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The Birth of a New

THE

ROYAL WALNUT

A New Timber and Nut Tree for Both Beauty and Profit. The Most Rapid Growing and Most Valuable Hard- wood Timber Tree Known

The United States Government now has agents in every State in an effort to discover all Black Walnut trees for use in making aeroplane propellers and gunstocks and our loyal citizens are sacrificing their long cherished shade and roadside Walnuts for this purpose. The time is here now when a thrifty young “Royal” grove will sell more readily and for a better price than the best prune or orange orchard, both of which need constant out- lay, care and attention, while a “Royal” grove requires no attention whatever after once started until the nuts begin to fall. Fruit trees or other crops can be grown among the Walnut trees, and poultry, sheep or hogs will even help them along.

LUTHER BURBANK

BURBANK'S EXPERIMENT FARMS

SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A.

The Bnrhank Original “ROYAL"’ Walnut Tree, Twenty-Two Years of Age; Ninety-Six Feet in Height With a Spreac of Sixty-Four Feet of Branehes and a Girth of Nine Feet Three Inehes Six Feet Above the Ground and the Sann at Twelve Feet.

The Burbank ROYAL Walnut

During the Y^EARS from 1878 to 1885 I was experimenting exten- sively with our native nut trees, the Black Walnut of the Eastern States (Juglans Nigra), our native Black Walnut (j. Calif ornica) , the Texas Black Walnut (j. Rupestris), and the Asian Walnuts (j. Mans- churica), (j. Sieholdi) ; also the South American Black Walnut (j. Nigra var.), the Butternut (j. Cinerea), and a dozen or more other species.

The result of a cross of a rapid growing Eastern Black Walnut and our Northern California, handsome, rapid growing native Black Walnut, produced the variety now known everywhere as the “Royal,” which will outgrow any other known walnut tree on earth, whether produced by Nature or by the skill of man. The “Roal\l” has come to be known not only as the best of all walnuts for timber production, but also from its unequaled vigor as a stock on which to graft all the best soft shell wal- nuts of commerce; it being found by general experience that trees grafted on the “Roawl” root make a better growth, bear more and larger nuts of better quality, and are far less subject to the blight.

California Black Walnut and Eastern Black Walnut, the Two Parents of the “ROYAL”

Hybrid and the “ROYAL” at the Right

But above all, the value of the “Royal” is for timber, which it will pro- duce at about one-eighth of the expense of the ordinary Black Walnut timber and in less than one-quarter of the time. Do these astounding results mean anything? A tree that will produce the most beautiful and most costly of all our American hard woods with a speed almost or quite equaling the semi-tropical eucalyptus means simply that it is now a foolish waste of time and labor to plant timber groves of any other kind, especially when it is well known that old Black Walnut fences, stumps, and the inside finish of old houses are now eagerly sought for making walnut veneers, being too expensive to use solid as formerly, even before the whole American supply was exhausted.

The wood of the “Roawl” often shows an annual growth of nearly one inch all around the tree each season, while the bark is thinner than that of the ordinary Black Walnut.

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THE BURBANK ROYAL WALNUT

When I first announced this rapid grow- ing walnut, most lumber men and those who had used the common Black Walnut in the manufacture of furniture and pianos were very doubtful; some of them even very sure that it would prove to be softer than the Eastern Black Walnut, which they were then using. Therefore, I cut a large branch from my original enormous trees and subjected pieces of the timber to sev- eral New York and Chicago piano and furniture makers, all of whom pronounced it heavier, harder, closer grained, and of a liner, silkier texture and in all respects SUPERIOR to the common Black Walnut. This could, of course, leave no doubt of its superior quality for every purpose for which Black Walnut is used.

This really wonderful new timber and surpassingly beautiful shade tree probably can not be profitably grown where the ther- mometer falls much lower than twenty or thirty degrees below zero, as with such a winter temperature the tips are frozen back occasionally, which checks the trees badly if too often repeated. The trees, how- ever, live in Eastern Canada, and thrive with unexampled vigor on any deep allu- vial soil throughout most of the United States.

The value of the “Boyal” as a shade and ornamental tree with its grace, beauty, and towering proportions is well shown by the photograph of one of the original trees which now, at twenty-two years of age, is ninety-six feet in height with a spread of sixty-six feet of branches and a girth of nine feet three inches six feet above the ground and the same at twelve feet. If any other nut tree of the same age, of equal size and beauty has ever been seen, it has never yet been mentioned. This “Boa^al” tree also produces an enormous quantity of very

These two yearling trees show the extremes in walnut growth. Both were grown side by side the same season on the same land with exactly the same treatment. The larger tree will produce wood and timber at least one hundred times as fast as the smaller one, not only when young, but ALWAYS. The tall one shown in the picture grew six feet, one and one-half inches from the surface of the ground; the other only one inch. The roots, of course, as may be seen, were in proportion to the top growth.

THE BURBANK ROYAL WALNUT

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large Black Walnuts, far finer in quality than any other Black Walnut. When assistant Traffic Director of the Harriman Lines visited my place with James Horsburg, Jr., of the Southern Pacific Passenger Department and Prof. E. J. Wickson of the Rural Press, he relates that he saw many wonderful things, but was most impressed and amazed by the Hybrid Walnut which promises to revoiutionize the furniture business and also perhaps the cord wood industry on account of its unusual hardness, fine ciose fiber and rapid growth of the tree, and its abundant yield of large nuts. ‘T almost had a suspicion that I was not in my right senses when viewing some of Mr. Burbank’s achievements,” remarked Mr. Stohr on returning from Santa Bosa, “for after delving

into the mysteries of that hybrid walnut I became absolutely Sval- nutty’.”

