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