seen enough of them not growing well so that I prefer shagbark to
bitternut. I prefer shagbark on shagbark.
Motion was made and carried that the next annual meeting of the Northern
Nut Growers' Association be held at Rockport, Indiana, Monday and
Tuesday, September 9 and 10, 1935.
Letter from Rev. Paul C. Crath
Kosseev, Poland
(_Read by Title_)
Being eager to get on time to the walnut harvest in the Carpathian
region and personally select walnuts for planting in Canada and the
U.S.A. I borrowed $400 and--now I am here. On October 11 I sent to
Toronto eight boxes of selected walnuts, about 50,000 in all, and I hope
they will arrive in Toronto in time for the Royal Winter Fair. There are
43 varieties and amongst them some of very high quality are on the way
to our Acadia. But it was no easy task to find out here good walnuts. I
bought 1400 kilograms of different nuts before I picked out of them 600
kg. for Canada. Besides me three men were busy searching for the best
walnuts in the orchards of Kosseev and Kooty. Inclosed please find a
description of 45 walnut trees and their nuts. A collection of these
nuts I am sending you separately.
I found here that:
1. Every walnut tree bears nuts of different variety. The nuts differ
from nuts of other trees in shape, hardness of shell, size, texture and
flavor of kernels.
2. On every tree walnuts are of three sizes, large, medium and small. It
depends how much sunshine they receive. Those nearer to the trunk and on
the northern side of the tree are the smallest.
3. According to flavor the walnut trees may be divided into three
different groups. Those which bear nuts of sweet kernel are the best.
Those nuts which have some bitter flavor are not bad, but those which
are languid or tasteless are no good at all.
4. Giants have kernels smaller than the cavity of their shell. But I was
told that in this country somewhere are Giants with sweet, hard kernels
which fill up their paper-thin shell fully. Some gentleman pointed to
the city of Tchernievtjee as a source of good Giants. It is not far from
Kosseev, but on the other side of Rumanian frontier. It means that I
should go to the province of Bookovina if we wish to find those perfect
Giants. I sent to Canada some good Giants, but not perfect ones yet.
A physician who resides in Kooty told me that in the mountaineers
villages of Rozhen (500 meters above sea level) there is a tree bearing
awfully sweet walnuts. He ate those nuts but he does not know the name
of the owner. Now it is my task to find those nuts. In the village of
Twedeev (400 meters above sea level) is a tree bearing one year large
nuts and next year small nuts. But those small nuts are awfully oily. I
failed to secure nuts from that tree but I know its whereabouts. There
in the mountains about 600 meters above the sea level comes the line
beyond which no walnut tree grows. That line is stretched from the east
to the west along the northern slope of the Carpathian region. I have
seen some nuts from that colder belt. In shape they are rough, but one
variety has papershell and sweet flavor. It seems to me that among these
(as natives call them Hutzoolian walnuts) we could find some good
variety for northern Ontario and maybe Manitoba. My nearest task will be
to go along the cold line and select some walnut trees there.
Kooty and Kooseev district are really walnut country. This district
produces papershell walnuts for other parts of Poland. But walnut trees
could be found five degrees to the north. Too, I wish to investigate
walnuts north of the Dniester River and then proceed farther north to
find the northern limit beyond which no walnut grows. I am going to
publish 3000 questionnaires, one for each walnut tree. I or my friends
would examine these questionnaires when filled out. Maybe we'll come
across some extra good walnut through this inquiry. But the easiest way
to locate the best walnut is to organize a walnut contest as you did in
Michigan, with the help of Mr. Kellogg. With the help of the local
agricultural papers we could have such a contest and I am sure we'll
have an amazing success. Do your best to get some funds for the prizes.
Then please go to the Royal Winter Fair which starts this fall November
21 and inspect my walnuts I shipped there recently. Create a judging
committee of Prof. Neilson, Mr. Corsan, Dr. Currelly and others. Open a
couple nuts of each variety and judge which walnuts are the best. Then
write me from what trees I should cut scions. You see, I am waiting now
for winter to cut scions from trees bearing the best walnuts I found.
