Chapter VII: Part 7

Stratification consists in layering the nuts in clean, sharp sand, light loam or sawdust and placing them in a cold, moist place, as a well drained and shaded north hillside, where their contact with the soil and protection from the direct rays of the sun will insure complete dormancy and at the same time prevent the development of fungous troubles. To this end the common practice is to dig a somewhat shallow trench and place in it, one layer deep, the "flats" in which the nuts are stratified. The flat usually employed is a shallow, wooden box in which the bottom is provided with ample, narrow drainage cracks and the top covered with wire cloth that will keep out mice or larger rodents. Not infrequently the bottom is a wire cloth one instead of wood. Dimensions of the flats vary, somewhat, but a convenient size is 30" long, 15"-16" wide, 3"-4" deep, sides ends and bottom being made of lumber strips (creosoted for preservation purposes) 3\4" thick and 3"-4" wide.

In these flats the nuts are placed layer upon layer, with sand, loam or sawdust between, something as follows: one inch of sand or other medium on the bottom, then a single layer of nuts, another inch layer of sand, etc., until the flat is full, when it is covered with the wire cloth, placed in the trench, covered with a few inches to a foot of leaves, moist hay, cornstalks or even soil, and left for the winter. At the time the medium for layering the nuts is being prepared, it will be well, if ants are present in the section where the nuts are to be stored, or later placed in nursery bed, to mix a liberal percentage of unleached wood ashes with the sand, sawdust or loam, say one part in five, more or less.

Other flats are placed alongside or end to end in the trench until the stock is all in, when the whole may be covered uniformly. The layer of leaves or hay next to the wire cover of the flats assists in the work of uncovering when the inspections are made for the purpose of ascertaining the state of dormancy or germination.

One step more and the seed stage passes into the province of the seedling. As soon as the stratified nuts begin to germinate they should be removed from the flats and planted in the nursery or propagating bed. The site for this purpose should be one that is well drained, open to air and sunshine and possessing a clean, fine, mellow and rather light loamy soil. The size of this plat will vary to meet the needs of the quantity of nuts in hand and should be prepared, preferably the fall before, by stirring the soil deeply and thoroughly working into it a goodly supply of well rotted stable compost.

The rows for hand culture may be 18"-30" apart; for loose hoeing, 3' to 3-1/2' and should lie along north and south lines. The distance and depth of the nuts in the row will vary with their size. In general, one may say that a nut should be planted the length of the lateral diameter below the surface of the soil, when it has settled, or about double that depth when the soil is freshly worked over it. The distance apart in the row will vary somewhat with the rapidity of growth of the species; six to eight inches being a fair average for walnuts and chestnuts, and 4 to 6 for hickories and pecans.

Fifteenth Annual Convention of the Northern Nut Growers' Association, New York City,
September 3, 4, 5, 1924

Species Variety Exhibitor Address Origin

1. Black walnut J. A. Neilson Vineland, Ont. St. Thomas, Ont. 2. Black walnut " " " " " Niagara-on-Lake. 3. Black walnut Walsh " " " " " Simcoe, Ont. 4. Black walnut " " " " " Electric, Ont. 5. Black walnut " " " " " Villoria, Ont. 6. Black walnut Ohio J. F. Jones Lancaster, Pa. 7. Black walnut Stabler " " " " " 8. Black walnut Thomas " " " " " 9. Persian walnut J. A. Neilson Vineland, Ont. Carpathian Mts. 10. Persian walnut " " " " " Grimsley, Ont. 11. Persian walnut " " " " " St. Catherines, Ont. 12. Persian walnut Alpine J. F. Jones Lancaster, Pa. 13. Persian walnut Mayette seedling " " " " " 14. Persian walnut Sinclair " " " " " 15. Persian walnut Wiltz Mayette " " " " " 16. Heartnut J. A. Neilson Vineland, Ont. Near Jordon, Ont. 17. Heartnut " " " " " Near Hamilton, Ont. 18. Heartnut " " " " " Near Scotland, Ont. 19. Heartnut Faust J. F. Jones Lancaster, Pa. 20. Heartnut Lancaster " " " " " 21. Heartnut Ritchey " " " " " 22. Sieboldiana walnut J. A. Neilson Vineland, Ont. Hamilton, Ont. 23. Sieboldiana walnut " " " " " OAC Campus, Guelph. 24. Shagbark J. A. Neilson Vineland, Ont. Electric, Ont. 25. Shagbark " " " " " Norfolk Co., Ont. 26. Shagbark hybrid Beaver J. F. Jones Lancaster, Pa. 27. Shagbark hybrid Siers " " " " " 28. Pecan J. A. Neilson Vineland, Ont. 15 miles N. of Toronto 29. Almond " " " " " Gellatly, B. C. 30. Filbert Tray of mixed " " " " " Gellatly, B. C. 31. Filbert White aveline J. F. Jones Lancaster, Pa. 32. Filbert Barcelona " " " " " 33. Filbert Cosford " " " " " 34. Filbert Daviana " " " " " 35. Filbert Du Chilly " " " " " 36. Filbert Giant de Halle " " " " " 37. Filbert Italian Red " " " " " 38. Filbert Merribrooke " " " " " 39. Filbert Noci Lunghe " " " " " 40. Filbert Rush " " " " " 42. Filbert hybrid Rush x Barcelona " " " " " 43. Filbert hybrid Rush x Barcelona " " " " " 44. Filbert hybrid Rush x Barcelona " " " " " 45. Filbert hybrid Rush Cosford " " " " " 46. Filbert hybrid Rush Cosford " " " " " 47. Filbert hybrid Rush Giant de Halle " " " " " 48. Filbert hybrid Rush Giant de Halle " " " " " 49. Filbert hybrid Rush Giant de Halle " " " " " 50. Filbert hybrid Rush Italian Red " " " " " 51. Photograph--Walnut-cracking machine Black Walnut Company, 509-11-13, Spruce St., St. Louis, Mo. 52. Budding Knife

