English Walnuts | Page 3

small fruits may be planted in the orchard between the walnut trees or any cultivated crop can be raised satisfactorily on the same land, many orchardists gaining triple use of the soil in this way. Besides, the cultivation of the earth in proximity to the walnuts proves of great benefit to the trees. Before trees are planted the tap-root should be trimmed or cut back and most if not all the lateral branches trimmed from the tree. The tree itself should not be cut back as is customary with either fruit trees, but by leaving the terminal bud intact, a much better shaped tree is developed. It is not necessary to prune English Walnut trees except in cases where some of the lower branches interfere with cultivation.
Cultivation in the North should be stopped about the first of August, thus halting the growth of the trees and giving them a chance to harden their wood for Winter. This is a good plan to follow in the cultivation of nearly all the smaller fruit trees.
When planting on the lawn for ornamental purposes a ring from two to three feet in diameter should be cultivated about the base of the tree.
[Sidenote: =Selection of Varieties=]
The tender varieties that have been used in Southern California must not be experimented with in the North, as they bloom too early and are almost certain to be caught by the frost. These varieties have been tried in Northern California without success, and the venture is quite likely to be disastrous in any but the warmest climates.
[Illustration: MR. E.C. POMEROY, GATHERING ENGLISH WALNUTS ON HIS FARM IN LOCKPORT, N.Y.]
The uncertainty of a crop is often due to the very early blooming of the kinds planted. These start to grow at the first warm spell in the latter part of the Winter or at the first blush of Spring, and almost invariably become victims of frost and consequently produce no fruit.
Planting in the Northwest and the East until recently has been limited to an extremely narrow area. There was need of a variety possessing strong, distinct characteristics, hardy, late to start growth, and with the pistillate and staminate blossoms maturing at the same time and bearing a nut of good quality and flavor with a full rich meat. This variety has now been found, as will later be shown.
English Walnuts grown in the North command from three to five cents more a pound than the other nuts in the markets, as the meat is plumper and the flavor better. Most fruit is at its best at the Northern limit of its range.
One experienced grower, in reference to transplanting has said: "I have transplanted all the way from a year to six and the trees have grown and done well, but so far as my experience goes, I prefer to move them at three years of age or about that time. The best trees I have were transplanted at this age."
[Sidenote: =Fall or Spring Planting?=]
The following extract on tree planting in general, pertaining to all kinds of trees, is contributed by O.K. White of the Michigan Experiment Station:
"The advisability of Fall or Spring planting depends upon several conditions. Fall planting has the advantage over Spring planting in that the trees become firmly established in the soil before Winter sets in, and are able to start growth in the Spring before the ground can be marked and put in condition for planting. This is important because the trees get a good growth in the early part of the season before the Summer droughts occur. On the other hand there is more or less danger from Winter injury during a severe season or from the drying out of the trees if the Winter is long and dry. Fall planting is much more successful with the hardy apples and pears than it is with the tender plums, cherries and peaches.
"The convenience of the season will determine in a majority of cases whether or not the planting shall be done in the Fall or Spring. Very often the rush of the Spring work induces the grower to hurry his planting, or to do it carelessly; and as a result a poor start is secured, with crooked rows. Others have large crops to harvest in the Fall and would find it more convenient to do the planting in the Spring. If there is any doubt as to the best time to plant, let it be in the Spring."
[Illustration: THIRTY YEAR OLD PARENT ENGLISH WALNUT TREES IN BACKGROUND, YOUNG BEARING TREE IN FRONT]
[Sidenote: =Fertilizing=]
We now come to the subject of fertilization. Up to the time when the young trees come into bearing, cultivation and fertilization will help them enormously, the cultivation keeping the soil in condition to hold the moisture of the tree. In fertilizing, a mulch