Then after Xmas I'll ship to Canada a large box containing about 10,000
walnut scions. I expect to cut every scion personally and that way
secure the best stuff for the spring grafting.
I am told that there are in Latvia filberts of very good type. Latvian
filberts have grown eight inches thick in diameter. In that country the
ground is frozen in October, like in Manitolia. It seems to me that the
Latvian filbert will be ideal for the northern part of the North
America. I wish to go there too while I am in Europe. I would bring the
Latvian filbert to Canada and the U.S.A. if a small financial support
could be given to me to accomplish this task.
To assure bringing of the best walnut into Canada and the U.S.A. I made
an agreement with a local gardener to graft for us 500 walnut seedlings
with the scions I would secure for him. Thus grafted seedlings could be
brought to Canada the next fall. Furthermore, I have an idea to create
the largest and the best walnut which ever grew on the globe. For this
purpose I selected several walnut trees bearing Giant nuts and I wish to
pollenize them next spring with pollen of a tree which yields the
hardest and the sweetest kernel. Such a tree is in the city of
Stanislav. And here in Kosseev is a tree bearing Giants which before
they are dried weigh ten nuts to one kilogram (2.204 pounds). I hope
that combination could give us a desirable type.
It is also desirable for me to stay in this country until the fall of
1935. Then I am sure that we'd have some desirable walnuts and filberts.
I hope that my friends in Canada and the U.S.A. would come with
financial help to give me a chance to accomplish my task. To assure the
shipment of scions I need one hundred dollars. For my existence in this
country I need $240 for next twelve months, and for traveling expenses
about $100. All together I need $500. I hope that some Canadian or
American would understand the importance of my expedition and will come
with the help. Please put my case before some people who would back me
in my enterprise.
MR. CORSAN:
Mr. Crath is a Presbyterian minister, he is out of a job and he is a man
of extraordinary practical skill in agriculture. Now he informs me that,
up in the Carpathian mountain region, in the valleys they don't have the
English walnut, but the estates up in the mountains for hundreds of
years have cultivated and selected it. The estates are being divided up
and the trees cut down. He has gone up there to select these trees to
have the nuts sent to him before the dealers get them and kill-dry to
insure them against spoiling.
The Chestnut Situation in Illinois
_By_ DR. A. S. COLBY, _Illinois_
Illinois claims prominence as a state where the commercial chestnut crop
has been a profitable one for many years, beginning nearly three decades
ago. Before chestnut blight, Endothia parasitica (Murrill), killed the
trees in the East, tons of nuts were gathered there and a considerable
quantity marketed; these, however, were chiefly of the smaller native
species and little attention was paid to the trees, most of which were
wild. During the past few years some consideration has been given
chestnut culture in the far West; this development, however, is quite
recent.
Two men stand out as pioneers in Illinois nut growing: the late George
W. Endicott of Villa Ridge, who crossed the native American with the
Giant Japanese chestnut in 1895, his work resulting in the origination
of the Boone, Blair, and Riehl varieties, the fruit of which combines
the size of the Japanese with the quality of the American parent; and
the late E. A. Riehl of Godfrey, who for over 30 years, until his death
in 1925, carried on experimental work in nut culture, originating, among
others, the Fuller and Gibbens chestnuts, superior late and early
varieties. Both Mr. Endicott and Mr. Riehl planted the better varieties
in orchard form and found the undertaking a very profitable one.
The third large orchard planting in Illinois is located at Farina and
owned by the Whitford family. Here the soil type is less favorable for
chestnuts and the water drainage is not of the best, but in spite of
these disadvantages, the trees are productive.
These orchards, with other smaller plantings in the state, came into
full bearing at about the time of the gradual failure of the eastern
crops and have made money for their owners, especially where attention
was paid to sizing the nuts and to other advanced marketing practices.