The trees should be planted forty to fifty feet apart each way in groves for timber or they may be pianted twenty to thirty feet apart and every other one removed before they begin to crowd.

Various farm crops, fruit trees, poultry, or other uses may be made of the ground while the trees are young, but on good soil the larger spaces will soon be covered.

The first “Boyal” Walnut ever produced by the skill of man was produced on my own grounds and was first named, first described, and first introduced by myself. If you wish to start right it is well to go to the fountain head by purchasing trees or nuts for a grove DIBECT FBOM THE OBIGINATOR. It saves trouble later, as the originator of a new tree or plant or product of any kind must feel an interest in its suc- cess which is not often shared by others who have something to offer “jusf as good as Burbank's.”

A “ROYAL** Tree Growing in Connecticut; Nine Feet in Height at Fifteen Months of Age. Any Walnut the First Year After Transplanting Grows Only a Few Inches. The Second Season the “ROYAL” Often Grows Six to Ten Feet.

Extra Selected one year nursery trees of “Roam.” from the Original Tree; each, $1; ten, $6; hundred, $45.

One year selected as above; each, 60c; ten, $4; hundred, $20.

One year general run as above; each, 25c; ten, $1.50; hundred, $10. Nuts for ptanting from Original Giant tree; each, 15c; ten, $1; hun- dred, $3. Special rates for large orders.

Wood for grafting from the Original Tree; foot, 60c; ten feet, $4; hun- dred feet, $25.

THE BURBAHK ROYAL WALNUT

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Directions for Planting and Care

When the trees are received see that the tap root is sliortcned by a clean sloping cut, leaving the root about twice as long as the top; plant same depth it grew in the nursery or a shade deeper; pack soil well about the roots. A slight shade of weeds or straw the first season is henelicial but not necessary. In dry climates a gallon or so of water once in July or August the first Summer will insure greater growth yet is not necessary, as the “Royals” are fully capable of caring for them- selves.

The lints may he planted at any season two inches deep and five or six inches apart in the rows, which may be from one to four feet apart. All may he transplanted to permanent positions when one or two years old. For permanent groves about 40 to 50 feet apart is best, that is, 20 to 31 trees per acre; for street planting 50 to 60 feet apart is better. A well located twenty-year-old grove should be worth even at present prices some ten to sixteen thousand dollars per acre.

Let it be remembered that although the facts stated above are correct in every particular as nearly as it is possible to state facts, yet I do not recommend everybody to plant “Royals” for timber. Only those who can afi'ord to wait for ten or twenty years, great as the profits will be, should invest in this most attractive enterprise, so well suited to those who have land on which this unusual investment will yield great returns with so little trouble and labor. But all may plant a few trees for beauty and the enhancement in value which grand trees bring to any piece of land, and even one $500 or $600 tree is worth having.

The largest and most frequent orders for the “Roa^al” Walnut come from the very States where the Black Walnut used to grow and where now a good old Black Walnut tree will sell at from $200 to $800, or if extra fine for $1000 or more, and where good Black Walnut lumber brings as bigh as $200 to $500 per thousand feet. The “Roaal” is espe- cially adapted to reforesting, roadside planting, and for general shade- tree purposes. In one case a request was received for ten million trees — of the “Roaal” — one million a year for ten years. As there are not enough of the “Roa^al” Walnuts in the world to supply such a request, it was, of course, reluctantly refused, though the original “Roa^al” tree always bears great crops of nuts. We bave counted the crop this season and find there are 17,160 nuts and there are a few still on the tree, in all amounting to a little over forty-five bushels as they fall in the husk. The nuts are large and the meat is delicious — far superior to that of any other black walnut in all respects.

THE BURBANK ROYAL WALNUT 7

By DR. J. H. KELLOGG

One acre of walnut trees will produce eveiy }xar food ecpial to: 14,000 lbs. red bass (a ship load) ; 3000 lbs. beef (five steers) ; 7500 lbs. chicken broilers; 15,000 lbs. lobsters; 10,000 lbs. oysters; 60,000 eggs (5000 dozen); 4000 quarts milk; a ton of mutton (13 sheep); 250,000 frogs. And when one acre will do so much, think of the product of a million acres: Ten times the product of all the fisheries of the country; half as much as all the poultry of the country; one-seventh as much as all the beef produced; more than twice the value of all the sheep; half as much as all the pork. And many millions of acres may he thus utilized in nut culture.

A Western farmer sold a stranger a Black Walnut tree which was growing in his pasture for $25, supposing he had made a good bargain. The stranger sold the same tree for $600.

Thomas a. Edison, Luther Burbank, Henry Ford.

An Income of $10,000 Per Year

HE planting of the improved varieties

of the black walnut solves the problem of utilizing our waste land that cannot be cul- tivated. With meat growing scarcer and higher priced all the time, the demand for nuts is going to be far in excess of the supply in the future. “It is conservatively estimated,” says J. F. Jones, “that if one plants, say, 1,000 trees of the improved varieties of the black walnut and gives them some attention till established, when in good bearing they will return a revenue of at least $10.00 per tree in ‘nut meats’ or $10,000 a year. These trees need little or no attention and may be planted on rough land or along fences and ditches where it would not be practicable to plant trees requiring more attention. With the cracking machinery now being perfected, the work of cracking black walnuts and other nuts will be made easy in the future. It does not require a very large black walnut tree to produce a bushel of nuts. Large trees may bear eight or ten bushels of nuts in a season.” — American Nut Journal.