f worn-out upland,
pronounced by our county agent to be the poorest piece of ground in our
county, and predicted it would be a complete failure.

I planted the pecan trees 60 feet apart, and interplanted with other nut
and fruit trees. The trees were planted on the contour with youngberries
and many others planted in rows between the tree rows, making a perfect
soil conservation arrangement. Barnyard fertilizer was used to start the
trees. Every September, vetch and rye were sown as a cover-crop and
soil-builder and disked into the soil the following spring. Clean
cultivation is practiced during the summer to conserve moisture. This
procedure has been adhered to most rigidly without a single crop
failure. At 12 years most of the trees are producing $25 worth of
paper-shells. The youngberries and plants sold have paid the expense of
the orchard and a handsome profit besides, until the trees needed all
the room. This project has proved to my satisfaction that profitable
nuts and fruit crops can be grown on upland, if soil conservation and
improvement are practised. The limiting factors of nut and fruit
production are plant food and moisture, and if these are supplied, good
production is assured.

Black Walnuts

The native black walnut of Oklahoma is small and of little value. Most
pecan growers have a few native black walnut trees they graft to the
improved varieties. I have Thomas, Stabler, Ohio, Mintle, Myers, and
others. Thomas has been used most extensively, but does not fill well on
upland. However, in deep sand and low bottoms it fills perfectly. It is
an alternate bearer and is subject to sunscald in our hot dry summers.
Ohio and Stabler have not proven satisfactory. Mintle is a fine nut,
splendid cracker, fills well, but is an alternate bearer. I like Myers
very much, a consistent bearer, has thinnest shell of all, vegetates
after frost in spring, has abundant foliage and twigs, holds leaves
until late autumn. Myers is my choice of all varieties at present.
However, as with pecans, what varieties to use is each grower's
individual problem. We will be looking for better varieties 50 years
from now. For five years I am offering $25 annually for the best
seedling black walnut. Write to our A & M College, Horticulture
Department, Stillwater, Oklahoma, for rules and regulations of the
contest.

How to Make Money with Black Walnuts

I believe I have discovered the best way to market black walnuts. I have
not