Growing Nuts in the North

the opinion held by most people. Of course, when I speak of the hickory nut in this high regard, I refer to the shagbark hickory whic

only rarely is one found that can be broken by a hand cracker, it is necessary to use the flatiron-and-hammer method. It is quite possible, though, that some day the hickory will rival or exceed its near relative, the wild pecan, in commercial favor. The wild pecans which formerly came on the market at Christmastime in mixtures of nuts were just as difficult to extract from their shells as the wild shagbark hickory nuts are now. By means of selection and cultivation, the pecan was changed from a small, hard-to-crack nu

uts. This length of time contrasts very unfavorably with that required by grafted pecans which produce nuts on quite young trees, frequently within three to five years after grafting. This factor of slow growth has set the pecan far ahead of the tasty shagbark hickory. Experimenters have long thought to reduce the time required by the hickory to reach maturity by grafting it to fast-growing hickory roots such as the bitternut or the closely related

hell of Weschcke hickory v

some between hammer and flatiron. My demonstration was conclusive until I hit one nut which almost melted under the force I was applying. The shape of this nut was enough different from the others to enable me to pick out a handful like it from the mixture. I was amazed to see how very thin-shelled and full of meat they were. Upon my request, this neighbor wrote to his uncle, John Bailey,

ing Weschcke hickory in hull.

ere to look for the tree from which these particular nuts came than he had had before and we had not been at our task for more than an hour before it was located. There were still quite a few nuts on the ground beneath it, which identified it accurately. It was a large shagbark whose first living branch was fully sixteen feet off the ground and, since we had no ladder with us, I had to shin up the tree

Mr. Fobes in regard to both the purchasing and propagation of the original hickory tree and he urged the latter enthusiastically. Of the Weschcke hickory nuts themselves, he wrote: "This is practically identical with the Glover. The Glover is usually a little larger but this varies in all nuts from year to year. This is a fine nut and if it comes from

scionwood from Mr. Fobes and having kept it in good condition during the winter by storing it in a Harrington graft box shown by illustration, I was able to graft it in the spring. However, these grafts did not take hold w

es how to build a Harr

grafting successful and more than one branch bearing nutlets. These nuts dropped off during the summer until only one remained to mature, which it did in the latter part of October. But I waited too long to pick that nut and some smart squirrel, which had probably been watching it ripen as diligently as I had, secured it first. I made a very thorough search

elled nuts. The nuts have a fine flavor and the unusual quality of retaining this flavor without becoming rancid, for three years. The only fault to find with them is the commercial one of being only medium in size, so that compared to English walnuts, for example, they become unimpressive. I have noticed time and again that the average person wil

ly two Beaver trees lived to bear nuts. One of these is still growing on my farm, in thin, clay soil underlaid with limestone, and it bears nuts annually. It is only a fair-sized tree but I think its slow growth has protected it from the usual amount of winte

rsisted for several years, however, and it has been entirely discarded only recently. The Burlington is now known to be the representative of that part of Iowa. However, I grafted some of the tops of the Marquardt trees from Jones to bitternut trees at the time that I transplanted them; several of the grafts made successful growth and resulted in several trees growing deep in the woods. After 28 years these grafts are still alive and

ckory stocks, which would be more compatible with those varieties I could not get started on bitternut. I planted half a bushel of shagbark hickory nuts from Iowa, but although they sprouted nicely, they were not sufficiently hardy and were winter-killed so severely that, after twelve years, the largest was not more than a foot high, nor thicker than a lead pencil. Some of these, about 50, were transplanted into the orchard and in other favorable locations. The largest of these, in 1952, is about 4 inches in diameter, 1-foot off the ground, and about 15 feet high. I have not grafted any yet and only one has borne any seedling

can by shellbark

(pecan by shellbar

(pecan by shellba

(pecan by shellbar

ecan by shellbar

(pecan by shellba

ark hickory g

by mocker nut

rk hickory g

rk hickory gr

bark hickory gr

ark hickory g

hickory gra

rk hickory gr

rk hickory gr

k hickory gr

rk hickory gr

ark hickory g

agbark hickory

ark hickory g

ark hickory g

ark hickory g

ark hickory g

ark hickory g

y bitternut g

agbark hickory

bark hickory

rk hickory g

rk hickory gr

bark hickory

rafted

owing in orchard or random

d hickory gr

agbark hickory

rk hickory g

hagbark by bittern

Hybrid gra

an grafted to bitte

bark hickory

y shellbark g

Hiccan gra

ccan graf

determined hybri

Pecan by shellbar

t by bitternut

ark by bitternu

gbark by shellbar

d in orchard and random locations, some having been grafted in 1926 and later. Also, there

ckory, for example, that I realized the importance of proper pollinization of it. In years when it produced only a few nuts, I had blamed seasonal factors, rains and soil conditions, but I now realize that it was

inly seen. In doing this, I found it most practical to wear what jewelers call a "double loupe," a light, fiber head-gear carrying lenses well-suited to such work. I treated the marked branches with pollen gathered from the Bridgewater, the Kirtland and the Beaver, all very goo

nt of that venerable organization and succeeded myself thereafter for the next five years) I mentioned this abortive staminate bloom of my hickory to my friend, Dr. J. W. McKay, Associate Cytologist of the U. S. Department of Ag

hed anthers in stain but careful study of these mounts discloses no sign of pollen grains or mother cells, so we may tentatively conclude that no pollen is produced by the tree; in other words it is male-sterile. The stage at which degeneration of the pollen-forming tissue occurs in the anthers and its nature will have to be de

ty in chestnut but in these no stamens are formed in the individual staminate flower. In one of the hybrid walnuts that I reported on

liminary and other angles may turn up when

econd, and final report from Dr. Mc

Mr. We

may safely conclude that the tree is male sterile because of the failure of the mother cells to function. It is odd that in some anthers the pollen-mother-cells develop (type 2) while in others they do not (type 1). For this we have no explanation; nor can we explain why the tree is male sterile. I am afraid these phenomena will remain a matter of conject

rom your samples, and I will let you know if anything different turns up. I believe w

McKay submitted the drawings

rom that of May 25. Of these, two gave anthers of type one, and two of type two.

nd of deeply-staining collapsed cells apparently represe

degenerate before pollen grains are formed. A comparison of the degenerate po

y showing pollen degenera

and it is the Creager from Iowa.) I was immensely pleased to find that it responded very well to Bridgewater pollen, a high percentage of the blooms treated with it developing mature nuts. The results with the Kirtland pollen were almost equally good, the poorest showing coming from those branches treated with Beaver pollen on which o

ing, just as there should be more than one variety of apple or plum tree in an orchard. I think that it would always be well to have three or more

ve tested, about twenty have, by now, proved to be suffic

hybrid

ks hybri

hybrid

lin

between pecan and

ecan grafted on t

ure sh

ater pur

hybrid

pids pure

ke pure

x pure

pure

pure s

nd pure

hybrid between the mo

brid (bittern

re

oduced m

y come into bearing before their varieties will be known. As experiments continue, more varieties of worthy, hardy hickories and hicca

as borne by parent t

ring grafted on Northern Bitter

nge in shape and size

now is so pronounced as to almost

l size shows free splitting