[Signed]
BERNARD E. CONLEY, R. Ph.
Administrative Assistant.
BEC:nr
The Birth of a New Walnut Cracker
B. H. THOMPSON
The home of the Thompson walnut cracker is the home of the maker, on the farm, five and a half miles northwest of Harrisonburg, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I live in the upland area, 1,500 to 1,700 feet up in the hills.
A man once said he killed two birds with one stone. I went him one better in one instance. I went to the back end of the farm and picked up all the walnuts and placed them on a pile, not too far from the house. Then the squirrels came to help themselves. I got all the squirrels I wanted to eat and those that got away retreated so fast they dropped their walnut. Then I cracked what walnuts were left for cakes and candy, which we all enjoy so much.
It was while cracking these nuts with a hammer that the thought came to me: Why should there not be a faster and better way to crack nuts? Later I happened to see a walnut cracker made by a blacksmith which did a very good job of cracking, but was entirely too slow for me.
Being mechanically inclined, I have always entertained a desire to invent something worth while. I set out to perfect a cracker that would be fool-proof, easy to work, fast, simple, and strong enough to last a lifetime. This I accomplished in the Model 6. Before reaching this point, I had designed and tested five different models, made five different ways, to see which would be best. They all worked, some good, some I did not like so well. It was discouraging at times but something seemed to tell me I had the right principle.
This No. 6 walnut cracker is a success, now in its 11th season and going
stronger all the time. You will find it in 37 states, from Florida to
Washington State, from New Hampshire to California, from Minnesota to
Texas.
Most of the crackers are sent by mail, and some of the customers mention the fact that they are members of the N.N.G.A. Others do not have trees on their premises, but collect walnuts by the roadside. One I know of has 2,000 walnut trees on his 1,200 acre farm.