The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-10-14
NUT TREES WILL PAY
Farmers Find That Many Kinds Are
Lucrative Crops.
GROWTH OF INDUSTRY

Nut Trees are Sources OF Profit to Farmers
Whenever Grown.--A Great Increase
Is Being Made.
The commercial nutting business is
assuming greater proportions every
year in this country, and the farmers
are planting nut trees for profit along
with their apple, peach, pear and plum
trees. A nut orchard properly attended
to frequently yields as much profit as
an orchard of peaches or apples, and
the trees can be made to grow on the
sides of hills that can be utilized for
little else. In New England the bleak,
stony hillsides of farms that were con-
sidered of little real agricultural value
are being successfully planted with
walnut trees, chestnuts. butternuts and
other nut bearing growths. In the west
and southwest, land that was too wet
for corn, wheat and other cereals, is
utilized for raising hickory and pecan
nuts. The latter, in particular. will
thrive on land that is frequently flood
ed with water, and in a wild state the
trees are mostly found growing on rich
alluvial bottoms along the streams of
fresh water.
California started into nut culture on
large scale first, and the example it
set has been followed by most of the
other States. Today it produces more
than 2,OoO,CGo pounds of English wal
nuts, great quantities of almonds, inn
proved chestnuts, English tilberts, and
hazel nuts. In the south the pecan
trees have been growing for half CEN
fury in semi-wild state, but for ten
years now groves OF .nem ,;ave oeen
planted and cultivated by the farmers
with every promise of success.
In ten years new industry has
sprung up and developed into one of
,Dsderable commercial Importance.
Not only has the market been supplied
with home grown nuts. but a wider de-
mand for them has been created. The
hygienic value Of NUS is better under
stood and appreciated today, and the
consumption of them has steadily in
creased in this country. They are used
in an endless number of ways in oul
modern cooking and confectionery.
Certain varieties yield a valuable oil.
such as the pecan, which is used by
clockmakers and gupsmiths, and also
for table purposes.
The improvement in nut culture be
gan with the introduction of foreign
chestnuts. Our native stnu. is *
tically one species, but there are savera
other species and varieties foun(
abroad. A few species of Japanese
chestnuts are not only larger but super
ior to both. The question for the pom
ologist to decide was how to combju'
the various good qualities OF the severa
species into one and eliminate the in
ferior points from the cross. This ha
been obtained by selecting good Amer
can chestnut trees for the stock an
working on them the best Japanes
species. The result is that hardy
prolific, early bearing tree hos bee
produced, with large, delicious nuts O
it that equal any imported from abroad
They are sold in the market as japan
csc chestnuts. Some OF them are til
genuine Japanese nuts from the Sout
and California, where the dwarf tree
can endure the climate. But the japan
csc and European chestnuts raised
the Middle, Eastern and Central State
are nearly all from the grated CT bu,
ded native stock.
English walnuts have been found
do we'll in Ohio, INDIANA, New Jers:
and New York, and good crops ha'
been gathered every year for the pa
ten wears in several orchards. Englai
imports 100000 trees from the con
uent annually, and we have heretofo
drawn heavily on Europe for our su
ply. The trees are rather tender, al
are likely to be injured by our &C
winters unless protected for the iii