I met Rev. Crath when he was on furlough in 1934.
I went to the National Exhibition and among the various exhibits I came across a rather unique exhibit of nuts, grown by the late Geo. H. Corsan, Echo Valley, Islington.
In the course of our conversation along came the late Prof. Jas. Neilson and we continued to talk about nut-growing. Prof. Neilson was interesting indeed. I could see he was a sincere man and most enthusiastic about the subject. He told me there was a Presbyterian Ukranian missionary in town who had brought out some hardy English walnuts from the Carpathian Mountains—a variety which he was sure would survive in Ontario and the Northern States and that it had great possibilities. The missionary was returning to Europe to bring out a shipment but needed, backing for the expedition. I met Prof. Neilson the following day. The sum required was $400.00 and he agreed to guarantee the sale of $400.00 worth in the U.S. at least. The next day I met Rev. Crath at the Exhibition display. We met off and on for two or three days. I could see no flaw in the project, so I raised the $400.00 by a bank-note. The banker thought I was crazy—and the missionary was on his way by the end of the week.
He arrived by mid-September and having had so many charges in the Ukraine, he knew where to go and just when the crop was being harvested. The walnuts were selected, dried, boxed and shipped by the middle of October. The shipment arrived in Toronto the first week of November—nearly two tons of them. I received with them, a bill of lading with port charges, export duties and freight. I was out another $100.00.
In two weeks, the Winter Fair opened and Mr. Corsan was invited to put on his nut exhibit as an attraction. In the meantime he was on the radio once a week to talk on health, food and various subjects, always getting around to nuts as a food—and this new discovery, the Carpathian walnut. The radio broadcasts brought interested people right to his exhibit. He gave an hourly talk on nuts and a pamphlet was given out. The Winter Fair sales grossed $300.00 and there was another $100.00 on follow-up sales by Christmas. The situation was at least easier.
Prof. Neilson before Christmas had taken ill and passed away in February. However into the picture came another man, H. J. Rahmlow, secretary of the Wisconsin Horticultural Association with about 600 affiliated societies. He wrote an article in the Country Gentleman and circularized the expedition of Rev. Crath to the Carpathian Mountains. We sent four shipments to Mr. Rahmlow in 25 and 50 lb. lots. Sales came in from all over Canada and the United States until spring. By spring we had cleared all expenses and had about $200.00 on hand, but the next problem was, what to do with the rest of the walnut seeds?
On Mr. Corsan's Echo Valley, there were two fields, one in the valley and one over the road. We broke up out of sod an acre in each field and planted about 40,000 seeds. Rev. Crath took to a farm near Welcome, Ont. about another 20,000. Our plantation required a good deal of attention, work and expense during the growing season. However 90% of the walnuts germinated and grew to trees about 6 inches high. Over 30,000 trees survived the next cold winter.
The following year we could scuffle them between the rows. Our nursery required less care and expense. During the summer they grew about a foot higher (15 in. average) but developed a very thick carrot-like tap root with numerous root hairs. By autumn 1936 it was evident we had to transplant. The seeds were planted originally 8 inches apart. So we divided up the lot by each taking one out of every three trees, thus leaving the trees in Echo Valley now 2 ft. apart. Rev. Crath took his trees to the farm at Welcome, 80 miles east of Toronto. They were planted on a slope below a thick woods from where melting snow and spring rains kept the field cold and wet until mid-summer. Rev. Crath's trees were practically a failure; in fact the area seemed to be unsuitable for walnut seedlings. Mr. Corsan's trees continued to grow, but even here the soil did not seem to be the most suitable.
I took mine to a sandy garden soil that had been under sod for 20 years. The sod was broken and thoroughly disced. The spring was wet and very favourable for transplanting. The trees on this soil grew very well without any fertilizer at all; nor did they require any spraying. The trees continued to grow deep and do better each succeeding year.
In the spring of 1939 I started to sell trees wholesale to the Dominion Nursery, Georgetown, Ont. Mr. Bradley, the president, carried more novelty items in his catalogue than any other nurseryman in Canada. I continued to plant more seeds until 1939.—The war stopped further importations, and I sold out all the trees by the spring of 1943.