Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting | Page 9

condition. I noticed some were
advertised as low as 95c for two pounds. Some people in answering my
advertisement said they had bought others that were not in first-class
condition. I had no complaints about mine. In Better Homes and
Gardens I did not get enough orders to pay for my advertising. I would
not advise anyone to advertise there or in the American Magazine, as I
got very poor results. I even got a bad check. The Rural New Yorker
was very satisfactory.
The prices I paid locally were from .05 to .08 and sometimes .10 to .15
to old customers. Twelve and a half cents was the average price. I think
maybe I should have advertised in a confectioners' journal in order to
reach a large consumer source, but I felt at the time that I was using
the only way I had of reaching a market.
This carton (showing a mailing container) is a 2-pound carton which I
used in shipping in response to mail orders. It makes a very nice
package that is received in good condition. I might add that the
contents are 50 cubic inches.

Question: Do you use a paper bag inside?
Mr. Stoke: I line it with wax paper. I made a form and fold the wax
paper around it to get the size. This makes a neat lining and then I just
pour in the nuts and fold the top down.
Mr. Graham: Do you notice much difference in the kernels?
Mr. Stoke: Not in black walnuts. I found a few nuts which I could not
use. The best nuts I found this year were in and about our locality.
Mr. Smith: Did you try offering prizes? Mr. Hershey and I once got
almost tipsy testing a lot of walnuts in a prize contest.
Mr. Stoke: No. The best nuts I got would score not higher than the
Thomas. They were brought in by different people and mixed together
so that I was unable to tell their source.
The President: Do you do your separating of kernel and shell by hand?
Mr. Stoke: Yes. I use sieves, too. I use first a 3/8 x 3/4 inch mesh. It will
take out most of the shell. Then for a minimum size, the best is 8 mesh
to an inch, as used by the Forest Park Nut Co., Ottawa, Kans. This is
smaller mesh and eliminates the smaller bits of shell.
Mr. Hershey: Did you have any correspondence with those people?
Mr. Stoke: I was interested in their machine for cracking nuts and I
wrote the company a letter. Two or three months later I received a
letter from Mr. Werner, a son of Mr. C. E. Werner, and who signed
himself as Len Werner of the Werner Steel Products Co., and I received
details and facts about the machine. He asked me if I would be
interested in buying a machine or renting on a basis of kernel
production. The younger Mr. Werner said they built the machine for
themselves but could supply orders if they came in.
Miss Sawyer: Did you get any information on the price?
Mr. Stoke: No, none whatever. It seems to be taken from place to place

mounted on a truck and cracks the nuts right on the job.
Mr. Reed: Do you have any difficulty in cracking nuts when they are
dry?
Mr. Stoke: The nut cracks best when not too wet or too dry but just
right. If too dry, they are too brittle and you break up the kernels too
much, also get too many spalls of shells. If wet you have other troubles.
In the South and Southwest the summers get hot and so some nuts get
rancid. The sweet type that have less oil seem to stand up better.
Question: Do you ever steam nuts before cracking?
Mr. Stoke: No, I haven't. To keep them in a damp atmosphere is also
not good. Nuts should be kept dry while in storage. Kernels should also
be kept in a dry place. I put them in trays of wire mesh and if the nuts
are too green or I am in a hurry for them, I turn on the electric fan.
Last Fall I put some in cold storage in December. I also put some in
cold storage in May and I found that I would not have needed to put
any in cold storage until May as they have kept just as nicely as those
stored earlier. But I find it is essential to have the kernels thoroughly
dried before they are put away. If thoroughly dried they will not mold,
but if kept in too warm a place they will turn rancid. To keep them in a
damp atmosphere is also not good. If