It's fun to grow trees even though some of the unusual things provide only exercise and entertainment. Our persimmons grew from seed, were transplanted and came through the first winter! One pawpaw is still trying to get ahead of the winter set-backs, and a Macedonian white pine (said to produce edible nuts) is doing fine. Perhaps I'm the biggest nut of all, but I'm happy about it!
Report on Nut Trees at Massillon
RAYMOND E. SILVIS, Massillon, Ohio
I will first give an account of plantings observed recently in or near Massillon, and, secondly, a condensation of my own introduction to nut growing.
Louis Bromfield in his richly descriptive book "The Farm" writes, "On the way one passed the big orchard which was Jamie's pride, and beyond one came to the field where the big hickory stood. It was a memorable tree, famous in the countryside for bearing enormous nuts with shells so soft that the faintest tap of a rock or a hammer would lay open the bisque-colored kernels." He also writes a reference to the ingredients of candy making at Christmas time in which a good many recipes called for hickory nuts and walnuts.
In Massillon Mr. Alvin Schott, when he drove by the farm of Mr. Lester Hawk and read his sign, "Chinese Chestnut Trees for Sale," thought of the chestnuts he used to eat. Since he, like the rest of us, cannot go out along the road in the fall and pick up chestnuts as of old, he declared to plant some nut trees on city park land so that the younger generation could in a small measure recapture that which now is only a memory.
After making numerous talks and speeches to all the lodges, civic clubs and P. T. A.'s, he received donations and publicity to help him in his project. He enlisted the help of other civic nut-minded personnel to help him select the trees and locations for planting. Boy Scouts and school children dug some of the holes. When it rained (it seems to rain every time a shipment came in) Mr. Schott would call us away from our work and have us dig holes. We have planted in city parks: 13 Hawk chestnuts, 10 Thomas black walnuts, 8 hazel, 4 mulberries, 2 Broadview Persians, 2 Josephine persimmons, 3 pecan seedlings, 1 hican, 9 large seedling black walnuts and several hickories.
We have additional money for another spring planting. Thus Massillon has joined the list of cities that own trees that will produce something else besides leaves.
On August 17th Mr. Gerstenmaier and I drove to Ira, Ohio, to visit Mr. Cranz and take advantage of his invitation to inspect his nut planting. At this moment I believe that his invitation was made with the subtle purpose of bragging about his excellent crop of Thomas black walnuts and filberts. The trees were originally planted by squirrels and later grafted by Mr. Cranz. They grow at the bottom of a huge hill or escarpment 200 feet high at the top of which is his planting of 20 mollissima chestnuts. It's a long climb through his neatly scythed pathways on a hot day. Afterwards I felt like I needed the can which he usually carries.