that are superior because of large size of nuts, excellent flavour of
kernel, thin shells, rapid growth or high yields? Please give exact
location of such trees.
Q. 3. Is any one in your section making a special effort to grow any
native or foreign species of nuts? If so please give their name and
address.
Name of correspondent
Post Office
Township
County
Province
I am delighted to say that I never did anything in my life that met with
such hearty and general approval as this venture. From almost every
quarter of Canada I received commendatory letters and offers of
assistance. One encouraging feature was the keen interest shown by
wealthy business and professional men in our larger centres and by some
of our more progressive fruit growers and farmers. Inasmuch as my
venture was an innovation there were of course some humorous comments to
the effect that we had enough "nuts" in the country now without
encouraging any more. I replied to my humorous friends that the "nuts"
they had in mind did not grow on trees whereas the kind I had in mind
did.
The information I received in answer to my questionnaire was very
interesting and instructive and confirmed some of my impressions
regarding the occurrence of nut trees in our province. More important
still it showed that there were several superior trees of various
species growing here and there throughout the country.
_Geographical Distribution of Nut Trees in Canada_
The chief native nut trees are the black walnut, the butternut or white
walnut, the hickory, of which there are four species--the chestnut, the
beechnut and the hazelnut. Of introduced nut trees there are the
Persian, Japanese and Chinese walnuts, the European, Japanese and
Chinese chestnuts, the pecan and the European filberts.
THE BLACK WALNUT (_Juglans nigra_).
The black walnut is one of our finest native nut trees and is found
growing naturally along the north shore of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario
and around Lake St. Clair. It has been planted in many other parts of
Ontario and does well where protected from cold winds. The tree grows to
a large size, sometimes attaining a height of 90 feet and a trunk
diameter of 5 feet. When grown in the open it makes a beautiful
symmetrical tree, having a large, rounded crown with drooping lower
branches.
The black walnut is not found growing naturally outside of Ontario. It
has been planted in Manitoba but does not do well there because of the
cold winter. In 1917 the writer observed a few specimens near Portage la
Prairie which were about five feet tall. These trees made a fair annual
growth but most of this froze back each winter.
Many people in Canada believe that the black walnut is a slow grower.
This impression is not correct as some trees grow very rapidly. About
eighteen years ago I planted a number of nuts along the line fence and
along the roadside on my father's farm near Simcoe, Ontario. Most of
these nuts sprouted and grew and some have done exceptionally well. One
of these trees is now thirty-seven feet tall and has a trunk
circumference of forty-one inches at the ground. It has borne nuts since
it was six years of age and this year has a very heavy crop. Some of
the first crop of nuts were planted and these in turn have developed
into trees which have produced nuts. Nuts from the second generation
have been planted and will likely make trees which will yield nuts in a
few years. An interesting feature of the original planting is the great
variation in the size, shape of nut, thickness of shell and yield. Some
are large, some are small, some are round and others are pear-shaped.
The majority of the trees yield well but a few, however, are light
croppers.
THE BUTTERNUT (_Juglans cinerea_)
The butternut is much hardier than the black walnut and has a much wider
distribution in Canada. It occurs throughout New Brunswick, in Quebec,
along the St. Lawrence basin and in Ontario from the shore of Lakes Erie
and Ontario to the Georgian Bay and Ottawa River. It has been planted in
Manitoba and does fairly well there when protected from cold winds. West
of Portage la Prairie the writer observed a grove of seventy-seven
trees. Some of these trees were about thirty-five feet tall with a trunk
diameter of ten inches and had borne several crops of good nuts.
The butternut in Ontario sometimes attains a height of seventy feet and
a trunk diameter of three feet.
THE ENGLISH OR PERSIAN WALNUT (_Juglans regia_).
The English walnut, or the Persian walnut, as it should be called, is
found growing in the Niagara district and to a lesser extent in the Lake
Erie counties. It is stated on good authority that there are about 100
of these trees growing in the fruit belt between Hamilton and Niagara
Falls. There are several quite large trees in the vicinity of St.
