Growing Nut Trees • Minnesota, W. G. •RIERLEY, Division of HoHiculture, University Farm and R. E. HODGSON, Southeast Experimental Station, Waseca

PART I. The Range of Native SHAGBARK HICKORY and Introduced Species (Carya ovata) A LONG-TIME personal interest in This species is native over a nut growing led, in the spring of range in Houston, Fillmore and 1918, to the beginning of a study of the counties and in adjacent parts of possibilities for growing nut trees in sha, Olmsted, Dodge, Mower and Minnesota. The study at first was born counties. Nuts borne by based on the excellent account of the native trees usually are of good distribution of native species which latez: but often are small in size. appeared as "Trees and Shrubs of Min­ widely scattered plantings have nesota" by Rosendahl and Butters2 • To made beyond the native range in this was added a record of plantings of nepin and Ramsey counties, along seedling trees which have shown how Minnesota river valley, and """HwaJro.­ some kinds, such as the Black Walnut, There are some old trees growing have been grown successfully well be­ Hickory Island northeast of Albert yond their native range. Whenever that are said to have been planted possible similar records have been made Indians many years ago. Plantings of plantings of Sweet Chestnut, King seedling trees beyond the native Nut, English Walnut, Pecan, Manchur­ are few because the long taproot ian Walnut and Filbert which are not transplanting difficult. Also, native to Minnesota. Reports of pro­ grown from nuts are very slow to gress in the study have appeared at bearing age. times in the Minnesota Horticulturists. Some seedling trees grown by The first part of this report deals M. Gideon at Excelsior are said to Shellback or King Nut Hickory with the native range, how the range begun bearing in eighteen or planted by Peter M. Gideon. has been extended by plantings, and years. Records of several trees in behavior of introduced kinds. Atten­ locations show that they did not avoid the first trouble, and thorough tion will be given later to cultural until more than thirty years old. methods, behavior of propagated vari­ watering in a dry season should avoid though rather slow growing the eties, and grafting. drouth injury. There are several prop­ agated varieties which have not been BUTTERNUT, or WHITE WALNUT tested here. (Juglans cinerea) BLACK WALNUT This species occurs in the wild (Juglans nigra) throughout the southeastern quarter of This species is not as widely distri­ the state in the area bounded roughly buted in the wild as the Butternut. Na­ by the Wisconsin and Iowa state lines, tive trees are found in the southeastern by Martin and Renville counties on the part of the state westward to Nobles West, to Wadena, Cass, Aitkin and and Redwood counties, and northward Pine counties on the North. Trees of to Sibley and Dakota counties. How­ this species have been grown success­ ever, this species has been grown far fully beyond the native range in Jack­ beyond its native range throughout all son, Lac Qui Parle, Polk, Itasca and of central Minnesota and as tar north St. Louis counties. as Kittson, Beltrami, Itasca and St. The Butternut is likely to succeed in Louis counties. good soil on protected sites almost any­ That Black Walnuts are more widely where south of a line from Moorhead planted than Butternuts seems to be due to Duluth. Over the entire range, but to slightly greater cold resistance, less particularly toward the western part of injury from sunscald, and because the the state, trees may be severely dam­ wood is less brittle and not so subject to aged by sunscald or drouth. Shading breakage. As trees grow rapidly and of the trunk in winter may help to are long lived they frequently are used for shade or in ornamental plantings. I. Paper No. 759 of the Miscellaneous Journal North of the Twin Cities, however, Series, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment some growing seasons may be too short Station. 2. T roes and Shrubs of Minnesota. Rosendahl, or too cool for the nuts to fill and ripen C 0. and Butters, F. K., University of Min .. nesota Press, 1928. properly. There are more than a hun­ 3. Minnesota Horticulturist 48:182-185. June 1920. dred propagated vanetles, many of Minnesota Horticulturist 53:259-261. November 1925. which are hardy and produce nuts of Minnesota Horticulturist 73:137-138. November 1945. excellent quality. 