While it is generally found that seedling trees properly treated come
into bearing the eighth year, this crop is usually light, doubling each
successive season for seven or eight years. From then on there is a
steady increase in crop and hardiness for many years. Often trees in
Oregon bear in their sixth year; while there are instances on record of
trees set out in February bearing the following autumn. This is no
criterion, however, merely an instance illustrating the unusual richness
of Oregon soil, and its perfect adaptability to walnut culture.
Thirty-five acres on the Prince place yielded at twelve years, twelve
tons of fine nuts, which were sold at 18 and 20 cents a pound, two cents
above the market price, making an average of $125 per acre. Another
grove of two acres yielded in their ninth year two tons, or a ton to the
acre, netting the owner $360 an acre.
Mr. A. A. Quarnberg's eleven-year-old trees averaged twenty-five pounds
each. Mr. Henry J. Biddle's ten and twelve-year-old trees averaged
thirty pounds each. One hundred fifty dollars an acre from
twelve-year-old trees is a conservative estimate, though some groves not
cultivated may fall under that figure, while others in a high state of
cultivation will almost double it.