[Transcriber's note: No. 41 is missing in the original]

Among those present at the Fifteenth Annual Convention of the Northern Nut Growers' Association, were the following:

Dr. N. L. Britton, Director of the N. Y. Botanical Gardens.
Dr. Fred E. Brooks, Entomologist, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Dr. and Mrs. Frank L. Baum, Boyertown, Pa.
Mr. Willard G. Bixby, Baldwin, N. Y.
Dr. A. F. Blakeslee, Cold Spring Harbor, L. I.
Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Bartlett, Stamford, Conn.
Miss H. T. Bennett, Boston, Mass.
Prof. J. Franklin Collins, Providence, R. I.
Dr. John E. Cannaday, Charleston, W. Va.
Mr. G. M. Codding, Mt. Vernon, N. Y.
Prof. A. S. Colby, University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill.
Dr. W. C. Deming, Hartford, Conn.
Mr. Zenas H. Ellis, Fair Haven, Vt.
Mrs. W. D. Ellwanger, Rochester, N. Y.
Mr. Ammon P. Fritz, 55 E. Franklin St., Ephrata, Pa.
Mr. A. F. Graf, Bardonia, N. Y.
Mrs. B. W. Gahn, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture.
Mr. and Mrs. Karl W. Greene, Washington, D. C.
Dr. M. A. Howe, Assistant to Director, N. Y. Botanical Gardens.
Mr. Henry Hicks, Baldwin, L. I. (Hicks' Nurseries).
Mr. John W. Hershey, E. Downington, Pa.
Mr. Lee Whitaker Jaques, 74 Waverly St., Jersey City, N. J.
Mr. J. F. Jones, Lancaster, Pa.
Mr. M. G. Kains, Suffern, N. Y.
Mr. Thomas W. Little, Cos Cob, Conn.
Dr. Robt. T. Morris, Cos Cob, Route 28, Box 95, Stamford, Conn.
Dr. L. H. MacDaniels, N. Y. State College of Agriculture, Ithaca, N. Y.
Prof. Jas. A. Neilson, Horticultural Exp. Station, Vineland, Ont., Can.
Mr. Ralph T. Olcott, Ed. American Nut Journal, Rochester, N. Y.
Mrs. R. T. Olcott, Rochester, N. Y.
Mr. P. H. O'Connor, Bowie, Md.
Mr. C. A. Reed, U. S. Department of Agriculture
Mr. John Rick, Reading, Pa.
Dr. J. Russell Smith, Columbia University, New York, N. Y.
Dr. Oscar Stapf, F. R. S., late Curator of the Herbarium, Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew, London, England.
Mr. Harry R. Weber, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mrs. Laura E. Woodward, West Chester, Pa.
Dr. and Mrs. G. A. Zimmerman, Piketown, Pa.

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This space is paid for by Jas. L. Brooke, Pleasantville, Ohio, who is only too anxious at any time to assist in encouraging and promoting Nut Culture in the North.

While he has only recently taken up this work, and is therefore a practical stranger on the roster of The Northern Nut Growers' Association, he will only be too anxious and willing at any time to contribute to the cause in any way possible.

He is making a thorough search in his neighborhood where chestnuts, hickory nuts and black walnuts grow in abundance, for nuts of approved merit for propagation.

In case anything is found along this line of endeavor the active members of the association will hear from him and samples of nuts submitted.

NUT TREES

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