Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-01-01
NUT-BEARING TREES.
THEIR CULTURE, VARIETIES,
VALUE OF PRODUCT, ETC.
California Can Become One Of the
Greatest Nut-ProdHcing Coun-
tries in the World.

Written for the New Years RECORD UNION by
Felix Gillet, of Nevada City.]
Wonderful as the development of the
horticultural resources of California has
been-for we have seen those resources,
one after another, and in rapid succession,
emerging from the experimental hands OF
an intelligent and enterprising people, to
take shape and life, and finally occupy a
prominent place among the various indus
tries of the State; wonderful l say, as the
development of orange groves, prune and
apricot orchards, olive plantations, vine
yards and the like has been, is it not
strange that nut-bearing trees, whose cult
ure is so well adapted to this State, and
whose profits are relatively so large, have
received from our people but little atten-
ton? And yet, except in little corner of
the State, where walnut-raising has been
steadily going on for q decade or two. at
tanning the proportions of large and
prosperous industry, such has been the
case. And why has it been so? Why. to
this day, is the raising of nuts of all
kinds so far behind that of any other
classes of fruit? Because ut-bearing
trees, their culture and adaptability to our
soil and climate, are all questions very
little understood or little thought OF by our
people; so much SO that this important
Branch of horticulture has been allowed to
remain in the present obscure and neg
lected state that we find it to-day, but from
which state, howeyer-as everything points
out-we will soon emerge, to the greater
interest of the whole State.
What should encourage the planting of
CIrh trolnntc ola !
filberts, is the fact that very few trees de-
pend so little upon the nature of the soil as
do these kinds; and if it is true that in a
rich soil like that of the little valleys of
Southern California, and under the warm
atmosphere of that part of the State wal
nuts, for instance, will develop more rap
Idly than in the poorer soil and colder eli
mate OF the mountains, ii is nevertheless
Iact that that immense stretch of country
comprising the most of the Sierra Nevada.
and the smaller ranges of mountains inter
vening the State in various directions is
eminently adapted to the culture of nut
bearing trees more so than that of our great
valleys Then we must bear in mind
that nat trees-at least the walnuts and
chestnuts-require much space, in MANY
cases more than could be allotted to. them
III valley land, or land well adapted to the
raising of cereals or varieties of fruit requir-
ing warm climate that space so
necessary to their development and the
yielding of large crops, they can have in
the mountains, where, besides, land is 50
much cheaper, thus permitting man to
PLANT A NUT ORCHARD
Without having to make a too large OUTLAY
of money, as certainly would be the case if
planting that class OF trees in the valleys
where land is held at much higher prices
The walnut, it is true, can be cultivated and
made to yield fine crops of nuts in valley
land, as well as in the mountains; so with
the almond. But as to the chestnut and
filbert, their very home is in the noun
tains. In other words we find the land of
the whole State, valley or mountain land.
well adapted to the culture of the walnut
the valleys and foothills to that of the al
Eiond, and the foothills and mountains to
the chestnut and filbert. There is another
great industry in planting nut-bearing trees
In California; it is that immense market
east of us, with no tariff in the way. and
inviting an almost unlimited production of
nuts of all kinds. To-day all the nuts con-
sumed in the United States, such as wal
nuts, marron-chestnuts almonds and fill
berts, with few exceptions, are imported
from abroad and it would be the easiest
thing in the world to drive the imported
article entirely out of the market by sup
plying that market with more fresh and
superior article. Nuts from California are
in demand, as they should naturally be
but our State cannot yet furnish one hun
dredth of what would be needed Wehave
seen this year the fruit-growers of hesitate
organizing Unions" and Cooperative AS
sociations, for the purpose of hunting up
market for the sale OF our cherries, plums,
apricots, pears, ETC., and preventing if pos
sibie, Cutting CT oyerstocking of the
market east of us. No Unions" are
needed for the sale of our crop of nuts,
NO "GLUTTED MARKETS" FEARED
The only trouble is that we are unable to
meet the demand, which is increasing every
year faster than new crops come in. An
ether consideration that is of some weight
in planting nut-bearing trees, particularly
walnuts and chestnuts: With most of fruit
trees the orchards have to be kept under
high cultivation, the trees pruned almost
every year, and even replaced every twenty
or thirty years. according to kind while
with walnuts and chestnuts, those giants of
our domesticated trees, as soon as the trees
go into bearing they require very little care,
and when of large size, require none 10
speak of; and they do not need to be re-
placed but every hundred or hundred and
fifty years. Even then, their valuable tim
Der compensates enormously the owner for
of their crop of nuts. Thus is it shown
that the inducements for planting nut trees
are many, and their advantages over other
classes of fruit trees greater than MANY
people have any idea of. As to the adapta-
bility of our soil TO grow to perfection nut
bearing trees, there is no doubt III my mind.
that this State is singularly adapted to their
culture an opinion backed by a sixteen
years experience in California in cultivat-
ing and propagating nut-bearing trees
have been myself experimenting upon the
leading .Sfieties from Europe, and study
ing closely the habits of such trees 1t is
therefore with a perfect knowledge of a
subject SO familiar TO me that | will now
give a sketch of each class of the nut bear
ing trees, commencing with
THE WALNUT.
OF all the nut-bearing trees. the walnut.
or Jagtdns rcgia, is the most precious kind
to propagate. 1t is native of Persia, hav-
ing been introduced into Europe by the
Romans, and may be regarded almost as
indigenous to that country. 1t is tree that
attains hight of 40 to 100 feet The bios
SONS are found separate on the tree, the
male or staminate blossoms growing under
the form of catkins, peculiar to all amenta-
ceous species of plants, and the female or
pistillate blossoms growing right on the
The nuts come on wood of the previous
years growth, whether one-eighth of an
inch long or two feet, and always at the tip
of twigs and branches, in punches of two to
six, and in regular clusters of eight to
twenty. with certain varieties like the
Jtgtoas rdcemosa, or cluster walnut Ii is.
therefore, suicidal practice TO prune
walnut tree. Only dead wood, or branches
in each others way or spreading out too
much, have to be taken OFF but. above all,
the head of the tree should always be kept
intact.
The walnut is more hardy than good
many people have any idea of Ii thriyes
well in the eastern part of France, Scotland.
and other cold districts of Europe, where it
gives good products, part of the crop being
sometimes injured or killed by late frosts
in the spring; and that is exactly what the
walnut breads the most-spring frosts
hence the reason why late budding varieties
are so much sought after. and grating re-
sorted to. Intense heat is also injurious to
the walnut. The best exposure for that
tree is a western or northwestern exposure,
though in our mountains any exposure
seems to do as well. The walnut more
than anv other class of puf-hearinp trees