Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-13
MICH. FARMERS PLANT
BLACK WALNUT TREES.
Great interest From All Parts
Of the State Aroused by
Saginaw Campaign.

The war demand drew heavily on tn,
black walnut timber supply. The condi
tion became alarming, as IL was recog
nized that, unless there should be de
crease in the cutting, the mcrchantabl,
trees would soon be gone. Fortunately
however, the war ended before the large
trees had entirely disappeared. Now ,
reaction Is setting in. Black walnuts
are btsng planted in small numbers b,
many persons directly in harmony will
the policy advocated by the Unitct
States Department of Agriculture.
A conspicuous instance Of planting ha.
occurred near Saginaw, Mich Last Fal
w. s Linton, President Of the Northern
Nut Growers Association, procured
thirty bushels Of walnuts from trees al
the home of George Washington ai
Mount Vernon, Va. These were shipped
to Saginaw and in the main distributed
among the school children Of the county
and planted, two in hill, on school
grounds and along public roads and
streets. Two thousand were placed IN
a nursery for later transplaniing in one
Of the public parks in Saginaw.
When il became known that these nuts
wero available for planting, very keen
and widespread interest in them de-
veloped. Telephone calls for them were
numerous. Automobilists drove for
many miles to call ia person Since then
enthusiastically attended meetings have
been held in various places in the State
TO consider the question Of black walnut
tree planting along the highways. Now
a convention Of the Michigan Good
Roads Association is being arranged at
which 200 delegates arc expected 10 be
present, and the matter OF roadside
planting II TO be given a prominent PAT
on the program.
The defartment believes that n move
ment OF this character has large possi.
bilities for good in it. At the same
time the suggestion is made that IN view
of the known difference Of hardness
existing in many species Of native trees.
special care should he exercised to avoid
extensive planting OF nuts OF trees from
the warmer portions OF the country N
sections where destructively low tenn
peratnres are occasionally experienced
1t has been well established through
tests that pecan trees prowl IN Michi-
gan from nuts OF that species native 70
the Gulf Coast region arc not sufficiently
hardy TO endure the low temperatures
occasionally experienced IN the Northern
States. although trees grown from pc
cans from wild trees I'm Iowa, Illinois
and Indiana suffered no injury. While
definite information on this point is
lacking, it is not unlikely that cold en-
luranee Of black walnut trees from diff
ferent parts Of the country varies con-
siderably.
Doubtless the safest rule TO observe in
the North is 10 plant nuts from trees
that have attained good size and habit
and rs nearly as possible in the section
where they are to be planted. No harm
is likely To result from transferring such
trees from northern points 10 more
southerly locations in SO far rs reaction
20 temperature is concerned.
The suitability OF the.black walnut for
home planting IL now being recognized
"a never before. That it is ono of our
most valuable American trees and that
its numbers have steadily been decrcas-
ing has long been realized To CON
siderable extent this tree was planted
on the Western prairies By the first set
tiers in compliance with the Timber
and Stone act, repealed in the late sos,
which required that trees be planted
in proportion to land taken up from the
Government. Some planting has been
going on in States and districts beyond
the range TO which the species is in
digenous, but no extensive planting has
ever taken place.