During the past twenty years, interest in chestnut culture in Illinois
has been increasing gradually. Many plantings of the improved varieties
have been made in widely scattered localities. Through the co-operation
of Mr. P. A. Glenn, of the State Nursery Inspection Service, a survey of
Illinois has been begun to locate all the chestnut trees in the state.
By the fall of 1934, with about one-third of the counties surveyed, a
total of 7,601 chestnut trees has been found, approximately one-half of
which are of bearing and one-half non-bearing age. This latter group
includes nursery stock and newly planted young trees mostly of named
varieties.
In a preliminary study of the approximately 3,700 trees of bearing age,
a number of facts of interest were noted. Nearly all these chestnuts
were of the named varieties, the plantings ranging in size from 1 to 800
individuals and in age from 5 to 40 years. Most of them were planted in
orchard form and given some attention as to cultural needs. However,
there were over 400 older trees averaging from 50 to 60 years with five,
80 years of age and three reported to be 130 years old.
These older trees are in poor condition as a rule, with many dead tops
and branches and hollow trunks, but still struggling for life and
producing some nuts. Very little care had been given them. They were
found along the roadside, in pastures, in the yard about the home, in
rows bordering an orchard. Some of these older trees were known to be
seedlings from seeds brought in from the East; others had been planted,
the trees coming from eastern sections. Very few of these trees are
infected with blight. They indicate ages at which chestnut trees may be
productive in Illinois if blight is controlled.
Satisfactory soil and climatic conditions for chestnut culture are found
in most sections of Illinois, since plantings are reported from Pulaski
County in the extreme south to Lee in the north, and in the central
sections from Champaign west to Hancock County. As the survey
progresses, it is probable that these limits will be extended.
One of the reasons for the state survey was to make a careful inspection
of the trees found for evidence of chestnut blight and to have the
necessary steps taken for its prompt eradication. Blight was found in
Illinois in 1926, and efforts have been made since that time to
eradicate it. Only a few infected trees were located prior to 1934. Most
of them have been destroyed. In this year's (1934) survey, 123 diseased
trees were found, and these are being handled in the most effective way
to check further spread of the blight. These trees were found in nine
counties, mostly scattered over the southern third of the state, with
one infection center in central Illinois in Logan County.
Such is the present status of the chestnut in Illinois. What of the
future? We believe that chestnut blight will continue to spread. The
disease has been reported in several of the near-by states, including
Michigan, Indiana and Iowa. With the scattered centers of infection in
Illinois, it is probable that other diseased trees will continue to
appear. Only the most determined efforts to check it, based upon a
thorough understanding of the life cycle of its causal fungus, can be of
any possible value in keeping it in control for any considerable time.
Continuous inspection of the trees, with prompt removal of diseased
material, such as cankers and infected branches, following methods
recognized as sanitary, and immediate burning will be very helpful in
checking the trouble. When the entire tree is infected, necessitating
its removal, the stump should be treated by peeling back the bark and
building a hot fire around the trunk in order that all bark tissues
shall be destroyed. It is advisable, also, that all chestnut trees be
given good care, especially as regards their needs for plant nutrients.
Beginning with the young trees, newly planted, bark injuries of any kind
should be guarded against. Extreme care is necessary in the training of
the scaffold branches, as the tree grows, in order that the mature tree
shall be well formed with as few large wounds as possible through the
removal of large branches.
The application of fungicidal sprays, such as Bordeaux, at intervals
throughout the growing season, may be helpful. The trunk and the main
branches, especially, of young trees should be protected from sun scald.
Borers and other insects must be kept out. Injury from tools used about
the trees must be guarded against. Any break in the bark offers easy
entrance to the fungus spores. Wrapping the trunk with burlap or paper
may be very helpful in preventing such injuries. Probably the best time
of year to make necessary pruning cuts is in early spring. Pruning
should be followed by the painting of the wounds with shellac, later
covering this with a good grade of paint. The tree should be well fed to
aid in the growth of callus formation to cover the wound quickly.