Catharines, which have borne good crops of nuts. One of these trees
produced nuts of sufficient merit to be included in the list of
desirable nuts prepared by C. A. Reed, Nut Culturist of the United
States Department of Agriculture. This variety has been named the
"Ontario" and is now being propagated, experimentally, in the United
States. In the vicinity of St. Davids, on the farm of Mr. James
Woodruff, there is a fine English walnut tree which produced ten bushels
of shelled nuts in one season. This tree is one of the largest of its
kind in Ontario, being about sixty feet tall with a trunk diameter of
three feet at one foot above the ground and a spread of branches equal
to its height.
The English walnut is not as hardy as the black walnut and is adapted
only to those sections where the peach can be grown successfully. At
present this tree cannot be recommended for any part of Ontario except
the Niagara district and the Lake Erie counties and even in these areas
it should not be planted unless it has been grafted or budded on the
hardier black walnut.
JAPANESE WALNUTS.
The Japanese Walnut is known to occur in Canada in three different
forms--Juglans cordiformis; Juglans Sieboldiana; Juglans mandschurica.
_Juglans Cordiformis._
This species is cultivated extensively in Japan and is the most valuable
one for Ontario. The tree is very beautiful, comes into bearing early,
bears heavily, grows rapidly and is reported to live to a great age. It
is believed to be as hardy as the black walnut and ought to do well
wherever the native walnut grows satisfactorily. In the best types the
nuts are distinctly heart-shaped, have a thin shell, crack easily and
contain a large kernel of good quality which can often be removed almost
entire from the shell with a light tap from a hammer.
There are two fine heartnut trees growing near Aldershot which is near
Hamilton on the road to Toronto. These trees are eight years of age and
are about twenty-eight feet tall with a trunk diameter of eight to nine
inches. In the seventh year one tree produced about a bushel of fine
nuts with thin shells.
_Juglans Sieboldiana._
This type was first introduced into the United States about 1860 by a
Mr. Towerhouse in Shasta County, California. Since then it has been
widely distributed and is now found in many parts of the United States
and Canada. It is much the same in appearance as the one first described
and grows just as rapidly and bears just as early but does not produce
so valuable a nut. The nut has a smooth shell of medium thickness with a
kernel of good quality. It does not usually crack easily and the kernel
cannot be taken out entire, therefore, is not so desirable as the
cordiformis type. In rapidity of growth the Japanese walnut is only
excelled by the willows and poplars. In the vicinity of Grimsby there is
a tree eight years of age which is about twenty-five feet high and has
trunk diameter of seven inches at the base. It began to bear nuts in the
third year and in the sixth year produced one bushel.
_Juglans Mandschurica._
The general growth characteristics of this species are somewhat similar
to the other two types but the nut, however, is quite different, being
somewhat like a butternut. Because of this it is sometimes called the
Japanese butternut. It is the least desirable of the Japanese group and
should not be planted except where the cordiformis type will not grow.
CHINESE WALNUTS (_Juglans regia sinensis_).
The Chinese walnut is being grown experimentally in the northern part of
the United States and has been tried at only one place in Canada, e.
g., in the grounds of G. H. Corsan, Islington, Ont. The tree is reported
to be fairly hardy at the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plains, Mass., and
should be sufficiently hardy for southern Ontario. It is believed that
the Chinese walnut will prove to be hardier than the English walnut and
it may have an important place amongst the trees in the northern part of
the United States and in Southern Canada. The nuts are quite large and
have a shell which is thicker than the English walnut but not nearly as
thick or hard as the native black walnut. The kernel generally has a
fine flavour, being almost as good as the English walnut. Nuts of this
species have been planted at the Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph,
and at the Experiment Station, Vineland, Ont., and it is expected that
trees will be hardy enough for our climate and produce nuts which will
be as good as the Persian walnut.
THE SWEET CHESTNUT (_Castanea dentata_)
The sweet chestnut is found growing naturally on sandy ridges in that
part of Ontario extending from Toronto to Sarnia and southward to Lake
Erie. At the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, there is a fair sized
tree and near Newcastle there are a few fine specimens.
