In this Issue...

• Annual Winter Meeting
• The Black Walnut Distribution for 1987
• Forthcoming Business
• A New Organization
• Report on the Spring 1986 Picnic
• Trees still wanted at the Baxter Nut Grove
• A Seed Distribution Project - Hardy Hazelnuts

The Applications SIG is pleased to announce the Annual Winter Meeting to be held at theOttawa South Community Center, also called The Old Fire Hall, located on Sunnyside Ave. 2blocks east of Bank St. in Ottawa, on Wednesday January 21st, 1987 from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

This meeting will host several invited speakers and round table discussions on various practicaland instructive topics about growing nut trees. Try a recipe from our new cookbook, Recipes in a Nutshell and bring it along to the meeting! Themeeting is open to all, including members, family, friends and the general public. For moreinformation call Polly at 233-5189, or any member of the Executive. Welcome, One and All!

The Black Walnut Distribution for 1987

Last fall, George Truscott donated some 2500 black walnut seed to the Chapter. Unlike in theprevious two years, we were unable to bury the nuts at the Baxter Nut Grove, to winter overpending a distribution in Spring '87. The seed are now in a freezer at the Hank Jones house inOttawa.

The executive has approved a proposal to have Cobjon Enterprises Inc., an Ontario-basedcompany supplying environmental services and information, distribute the seed on our behalf.The company proposes to contact all the community newspapers and interest societies in easternOntario and western Quebec to announce the availability of the seed, and to ask them to tell theirreaders and members where to get in tough with Cobjon to obtain seed. Cobjon will ship the seedat cost, plus a donation to the Chapter. It will record each recipient's address for the Chapter sothat we can follow up on the plantings in the future.

With each shipment of seed, Cobjon will include a copy of the Chapter brochure and aninformation sheet on growing black walnut from seed. The information sheet will be drafted byCobjon and approved by the Chapter.

The important feature of this method of seed distribution is the wide exposure combined with theability to ship seeds to the interested party so they do not have to travel to obtain them. It ishoped that this method will prove very successful in getting all the seed out, and also swell theChapter coffers modestly to help us further our good works.

For more information, call Hank Jones at Ottawa 731-5237.

Forthcoming Business

The next AGM on Saturday March 21st 1987 will be held at the Baxter Conservation Area nearKemptville. The meeting will be in the Interpretive Center there, thanks to our hosts, the RideauValley Conservation Authority. Watch for more information in the Next Nuttery.

A New Organization

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the Chapter was unable to arrange eitherthe summer or fall meetings in 1986. Likewise, two issues of the Nuttery were missed. It wasclear by late fall that as a Chapter, we had extended ourselves beyond our capacity: the four SIGsand two committees at large just could not be supported. Consequently, action was taken at thelast executive to cut down on the infrastructure. Hopefully, we will find the reduced number ofgroups fit our Chapter size and work capacity to a tree.

At the last executive meeting, a proposal to amalgamate the groups was presented and accepted.The new arrangement follows:

1. The Survey SIG and the Nut Use SIG are now combined into the Applications SIG.Polly Forrestall-Jones 233-5189 is the convenor.
2. The Horticulture SIG and the Silviculture SIG are combined into the Arboriculture SIG. Theconvenor will be chosen from the group as soon as possible. Check with Chapter Vice-ChairJohn Watt.
3. The Communications Committee and the Membership Committee are now combined intothe Communications Committee, chair the Secretary/Treasurer.

It is hope that this simplification will facilitate your participation in Chapter activities. Please callthe convenors to find out what opportunities await you in these SIGs and Committee.

Report on the Spring 1986 Picnic

Six members came to the George Truscott plantation at White Lake on the morning of June 28th.The weather was warm and bright. The visitors were given a tour of the many acres involved inGeorge's experiments, and an exposé of the theories on which they were based. Georgehas been working on Black Walnuts for many years, as demonstrated by the 15' to 18' tall treesthere.

He has adopted several different methods of mulching to minimize maintenance work. Theireffectiveness in promoting growth is shown in several other crops, as well as by the trees. He hasBlack Walnut trees in nursery areas showing interesting development. Several young plantationsof red and white pine have been interplanted with the Black Walnut seed to permit him to assessthe effects of the nurse trees on the walnut's development.

George has devised several methods of seeding walnuts individually while protecting them fromsquirrels. He uses juice cans and wire mesh. Using this device, he has been interplanting inmature (10 year old) white pine and mixed conifer plantations. Some of these walnut trees arenow 6-7' tall and pushing rapidly towards the tops of the pines.