Other methods of attack in solving the problem include the immunization
of the chestnut against the blight and the breeding of resistant
varieties. Experimental work along these lines is being carried on by
individuals and Federal and State agencies, but the work has not as yet
progressed sufficiently to give results of commercial value.
If careful cultural methods are followed in every locality, with special
emphasis on the prompt and thorough disposal of diseased material, by
removal and burning, we can look forward to a number of years of
profitable chestnut production in Illinois.
DR. DEMING:
Is the Riehl orchard free from blight?
DR. COLBY:
One of the same gentlemen who visited Ithaca the other day, by
authority, is making a very careful survey for disease of the nut trees
in the eastern and northern United States. The Riehl orchard that we
visited last year about this time had considerably over 100 trees badly
diseased. We'll have to do the best we can with the old trees but watch
the young ones carefully.
DR. DEMING:
Don't you think that one of the commonest causes of the blight of
chestnut trees is through the wounds and the inoculations made by the
claws of squirrels?
DR. COLBY:
Yes, and also woodpeckers. The old trees can be preserved for a longer
or shorter time, depending on the care that is given to them. We found
the disease down in the Endicott orchard, even in plantings of mature
standing. There have been several trees located at Lincoln where the
disease has been found. Any of those old trees where there are any
injuries to the bark will be subject to the trouble.
Report on Commercial Cracking and Merchandising of Black Walnuts
_By_ H. F. STOKE, _Virginia_
(_Read by Title_)
The 1933 black walnut crop of southwestern Virginia was light and
exceedingly spotted. Some districts reported a complete failure, a most
unusual condition.
The volume of shelled nuts offered on the local market was smaller than
usual, due partly to scarcity of the nuts and partly because the
mountain folk who produce most of the kernels were not so keen at
cracking walnuts for a pittance when once they had tasted the sweets of
40 cents per hour on road work offered as part of the Federal recovery
program. This, apparently, will become a factor in the development of
commercial cracking plants.
The price was better than for several years past. Home-cracked nuts sold
at an average price of 25 cents per pound to local consumers, who took
most of the season's production. Sales to northern concerns were mostly
at from 30 to 35 cents for hand-picked goods, ranging up to 38 cents per
pound by midsummer. I do not know present prices.
The writer knows of no new development in mechanical cracking and
separating processes. At the present time he is completing the
construction of a power driven cracker of new design, but any report
must await successful operation.
In the marketing of kernels five channels may be considered:
1. The local consumer market, which should be cultivated as far as
possible.
2. Mail order consumer, usually reached by advertising. A two-pound
carton lined with wax paper makes a most satisfactory unit for sales of
this kind. This package has been selling generally at $1.25, postpaid.
3. Commercial consumers, who are usually manufacturers of food products,
such as bakeries, ice cream manufacturers, confectioners, etc. Usually
these people buy from wholesale supply houses.
In order to hold this trade the producer should be in a position to fill
orders throughout the year. An "In-and-outer" cannot hope to hold this
excellent class of customers.
4. Wholesale supply houses, who specialize on supplying commercial
consumers and nut stores.
These people depend on buying their season's supply as cheaply as
possible during the flush period and distributing later at a profit.
It is to their interest to demoralize the market early, so they can buy
cheaply, and later proclaim a scarcity so the market will advance to
profitable levels. They seem fully alive to their interests. At the
opening of the past season one very prominent New York buyer was
offering from 16 to 18 cents per pound for hand-picked kernels, though I
knew of none selling at anywhere near that figure.
This class of customer is rather unsatisfactory, though they will pay
fair prices late in the season if a real shortage exists, and they are
out of supplies.
5. A good, honest broker or commission merchant is probably the most
satisfactory channel for handling large quantities of kernels. He is
acquainted with actual prices and market conditions, as well as a large
list of possible customers. His customers are usually commercial
consumers, though he also sells wholesale supply houses. His commission
is usually 3 per cent.
As a note of warning, be sure your broker is honest, then stick to him.