It grows to a large size, sometimes reaching a height of one hundred
feet and a diameter of five feet at the base. When grown in the open it
forms several heavy branches and makes a broad rounded crown, but when
grown in a dense stand it makes a tall, straight tree.
The native chestnut is subject to a fatal disease called chestnut bark
disease. This disease is not known to occur in Ontario, but there is no
assurance that it will not appear and, therefore, the planting of this
tree is attended with some risk.
A dwarf type of chestnut has been reported from east of Ottawa in the
Ottawa valley. The tree is about fifteen feet tall and produces a small
burr containing only one nut. I have not seen this tree so cannot vouch
for the accuracy of the above statement.
EXOTIC SPECIES OF CHESTNUTS.
Inasmuch as very few of the Chinese, Japanese and European chestnuts
have been planted in Ontario very little can be said regarding their
behaviour. Dr. Sargeant reports the Chinese chestnut (Castanea
Mollissima) as being hardy at the Arnold Arboretum and therefore it
should be adapted to southern Ontario. The Japanese chestnut is also
quite hardy but is susceptible to chestnut bark disease. A few Japanese
chestnut trees are growing near Fonthill, Ontario, and have borne some
good crops. The tree is a small, spreading grower, comes into bearing
fairly early and bears quite heavily.
THE HICKORIES.
There are four species of Hickory native to Canada. The shagbark, the
bitternut, the pignut and mockernut.
The shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) is the chief one of value for the
production of edible nuts. It is confined to the St. Lawrence valley
from Montreal westward and along Lakes Erie and Ontario for a distance
of 40-50 miles back from the shore. It reaches a height of fifty to
ninety feet and a trunk diameter of one to three feet and grows best on
deep, fertile loams.
BITTERNUT HICKORY (_Carya cordiformis_)
This species has a wider range than the shellbark and is found in
southwestern Quebec and throughout Ontario from the Quebec border to the
Georgian Bay district. It grows best on low wet soils near streams but
is also found on higher well-drained sorts. There are two fair sized
trees on such a soil on the O. A. C. campus. This species may prove to
be of value as a stock for grafting with the shellbark kingnut and some
of the good hybrid hickories.
The mockernut (Carya alba) and the pignut (Carya glabra) occur along the
north shore of Lake Erie and along Lake St. Clair.
The mockernut is not of much value as a nut tree but the wood is
considered to be superior to other species of hickory.
The pignut is generally a small tree which produces nuts of variable
size, form and flavor. The kernel may be bitter or it may be sweet and
the nuts vary from round to pear-shape.
THE HAZELS.
There are two species of hazels native to Canada--the common hazel
(Corylus Americana) and the beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta). The hazels
have a wider range than other nut-bearing plants in Canada, being found
in almost every province from Nova Scotia westward to British Columbia
and as far north as Edmonton in Alberta and Prince Alberta in
Saskatchewan. In Ontario the beaked hazel grows as far north as Hudson
Bay and in many other parts the common hazel grows very abundantly and
bears heavily. In Norfolk County it is very common and in places almost
covers the roadside in the little traveled sections. Dr. N. E. Hansen of
Brookings, South Dakota, has made a few selections of the common
hazelnut found in Manitoba and is now propagating the best of these for
distribution.
A few filberts have been planted in Ontario but have not done very well.
The growth of wood has been good but little or no nuts have been
produced. In Guelph there is a filbert about fifteen feet tall growing
on the grounds of J. W. Bell, but like most other filberts in this
province it has not yielded nuts.
THE BEECH (_Fagus grandiflora_)
This tree grows in the hardwood region from Nova Scotia westward to the
western end of Lake Superior.
On suitable soils it attains a height of eighty or ninety feet and a
diameter of four feet. The nuts are much appreciated by old and young,
but on account of the slow rate of growth and the irregularity of
bearing very little has been done to plant this tree.
THE ALMOND (_Prunus amygdalus_).
