So I got to looking around for something to specialize in and became interested in the new improved thin shelled black walnuts that the late J. F. Jones was introducing. I know there is danger in specializing in any one thing but, in summing up the following regarding black walnuts, it looked to me like as good or better a bet than any thing else. First, we know that the demand for the high black walnut flavor has caused it to be profitable for carloads of kernels to be cracked and shipped to the cities from the natural black walnut belt. Although this seedling product has been somewhat improved in quality the last few years I still feel that the demand for this high flavored nut for home use, in confections and baking and ice cream making, will make a high demand for an improved and uniform meat such as can be produced with the grafted trees. With the growing interest in natural foods, and less animal meat, I believe the demand will increase as our groves come into bearing.
In 1926 I hazarded a planting of 150 trees, the next year I was steamed up to the place where I decided I should plant more, and then each year following, until my last planting this year, gives me one thousand thrifty growing black walnuts, mostly Thomas variety which I think is the best from what I have observed in my own grove.
In planting I set the first ones 50 x 50 ft. Some thought it was too close but I couldn't see it.
The next planting I made 50 x 50 feet and then at the next planting I started to wake up after seeing how rapidly the first ones were growing, and I decided to make them 60 x 60 feet. The last planting I made this year 60 x 60 feet and I would advise 60 x 70 feet to any one who asks me how far apart to plant.
To me it seems queer just why more people don't plant them. On the basis of 60 x 70 feet you could farm indefinitely, with the tree crop coming on and even bearing for many years, while you are contenting your heart growing annual crops to lose money on.
As to bearing, two years ago I had the older planting and many of the younger trees loaded. One five year Thomas had about 400 nuts. Three to five year trees had 50 to 250 and 300 nuts. My crop that year was fourteen bushels which I sold for 15c per lb or $5.00 and $6.00 per bushel. Last year I didn't have so many but this year I first said I would have 50 bushels. I'm starting to believe now I was a little high in my guess but many trees are nicely loaded.
Now regarding cost of carrying the grove, as I'm a sweet corn drier I have the most of my farm in corn. I farmed the grove in corn the first five years and hardly missed the space used for trees. I proved what I stated above that one can plant trees and keep on farming and hardly miss the tree space. If planted 70 feet apart one can farm still more land. In cultivating the corn the trees are cultivated, which cuts down the extra cost of caring for them, although of course one must cultivate them if he expects to have them grow and develop rapidly.
I now have my oldest trees in sod, mostly weeds this year, but I intend to sow it to grass. I expect then to mow it early in June and use it for a mulch and then mow it maybe a couple of times more for looks sake and let the grass lie.
Now another interesting point I want to present to the intending planter of a nut grove is the error of following the foolish advice given out by some of planting seedlings and then grafting them. I say this not for the benefit of the nurserymen but for the financial benefit of the planter. First, the grafting of nut trees is a highly technical job and requires an enormous number of moves, from the first thing of cutting the grafting wood at the proper time in the winter and carefully storing it, until the cutting off of the stocks and knowing how long to let them bleed, and then grafting at the proper time, the proper shading of the graft, sprouting, staking, and tying up of the rapidly growing graft until the end of the growing season, so that the average man will have fallen down long before the season is over. And even if he has the time to do this, which the busy man hasn't, it will take him several years to learn to graft. By the time he has his legs run off over a period of five or seven years going from tree to tree set 60 or 70 feet apart doing more duties than he ever thought were needed, he will have a spotty grove of trees from one year old to bearing age, and then he will wake up and find that the first grafted ones are bearing so well, that should he have bought grafted trees and set them all out at one time the crop would have paid for the complete planting and he would have saved the long agony of trying to get a grove started. Even then he might not have one started, for grafting nut trees is a job every body does not seem able to grasp.
At the same time I feel that everybody who has a planting should learn the art of grafting. The few nurserymen now growing grafted nut trees are very willing to teach you and it is nice to be able to turn the fence row seedlings into profitable trees, it's nice to have the kick of feeling you can develop a wonderful tree with your own hand. And again, although I have had, I would say 95 per cent of my planted trees to grow, still here and there a top will die and suckers come up. As the tree roots are established it's nice to be able to stick a graft on these and save waiting a year to replant them with nursery trees.