Walnut Growing in Oregon — History in Brief through Test Trees of Oregon

Thomas Prince, owner of the largest bearing walnut grove in Oregon, expresses the most enthusiastic satisfaction with the income from his investment, and is planting additional groves on his 800-acre farm in Yamhill county, in many cases uprooting fruit trees to do so.

HISTORY IN BRIEF

The so-called "English" walnut originated in Persia, where it throve for many centuries before it was carried to Europe--to England, Germany, France, Spain and Italy--different varieties adapting themselves to each country.

The name "walnut" is of German origin, meaning "foreign nut."

The Greeks called it "the Royal nut," and the Romans, "Jupiter's Acorn," and "Jove's Nut," the gods having been supposed to subsist on it.

The great age and size to which the walnut tree will attain has been demonstrated in these European countries: one tree in Norfolk, England, 100 years old, 90 feet high, and with a spread of 120 feet, yields 54,000 nuts a season; another tree, 300 years old, 55 feet high, and having a spread of 125 feet, yields 1,500 pounds each season.

In Crimea there is a notable walnut tree 1,000 years old that yields in the neighborhood of 100,000 nuts annually.

It is the property of five Tartar families, who subsist largely on its fruit.

In European countries walnuts come into bearing from the sixteenth to the twenty-fourth year; in Oregon, from the eighth to the tenth year;

grafted trees, sixth year.

The first walnut trees were introduced into America a century ago by Spanish friars, who planted them in Southern California.

It was not until comparatively recent years that the hardier varieties from France, adapted to commercial use, were planted in California and later in Oregon.

They were also tried in other localities, but without success.

Since the prolific productiveness of the English walnut on the Pacific Coast has been assured, many commercial groves have been set out.

TEST TREES OF OREGON

The first walnut trees were planted in Oregon in limited number for purely home use, "just to see if they would grow," and they did.

Thus the state can boast of single trees close to sixty years of age, each with admirable records of unfailing crops, demonstrating what a fortune would now be in the grasp of their owners had they planted commercially.

In Portland, Oregon, on what is known as the old Dekum place, 13th and Morrison streets, there are two walnut trees, planted in 1869, that have yielded a heavy crop every fall since their eighth year, not a single failure having been experienced.

The ground has never been cultivated.

The nuts planted were taken at random from a barrel in a grocery store.

During the "silver thaw" of 1907, the most severe cold spell in the history of Oregon, one of the trees was wrenched in two, but the dismembered limb, hanging by a shred, bore a full crop of walnuts the following season.

N.

A.

King, at 175 Twenty-first street, has some fine, old trees that have not missed bearing a good crop since their eighth year.

Henry Hewitt, living at Mt. Zion, Portland, an elevation of 1,000 feet, has many handsome trees, one, a grafted tree fifteen years old, that has borne since its fifth year.

Another tree of his buds out the fourth of July and yields a full crop as early as any of the other varieties.

In Salem, there is what is known as the famous old Shannon tree, fully thirty years old, with a record of a heavy crop every season.

Mayor Britt, of Jacksonville, has a magnificent tree that has not failed in twenty years.

Dr. Finck, of Dallas, has a large tree seventeen years old that bore 70 pounds of nuts in its thirteenth year, and has increased ever since.

C. H.

Samson, of Grants Pass, has a grove of 250 trees, now ten years old, that bore at seven years.

Mr. Tiffany, of Salem, has a fifteen-year-old tree that at thirteen years bore 115 pounds.

Mr. E.

Terpening, of Eugene, has four acres of walnuts grafted on the American black, which in 1905 produced 700 pounds, in 1906 produced 1200 pounds, in 1907 produced 2000 pounds, and in 1908 produced 3000 pounds.

He tried seedlings first, but they were not satisfactory.

The Epps and Reece orchard near Eugene produces about 100 pounds per tree, at 12 years of age.

Mr. Muecke, of Aurora, planted a dozen walnuts from his father's estate in Germany; they made a splendid growth, and at six years bore from 500 to 800 nuts to a tree.

Mr. Stober, of Carson Heights, planted nuts from Germany with satisfactory results.

Mrs. Herman Ankeny, of New Era, has seven young trees that in 1907 netted her a tree.

[Illustration: Here is a Santa Barbara soft-shell on the lawn of Mr. E.

C.

Apperson, in McMinnville, which at the age of eight years bore 32 pounds of walnuts.

It stood the frosts and winter of 1908-'09 and bears every year; it is now 11 years old, 12 inches in diameter and has a branch spread of 40 feet.

] [Illustration: _The "Cozine" Walnut Tree_] Cozine tree on A street, McMinnville.

Seedling, 15 years old; bears good crop of nuts every year.

At 14 years old the crop was 125 pounds.

Is 16 inches in diameter and has a spread of 42 feet.

One sixteen-year-old tree near Albany netted its owner . A Franquette walnut near Brownsville yielded eight bushels at ten years.

The French varieties planted in and around Vancouver commenced bearing at seven years, and have never failed.

Prominent growers are A. A.

Quarnberg, A. High, Mr. H.

J.

Biddle, C. G.

Shaw.

In Yamhill county, Ed.

Greer, James Morison, F. W.

Myers, D. H.

Turner and Bland Herring all won prizes at the first walnut fair held in the state, on nuts from their groves.

WOOD OF THE ENGLISH WALNUT