MER, Assistant Horticulturist, University of New Hampshire,
Durham, New Hampshire

At the present time there are no nuts grown commercially in New
Hampshire. Those gathered by the residents of this state for home use or
local consumption are comprised almost entirely of butternuts from wild
seedling trees and nuts of the native hickory. The butternut is the most
highly prized among our native nuts. It grows wild over a large portion
of the state. The hickory nuts take second place, probably because of
their smaller size and the greater difficulty involved in removing the
meat from the shells. Black walnuts are occasionally found but do not
seem generally as popular.

Dr. A. F. Yeager of the Horticultural Department of the University of
New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, has several times called for
specimens of superior butternuts grown in the state. These have been
tested for their cracking ability, and size of kernel and ease of
removal from the shell in halves or as whole meats. Several very fine
specimens have been collected, but progress in the development of these
better types has been impeded by the difficulty involved in trying to
propagate them vegetatively. The New Hampshire Horticultural Department
would gladly welcome any information concerning the propagation of the
butternut that would make grafting or budding successful.

The best possibility in developing commercial nut crops in New
Hampshire apparently lies first in the use of the hazel or filbert.
Although the European filbert has not been very successful, such
varieties of the American hazel as Winkler and Rush look promising. The
Winkler has borne heavy crops but in a short summer season the nuts do
not always mature fully in the fall. Although we have had much less
experience with the Rush variety, this does mature earlier in the fall
and seems promising. Some of the Jones hybrids have been tested at the
Experiment Station in Durham, a few of which have done quite well. Of
these Jones hybrids No. 1181, 1154, and 1094 have made quite vigorous
growth. Seedling No. 1094 has been outstanding, producing good sized
nuts which mature well and shell out easily from the husks. In type and
flavor of nut it resembles the European hazel quite strongly under our
conditions.

So far, none of the chestnuts, including the Chinese species, have shown
great enough resistance to chestnut blight to warrant their
recommendation. We still hope that we may discov