Many lessons are coming from this work already, and more are to be expected in the future. It isa pity more members have not seen George's place. Those who have are grateful for theopportunity.

Trees still wanted at the Baxter Nut Grove

When planning began for the Baxter Nut Grove, the Curator of the Dominion Arboretum was thefirst to be consulted. Trevor Cole provided us with a checklist of all the nut and bean bearingtrees and shrubs growing in the Arboretum. About 60 species were included.

We then consulted Hubert Rhodes, one of our members who is both botanist and professionalnurseryman. He studies Trevor's list, added a few species from his own knowledge, then selectedabout half the total number. These, he recommended, should be given priority. His list wasadopted and plans were laid to plant them on the five acres of cleared land set aside for thepurpose by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority at the Baxter Conservation Area.

More than half the species listed have been successfully planted and the Chapter should press onto complete this phase of the project. The priority list is reproduced below, with asterisksmarking the trees still missing from our collection.

All members are invited to help fill the gaps. Some needs might be filled by purchases fromnurseries, some by specimens from the wild, some by growing from seed. Can you help - haveyou any suggestions?

Call Alec Jones for more information or to get involved in the hunt for the missing trees, atOttawa 828-6459. Please be ready to discuss this subject at the Winter Meeting on the 21st ofJanuary - see you there!

(continued)See the current list.

A Seed Distribution Project - Hardy Hazelnuts

A seed distribution project involving hardy hazelnuts is now underway in our parent SONGorganization. These hazelnut varieties are known to be hardy for southern Ontario, but could beworth trying out here.

The Hardy Hazel Hybrids

The hazel family of bushes and trees often have been described as the little nuts which groweverywhere. There are the beaked hazels which grow up into the James Bay area and also thePeace River country of the west. There are the large delicious nuts of the European filbert andnot the least of the hazel clan is the Turkish tree hazel with its tall, sturdy trunks reaching up to30 m high.

Back in the 1920's, James U. Gellatly of West Bank, British Columbia recognized this greatdiversity of hazels and anticipated that some ver attractive nut producing hybrids could becreated to suit Canadian growing conditions. He took the large nut European filbert with itsdelicious kernels and he crossed these with several of the super hardy northern Canadian hazelspecies. Thousands of seedling nut bushes were produced and from these, selections were madewhich combined the most desirable characteristics of nut size, quality of kernel, productivity,extreme hardiness and vigorous, pest-resistant bushes. Gellatly was remarkably successful inachieving his objectives. Later on, he expanded his hybridizing goals to include Turkish andChinese tree hazel species. Ultimately, he wound up with many superior hybrids which carrysuch interesting names as Cinoka, Manoka, Petoka, Faroka, Myoka, Morrisoka, and evenGellatly 502. The "oka" of these names refers to the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia.

This great variety of hazel types has been tried at several locations throughout North Americaand the initial results have been extremely encouraging. Not the Society of Ontario Nut Growersis making a special seed offer available for more extensive testing of these superior typesthroughout Ontario and the adjacent provinces and states. It is expected that significant returnswill be realised for both home growing as well as commercial ventures. The details of the seedoffer are as follows:

Packages of 8 Seed Nuts for $4.00 Send requests to: SONG, Attn:R.D.Campbell, Editor, R.R.1,Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canada K0S 1J0. Make cheques payable to: The Society ofOntario Nut Growers. A set of growing instructions will be included with each package.

Also, a special offer is extended to interested individuals who want to become members ofSONG and enjoy the benefits of all the nut growing information whichis available from theorganization. A three-year membership costs only $21.00 and those who take out newmembership may receive the seed nuts for only $3.00 per package. Benefits of membershipinclude twice-yearly newsletters, 3 general meetings per year, and the opportunity to profit fromfurther special projects and crop introduction grants.

The hardy hazel hybrids are fast growing bushes and generally produce a maximum size about 7m high by about 3 m wide. They accept a wide range of moderately to well drained soils and inparticular, they respond vigorously to generous amounts of well rotted organic matter such aspeat. The bushes start producing the delicious kernels in 4-5 years from seed and they have a lifeexpectancy of 25-40 years.

The hardy hazel hybrids represent a great opportunity to produce a nutritious, natural foodanywhere in the southern half of Ontario. In fact, it's an opportunity too good to be missed!

Provided by ECSONG. Feel free to copy with a credit.