Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association Thirty-Fourth Annual Report 1943
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
The next question brings out the reverse side of the planters' work:
"_What is your chief source of failure?_" The answer most often given
was the honest one, lack of attention. We can all convict ourselves
here, either involuntarily or otherwise. Especially during this period
of warfare, when so many have been taken away from their plantings and
have been unable to get help, there is no question but that our trees
have suffered. The next in frequency is "unsuitable soil." Following
this come: lack of water; poor planting; planting too big a tree; spring
planting of nut trees; buying 5 to 7 year-old trees; climate;
transplanting failures; grafting; grafting in dry, hot, springs;
top-working old trees; stink bugs on filberts (nuts); lack of drainage;
forcing with nitrogenous fertilizer; fertilizing young trees too much;
birds breaking off top growth. It had been the intention to confine this
question to young trees, but it was not so phrased, so we shall let the
answers stand as they are. It is a bit ironical that some found their
chief source of failure exactly where others had made their best
success. The explanation must lie in differences in technique, in soil
or in some other local condition. Skill, knowledge, and persistence must
always play a great part in any success.
We next asked, "_What have been your chief difficulties with
established, bearing trees?_" The difficulties here shift from matters
of soil, rodent protection and the like to other types; caterpillars,
neglect, winter injury, limited crops, failure of nuts to fill,
disappointing quality of nuts, bag and tent worms, blight, "blight" due
to drought, too early leaf fall, insects in early spring, trees drowned
out in flooded bottom lands. It is probable that this last disaster
happened to younger trees.
As to the species of trees chiefly damaged by these causes, black walnut
comes first (possibly because more of these trees have been planted),
then hickories, Persian walnuts, chestnuts (blight), heartnuts, pecans,
filberts, butternuts, and finally butternuts in the south areas from
fungus troubles.
Trees reported to have been least damaged were, first, butternuts, then
hazels and filberts, black walnuts, hickories, Manchurian walnuts, Jap.
walnuts, heartnuts, chestnuts, pecans, Persian walnuts.
In response to the specific question, "_What insects damaged the
trees?_", we found that walnut caterpillars were more common than any
others, followed closely by web or "tent" worms. The Japanese beetle is
a close second and is broadening its entrenched positions steadily.
Others are flat-headed apple borers, lace-wing fly, aphis, leaf hoppers.
To this list two reporters added sapsuckers among the insects. These
birds would almost girdle some of the branches with punctures.
Insect damage was reported as serious by eight reporters, as slight or
occasional by six, and of yearly occurrence by nearly all. Others
reported damage as serious if not controlled.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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