4 of Viola has about fifty trees grown have been grafted on shagbark or bitter­ sturdy and are useful as orna­ nut stocks with some promise of suc­ There are many propagated from seed which his father brought from New York in 1870. These trees cess. At present there is little to indi­ some of which are hardy cate that Pecans will be useful here. for planting in the southeastern are fifty to sixty feet high and are said to bear nearly every year. Nuts ob­ of the state. ENGLISH or PERSIAN WALNUT tained from these sources have produced (Juglans regia) or SWAMP HICKORY vigorous bearing trees on nearby farms. This walnut is a close relative of the A beautiful ornamental tree on the native Butternut and Black Walnut species occurs in the wild from Harris farm at La Crescent grew to a and is the walnut commonly grown southern borders of Aitkin and diameter of fourteen inches on the in California and Oregon. Many at­ Wing counties southward to the stump. It was cut down about 1918 tempts have been made to grow trees state line, in the "Big Woods" because the nuts never filled as there of this species here but practically all The trees are hardy and long were no other trees near for cross pol­ attempts have ended in failure. None of but the nuts are not edible. In lination. the common varieties seems to escape localities a root disease apparently These performance records show that winterkilling here. The Crath selec­ death of trees of all ages. Sweet Chestnut trees can be grown tion may be slightly hardier but none trees may be used as stocks successfully in the southeastern corner of the trees under observation has which named varieties of the Shag­ of Minnesota so long as the destructive escaped severe winter injury. Young Hickory can be grafted, but only chestnut blight disease is not introduced trees grow vigorously but mature so x Shagbark or Hickory x here. late they cannot endure early cold hybrids are said to form good spells. on this stock. A number of ap­ PECAN successful grafts of hybrid (Carya pecan) JAPANESE WALNUT (Juglans mandshurica) have made good unions with This close relative of the Hickory is stock here and have grown well adapted to warmer southern localities Trees of this and related species re­ thirteen years. and rarely has been grown successfully semble the native Butternut. They grow vigorously in the southern half of HAZELNUTS where winters are severe or the growing the state and begin to bear early. The (Corylus americana and C. rostra/a) season short and cool. Numerous at­ tempts have been made in Minnesota to wood is brittle, and injury from sun­ These two species are common in scald is common. Quality of the nuts The first is found over the grow varieties of the northern strain which is believed to be slightly hardier does not equal the Butternut as the oil state in thickets and on hillsides. content produces peculiar and undesir­ generally is confined to the than the southern strain. Although some trees are known to have survived several able flavors. LVu~;sls:SIDIDI. river valley and northward FILBERTS St. Louis, Lake and Cook winters, generally they have been (Corylus avellana) Although the nuts often are winterkilled before reaching bearing Attempts have ben made to grow and stored for home use their age. this close relative of the native Hazels. size and susceptibility to disease Hybrids between Pecan and Hickory, Winter injury has been common and weevil damage tend to limit their called "Hicans," seem to be slightly blossom buds usually have been killed There are a few selections and hardier than the northern strain of on bushes that survive. Hybrids with which are superior to wild Pecan. A few of these hybrid trees the native Hazels offer some promise but these have not been planted have survived several winters, but they often are injured. Some hybrid varieties (Continued on page 15)

From the time of the earliest settlers have been made to grow nut popular elsewhere but which not native here. That the majority these plantings resulted in failure •cin~irotP< a lack of sufficient cold resis- tance to enable them to survive. SWEET CHESTNUT (Castanea americana) This species does not seem to be hardy enough to survive in the Twin area or in the lower Minnesota valley. Seedlings or propagated varieties planted in those areas usually have failed within a few years. How­ ever, in Houston, Fillmore, Winona and ' Olmsted counties a number of trees are known to have lived many years. On the Klinsky farm north of Cale- , donia some nuts obtained from an east­ ern source were planted in the late SO's. These trees have thrived and fruited ~amples of. Nuts from the Gideon Trees. Above-Carya laciniosa, Shellbark for over sixty years. Charles Dubbels or King Nut Htckory. Below-Carya ovata, Native Shagbark Hickory.

January, 1952 5