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.)
Nut Notes from New Hampshire
MATTHEW LAHTI
Not being able to attend the annual convention I thought possibly some of the members might be interested in the following random notes of an amateur nut grower.
My place is in Wolfeboro, N. H., which is situated in the eastern end of Lake Winnepesaukee, 43 degrees, 35 minutes north latitude; elevation above sea level, 687'. The elevation of the lake is 504'. Wolfeboro is just about at the northern fringe of the climate where peaches will ripen, that is during favorable years in favored locations. Improved varieties of field corn will ripen during favorable seasons. It also happens to be the northern fringe of the American chestnut, in favored location. I have discovered a number of saplings that are still alive. As a matter of fact, three or four years ago I was fortunate in finding some ripened nuts, but the trees that bore those nuts have since died of the blight. While a certain variety of old fashioned sweet cherry will live and bear fruit, some of the recent improved varieties will not live. Every one that I have planted was winter-killed. The Montmorency cherry, however, does well. It is also the northern limit of the pignut. Butternuts do very well.
DDT Dust versus Butternut Curculio
I was prompted to write this note by reading Mr. S. H. Graham's article entitled "An Experiment with DDT" appearing on page 101 of the 1945 annual report, in which he states that the butternut curculio did not survive DDT powder.
In the past four or five years the butternut curculio (identified as such by Prof. Conklin of the University of N. H.) has all but ruined my Crath Persian walnuts and heartnuts, so, acting on the basis of Mr. Graham's experiment, I had my trees dusted early in the morning when the dew was on the leaves, using a 10% DDT powder, the first time about May 30 and again two weeks later, and I am happy to say that this dusting has been very effective. I have been unable to find any sign of curculio injury this year, although I have seen it nearby on some native butternut trees.
My Gellatly heartnut was riddled by the curculio last year. This year, when the dusting was done, this tree was overlooked, so I undertook to dust it myself, and not realizing that the Niagara duster which I used was set in the closed position, I dusted the tree with considerable effort. In spite of the small amount of dust that came out, it proved sufficient to keep the curculios away or else to kill them so that there is no sign of any damage at this writing.