Almonds have been tried to a limited extent in the warmer parts of
Canada but only with indifferent success except on Vancouver Island. It
is possible that a satisfactory strain will eventually be found that
will extend the range of this desirable nut-bearing tree.
_Introduction of New Species_
In addition to the efforts to gather data regarding nut trees I decided
to introduce some good exotic species for trial with the hope that some
of these might prove hardy enough for our climatic conditions. I thought
that northeastern Asia would be the most promising region from which to
obtain nuts for planting. Therefore, I wrote to the Mission Boards of
the Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican Churches and obtained the names
of their missionaries in those fields. I then wrote to several of these
missionaries and outlined my programme and asked them to send me samples
of the best nuts growing in their respective sections. Here again I
received great encouragement and assistance. Several packages of fine
chestnuts and walnuts were received from China and Japan. Some of these
nuts were planted at the College and the remainder were distributed
throughout the province to interested parties. Owing to the length of
the period between the gathering of the nuts and their arrival at Guelph
many had lost their germinating power, consequently I only succeeded in
getting ten walnuts to grow and failed entirely with the chestnuts.
However, we may succeed in germinating a few more walnuts after a
winter's frost.
I am aware that we might not get as good nuts from these plantings as
the parents were, but it is also possible to get a real good tree which
would be hardy enough for our climatic conditions. Should we succeed in
this endeavor it would be a desirable acquisition and a great
improvement on our native black walnut.
_Improvement of Native Trees_
Attempts were made to improve ordinary black walnut trees by grafting.
Scions of the Persian walnut and the Japanese walnut were obtained and
grafted onto some of the seedling black walnuts planted by myself years
ago. I regret to state that in this phase of the work I was greatly
disappointed. Not one scion grew but the stock trees grew amazingly
after being cut back and would have been fine for budding this summer if
I had been able to get the buds at the proper time.
_Educational Work_
An attempt has been made to bring before all our students at the O. A.
C. the advantages of paying more attention to nut culture. These
lectures have always been well received and almost invariably have
aroused special interest in the minds of those who are horticulturally
inclined.
Addresses on nut culture have been given to Kiwanis Clubs and
Horticultural Societies and articles have been written for the
agricultural and horticultural press.
A small bulletin is being written and it is hoped that it will be
available for distribution in a short time.
_Plans for the Future_
The activities outlined above will be continued on a larger scale and in
a more thorough manner, provided I can get the necessary funds to carry
on the work. The search for superior trees and bushes will be continued
and nuts from good trees in China and Japan will be introduced in much
greater quantities for test purposes. The conversion of poor or ordinary
native nut trees into superior trees by grafting will receive special
attention.
In this way, ladies and gentlemen, I hope to attain the ideal of all
true horticulturists, e. g., "To make our country more beautiful and
fruitful and thereby help to serve the aesthetic and physical needs of
our people."
* * * * *
DOCTOR MORRIS: Mr. Chairman: Canada is the next country in which great
developments in all of the branches of science will occur. It is to
develop, of course, in our present cultural period and I hope this
movement for the development of nut culture in Canada will keep pace
with the other developments.
I want to speak about one point of Mr. Corsan's. Game breeding can go
very well with nut raising. Wild geese will graze like sheep, they will
keep the grass and weeds down, and after they are ten days old they need
no feeding at all until winter comes. They will graze like sheep, live
out of doors like sheep, take the place of sheep, and will return to the
land immediately valuable fertilization.
The pheasants Mr. Corsan spoke about are tremendous destroyers of
insects. I have had pheasants in my garden this year and the other
morning I looked out of the window and saw a pheasant in the midst of a
nest of fall web worms. The pheasants will destroy insects of every
sort. The only difficulty is that where there are rosebugs in abundance
they will kill young pheasants.
I hope every one will take a copy of this "Game Breeder" that Mr. Corsan
has left on the table. The subscription price is very small and we may
profitably add game breeding of certain kinds to our nut breeding with
benefit all around.
