcely eatable until
roasted. The foreign varieties may be
readily grated upon our native stocks.
The operation may be performed early in
spring, and precisely as with the cherry
or other kinds of fruit trees.
OF the hickory we have two species
which are especially desirable--the
shellbark and the pecan. The former is
a native of all the Northern States and
will thrive in almost any soil not too
light and sandy. The pecan is found in
Southern Illinois and southwark; but 1t
appears to be quite hardy further north,
although its productiveness In colder
climates has not been fully determined.
There are also many native varieties
of these, some of which are very much
ha oanarai funQ nf the
species; but thus far all attempts to prop
agate them have failed. The Hale's
hickory nut is splendid variety, found
growing wild in Bergen County, N. j.
The nuts are very large, thin shelled,
and have rough, uneven surface, some
what like the English walnut. Quite ex-
tensive experiments have been made to
propagate this sort by budding, grating,
and cuttings of the root; but out OF sew
eral thousand placed in the hands of an
excellent propagation of other plants all
failed except three. One seeding raised
from the original tree has borne fruit for
several years, but it is not different from
the common wild sorts, showing that
variation in our nut bearing trees is as
natural as with our cultivated fruits.
When our nurserymen are able to show
us how to propagate the hickories by
budding grating, or cuttings, then we
shall be able to seleok the very best vari-
cites for cultivation.
The black walnut and butternut are
two well-known nut trees, worthy of a
place on every farm, as they grow readily
in almost any good soil and up to our
northern borders, except, perhaps in the
Northwest. The young trees can be had
of almost any nurseryman and they are
not difficult to make grow.
The English walnut belongs to the
same genus and succeeds moderately well
in the latitude of New York city and in
some favored localities a little further
north. The tree grows rapidly and bears
abundantly if the climate is favorable:
but have known quite large specimens
which seldom produce nut, while 9TH
ers not more than a mile or two distant
seldom fail to bear full crop.
The common beech produces an excel
lent although quite small nut; but the
tree is beautiful one and valuable for
timber. 1t has been too generally
neglectedfor ornamental as we'll as other
purposes.
OF the nut-bearing shrubs we have but