The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-01-10
BIG PROFITS In NUTS.
BEGINNING OF a GREAT INDUS
try FOR AMERICA.
Plantations or waiauts, Peeass, Chestnuis ana
Many Other Varieties Already STARTED
Permanent Sources or Annual
Pront TO Him Who Waits.

'The era of nut cultivation In this
country Is just dawning." says Chiei
Van Deman. OF the genealogical divi-
sion In the department OF Agriculture.
..Before long, however, the growing
OF nuts for market will become an
enormous industry in the United States.
where now the product depended upon
for consumption Is either gathered
from wild trees or imported from
abroad. Incidentally to the clearing
OF the land for settlement nut-bearlng
trees are being largely wiped out and
the wild crop is necessarily diminish
ing in proportion from year to year.
This Is especially true OF the pecan.
which tho piclsers are fond OF collect
ing by cutting down the trees-a pro-
ceeding that naturally lessons the pro-
duction OF subsequent seasons.
1T is only within the last ten years
that nut culture hus been tried In this
country. but 1t is being widely taken
up because OF the large profits obtained
from 1t. and great orchards OF hundreds
and even thousands OF trees are grow
ing or being planted on every hand.
In central California almond groves OK
from 1000 To 5000 trees are not unu-
sual. and In the southern part OF tho
same state the English walnut proper
~ called the Madeira nut. Is already
extensively raised. The English
walnut Is grown also for market Ia
most OF the other states. and on Staten
Island IT Is cultivated and sold green
for pickles and catsup. The pecan Is
grown in orchards In tho South and
Southwest, and the piuon. or pine nut.
though quite unknown to people east
OF the Mississippi, Is produced in Inn
mense quantities on the Pacific slope.
| Wonderful results are obtained with
nuts by selection and proper grating.
With such care they increase surpris-
| ingly In size and become Thin shelled.
Here, for example, are some pecans.
l don't wonder that you are astonishcd
ut their pigness. The pecans you arc
accustomed TO see have been wild
ones. whereas these are cultivated
| specimene. You will observe that
] they are five or six times as big as the
ordinary nuts and their shells are so
thin that you will notice i break this
one easily between my thumb aud
finger. just rs would peanut
The chestnut is susceptible OF tho
same sort OF Improvement and In not
less degree IL is beginning TO be ex-
tensively planted and Is found most
profitable agricultural product You
are familiar with the chestnut called
the .marron that We import from
abroad. II Is grown In China and
japan, as well rs In France. Spain.
Italy and Portugal. In point OF flavor
IL does not nearly equal the American
chestnut but II has great advantage
Ia point OF size. being as big as a horse
chestnut. Now. we cnn grow these
marrons perfectly well in this country
and are already doing so In tho central
states, along the Atlantic and as FAR
west rs the Mississippi. Orchards oil
seedlings arc starting In many. places.
and before long tho marron will be-
come plentiful native crop. There
are some choice varieties OF American
chestnuts. grown mostly along tho
Appalachian range In North Carolina.
Georgia aud as far north as New York.
which are nearly as big rs the foreign
kind. Here AFRO few that you see,
are quite an inch and half la diame-
ter. These are chestnuts well worth
cultivating. There Is plenty OF waste
land lying about that could be made
admirable use OF for chestnut plantiA-
tlons. and whom tell you that single
tree can be made 10 bear from $40 To
$50 worth OF the nuts each yoar you
will perceive that the business OF rails
ing nuts is we'll worth the farmers at
tention."