Some concerns masquerading as brokers or commission merchants are really
wholesale buyers on their own account. They will charge the shipper a
commission on sales to themselves at a low figure. The Baltimore market
seems especially cursed with this sort of thing, though it is now, I
believe, forbidden by a code. As a whole, Baltimore is not a very
satisfactory market for black walnut kernels, though the largest in the
East. I find Philadelphia and New York more satisfactory.
The outlook for the 1934 black walnut crop in this section is most
promising. A dry spring was favorable to a good set of nuts, while
plenty of rain during the summer guarantees good size. Prices will
probably be satisfactory, due to the extreme drought in the West and the
labor situation already referred to.
At this point I shall digress from the subject assigned me. The
following matter may be left off the record, at your discretion.
a. In my 1932 report I made mention of several promising black walnut
seedlings found in this locality. Samples of the nuts of the parent
trees of the 1931 crop have been kept to the present time. All have
deteriorated to a greater or lesser degree except the Stanley, which is
as sweet and good as when gathered. The Stanley and Caldwell are
precocious as grafted trees.
The Bowman seedling tree, which was reported as most precocious, is
continuing its record of not having missed a crop since its third season
from seed. It must be reported, however, that a two-year-old graft of
this tree has not borne, as yet.
b. One thing of interest concerning the black walnut that has been
observed is the scarcity of the walnut web worm this season, none having
been observed by the writer up to September 1st. Is this a general or a
local condition?
The year of the Geneva convention, 1931, was the worst ever observed by
the writer in this respect. Do web worms occur in cycles, or do other
conditions govern their appearance?
c. The injury caused by the melting of grafting and coating waxes by the
hot sun is well known. Last spring an attempt was made to overcome the
difficulty by painting the waxed surface with aluminum bronze paint. The
experiment was a complete success, as even straight paraffine failed to
melt beneath the aluminum coating during the hottest summer here on
record. English walnut grafts so protected were more than usually
successful. Reflection of the sun's rays by the bright surface
undoubtedly lowered the temperature to below the melting point of the
paraffine. This lowered temperature was also doubtless beneficial to the
life processes of the graft union.
Direct coating of the trunks of newly set trees with the aluminum paint,
without the use of wax, was also tried with satisfactory results.
Applied direct to the dormant buds of the sweet cherry, however, it
proved toxic, as the buds never developed. This was no doubt due to the
bronzing liquid rather than to the aluminum.
The material is very easily applied, either with a brush or spray, and
makes a silvery, impervious and very durable coating. It should be
completely effective as a preventative of sun-burn of the bark of tender
species, especially to cover the creosote applications sometimes used by
tree surgeons. Such black coverings often defeat their purpose in the
hot sun by killing the living tissues by the absorption of the sun's
heat.
At the present time manufacturers are being corresponded with looking to
the development of a bronzing liquid that shall be non-toxic to buds.
Now if some investigator will come forward with a non-toxic, water
soluble coating material for the roots of nursery stock, Professor
Neilson's dream will be fully realized.
Last year Mr. Homer Jacobs of the Davey Tree Expert Company gave us a
very excellent report of his company's experiments with various coatings
used in connection with the moving of large trees. It is to be hoped
that they will add aluminum bronze paint to the list of materials
tested, and give us the benefit of their findings at our next
convention.
In the meantime, the private experiments mentioned will be continued.
d. A publicity stunt for the furtherance of nut culture is being tried
in the way of vases filled with sprays of Oriental chestnut, with
opening burrs, displayed in the windows of our leading department store,
with a showing of fall goods. A card gives credit for the display.
Judging from the enthusiasm with which the store manager and the window
dresser received the suggestion, it would appear that the idea could be
used almost anywhere. If living sprays were not available, a display of
nuts hardy to the locality could doubtless be used in the same manner.
Cards identifying the nuts and stating they were grown (or could be
grown) locally would add to the interest.
It is a matter of deepest personal regret that, due to a combination of
New Deal, raw deal and general lack of a great deal, I am unable to be
with you other than in spirit.
I salute you.
Nut Culture in Ontario
_By_ GEORGE H. CORSAN
_Islington, Ontario_