MR. BIXBY: Mr. President: There are some points brought out upon which I
could throw some light. I have some specimens of Juglans mandschurica
which were sent by E. H. Wilson from Korea. I also have a young tree
growing that is apparently larger leafed and with thicker shoots than
even Juglans cordiformis. The nut is rougher than the other.
I had the privilege of talking to Doctor Wilson regarding his travels in
Japan, particularly in relation to the Japanese walnuts. He tells me
that Juglans sieboldiana is a wild tree he has found all through the
Japanese islands, from the southern part of the northern island Yezo to
the mountains of Kyushu, the southern island. He says that Juglans
cordiformis is a cultivated tree found in only three or four provinces
in central Japan where the walnuts are cultivated. He also tells me he
has never seen any of the so-called Japanese butternut type with the
rough shell.
I devoted some time three or four years ago to finding out what this
so-called Japanese butternut really was. I could never find any instance
of where Japanese walnuts, either cordiformis or sieboldiana, had been
imported from Japan and planted here and trees grown from them, where
those trees had borne rough-shelled nuts like butternuts. In every case
where I found any trees bearing those so-called Japanese butternuts they
were grown from nuts, Japanese walnuts, which had been grown in this
country. In a number of instances I was able to find that the nuts which
were planted were smooth-shelled nuts, either sieboldiana or
cordiformis. When they were planted and the trees grew they bore these
rough shelled Japan nuts. In a number of instances I was able to find
native butternut trees not far away.
The other question was about the varieties of the American hazel. We
have here specimens of the best variety which we have found, the Rush
hazel. The gentleman who asked about it may see specimens on the table.
I believe that will be commercially valuable.
THE PRESIDENT: I think you have all enjoyed Professor Neilson's address
quite as much as I have. I wonder, Professor, if it would be agreeable
to you that we, as an association, should communicate with these people
who answered your questionnaire, inviting them to membership in this
association.
PROFESSOR NEILSON: Mr. President, I think that would be an excellent
suggestion, and I would be very glad indeed to prepare a list of those
that I know are interested in nut growing, and also give you a list of
the names of people who gave me exceptionally good replies.
THE PRESIDENT: That's fine. That's perfectly fine.
PROFESSOR NEILSON: Yesterday when you were talking about a membership
campaign it occurred to me that it might be well for me to write
personally to several people whom I know are interested in nut growing,
asking them to join.
As a matter of fact there is one gentleman in southwestern Ontario who
suggested to me that we form a Canadian branch of the Northern Nut
Growers' Association.
THE PRESIDENT: Don't do it. Just let us all be one.
PROFESSOR NEILSON: I think that's the better way to do it.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Is Mr. John Watson here?
MR. OLCOTT: He asked me to state in his behalf that he really didn't
have much to say, he noticed your program was pretty well filled up, and
he asked to be excused. I hoped Mr. Watson would say something here, but
what would be more important would be for him to speak before the
nurserymen and induce them to take more interest in our work. Mr. Jones
is here and Mr. Watson was here. Of all the nurserymen in this nursery
center here that is the only representation.
Nursery catalogues list seedling trees for the most part. One nurseryman
wrote me the other day saying he was continually receiving requests for
nut trees but he couldn't supply them and knew nothing about them. He
asked me for a list of nurseries growing them. Nursery nut trees are not
being produced in very great quantities except by Mr. Jones, and they
are unlisted in the nursery catalogues, or only listed in an incidental
way, very much as though they were tacking on something in the way of
citrus fruit, or something of that kind.
A subject that this association might well take up in the enlisting of
the nurserymen's interest in this work. Mr. Brown, by the way, of
Queens, New York, was here last night. There was a third one here, the
head of a very large nursery down there. I talked with him. He was here
with Mr. Dunbar. He was interested mildly but not from a practical point
of view. I don't know what is the reason for this lack of interest. I
thought maybe Mr. Watson could tell us.
THE PRESIDENT: This thought occurs to me in connection with Mr. Olcott's
remarks, that it might be desirable for us to send a representative from
this association to the annual meeting of the national nurserymen, and
let such representative put before the nurserymen the possibilities of
making the growing of nut trees in their nurseries a real feature.