The morning call., 1893-10-02
WALNUT CULTURE
A Beautiful and Profit
able Tree. !.
1t Thrives and Bears -Abundantly in
the Region Round About
Niles.
Correspondence of The MoRNINe CALL


The few owners of walnut trees are
harvesting the nuts. -. One cannot say
walnut groves or orchards. because there
are SO few of the trees in this yalley-pos'
sibly not mere than 1000 all told. There
is a large crop this.year, and: the nuts are
very large: and well filed. E. Several at
tempts have been made; to plant soft
shelled and >earIy-bearing varieties here
but as yet there has been n o success; and
the only trees in bearing are the ordinary
hard-shelled varieties.
! The trees are hardy and are free and
rapid growers where they have plenty oil
water !. they will bear no crop, however.
until they are fourteen or fifteen years old
and are. therefore. hardly profitable crop
| for poor: man.
The. average wet winter supplies enough
water for the maturing of the mute, but
after a dry winter the crop is short and
the nuts are not:well filed cut. The only
real trouble here is. that "a warm "spell''
of weather quite early in the season sends
out the catkinS too soon, and as a result
they fall before the flower Or nut has a
chance to be fertflized: When the nut,
therefore, gets to. be about as large as a
or fragrant tree grown than the. walnut.
and 1t Is a. wonder that more are not
l. planted for OrDamen tai purposes.
1t would be- particularly good where it
is desired TO have: sunshine in winter and
heavy shade In summer, as the tree: is
| widespreading and has broad leaves and
when bare the limbs are struggling and
slender. For, planting for revenue set the
trees forty feet apart, planting peach or
prune trees in alternate rows between,
until the walnut trees are matured, when
the smaller trees which have been giving
crops for five or six years may be removed
If thought necessary.
1t has been suggested by some one that
oranges be planted between walnut trees,
as the dense shade in spring and summer
is good for the oranges, and In winter the
slim, bare limbs >Of the walnut will
scarcely cast a shadow 10 interfere with
the maturing orange crop.
Walnut trees here need about twenty
five inches OF water annually to insure
good crop. They are much easier TO
handle than almonds, as the husk does not
stick to the nut. Knock the nuts off with
long poles, pick them up (removing the
husk immediately, spread on trays. sui
phur. slightly, If for market, and dry. For:
fifteen apple boxes of Duts-the average
size picking boxes-spread loosely on trays
and use one-half pound of sulphur, allowing
the nuts to remain in half an hour. THEE
days is ample time to dry them in good
weather. II ibe nuts are picked and the
husks allowed TO remain On sometime it is
next to impossible to remove them at all.
When the nut is fresh it may be
| blanched as the almond iS, and roasted
in oil and sated it rivals the most dainty
Salted almonds FrOsts are hardly ever.
. severe enough in any of our coast cOnn-
|. ties at any elevation where fruits grow to
| injure the ordinary hard-shelled walnut.
The trees are easily grown, and when
! planted generally prove true to their kind.
| They can be grated successfully only
when very young, as all well-grown trees
| budding walnuts, like figs, require the
| incest care and attention to details.
| Dried unpeeled peaches are nearly all
| gone from this neighborhoo A few lots
of peeled peaches. very choice. still are
| found. They were peeled after the
sulphuring process. and look much better
than any peeled by kpife can look.
| There has been an immense crop of
silver prunes and yellow. egg-nums, both
OF which are in process of drying, in this
| neighborh0od.
| Almond picking has commenced. Grow.
ers are paying IA cents for a fifty pound
box. hulled. There is a very large Gro - of
| the paper-shell varieties, and less than
| half a crop of the ether varieties. Expert
ence has proven that but three varieties
are steady bearers. having full crops. wear
after year-the XII, the Nonpareil and
the Ne Plus Ultra. Experience has also
| proven that 1t is wise to plant two or more
of these varieties in the same orchard.
The orchardist who hasa ten-acra grove
of the above varieties of alms nds will find
his pockets full every year, buthe who has
other varieties, no matter how large and
healthy the trees, will I'LL his purse from
them about once in FIVE years onlv.
MRS. j. T.. THANE.
Niles, September. 80, 1893