L. P. LATIMER, Assistant Horticulturist, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire
At the present time there are no nuts grown commercially in New Hampshire. Those gathered by the residents of this state for home use or local consumption are comprised almost entirely of butternuts from wild seedling trees and nuts of the native hickory. The butternut is the most highly prized among our native nuts. It grows wild over a large portion of the state. The hickory nuts take second place, probably because of their smaller size and the greater difficulty involved in removing the meat from the shells. Black walnuts are occasionally found but do not seem generally as popular.
Dr. A. F. Yeager of the Horticultural Department of the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, has several times called for specimens of superior butternuts grown in the state. These have been tested for their cracking ability, and size of kernel and ease of removal from the shell in halves or as whole meats. Several very fine specimens have been collected, but progress in the development of these better types has been impeded by the difficulty involved in trying to propagate them vegetatively. The New Hampshire Horticultural Department would gladly welcome any information concerning the propagation of the butternut that would make grafting or budding successful.
The best possibility in developing commercial nut crops in New Hampshire apparently lies first in the use of the hazel or filbert. Although the European filbert has not been very successful, such varieties of the American hazel as Winkler and Rush look promising. The Winkler has borne heavy crops but in a short summer season the nuts do not always mature fully in the fall. Although we have had much less experience with the Rush variety, this does mature earlier in the fall and seems promising. Some of the Jones hybrids have been tested at the Experiment Station in Durham, a few of which have done quite well. Of these Jones hybrids No. 1181, 1154, and 1094 have made quite vigorous growth. Seedling No. 1094 has been outstanding, producing good sized nuts which mature well and shell out easily from the husks. In type and flavor of nut it resembles the European hazel quite strongly under our conditions.
So far, none of the chestnuts, including the Chinese species, have shown great enough resistance to chestnut blight to warrant their recommendation. We still hope that we may discover a good chestnut for this section. The hardy Persian or English walnuts have not been tested long enough to warrant any conclusion as to their promise for New Hampshire; one difficulty will probably lie in the fact that the nuts of some do not ripen properly under our cool, short summer conditions.
Mr. Matthew Lahti of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, has been experimenting with various species and varieties of nuts for that section. His location on the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee undoubtedly presents a more favorable site for growing certain types of nut plants than exists here in Durham, or most other parts of New Hampshire. At the present moment I have on my desk a parcel received from Mr. Lahti containing some fine specimens of one of the hardy Persian walnuts which he is growing in Wolfeboro. The unusually warm and dry late summer and fall of this year have favored the maturity of this walnut. (For a detailed description of Mr. Lahti's experience with nut varieties, please refer to his paper printed below.)