North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 10:33 AM 8/3/2006, Tanis wrote:
> Nice mistake though, because I for one want to learn more about black
> walnuts.

Tanis,
While most 'wild-type' black walnuts produce nuts with thick shells 
and kernel percentages in the 12-20% range, there are a number of 
really good selections with thin shells, improved cracking 
characteristics, and significantly higher kernel percentages - 
frequently in the 35-40% range.  One 'Pounds #2" tree, in Les 
Wilmoth's orchard, produced a crop last year that averaged 55% 
kernel/shell ratio.

My friends John & Lisa Brittain (John will be one of the presenters 
at the upcoming NAFEX meeting in Lexington) offer a number of 
superior BWs from their Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery -
http://www.nolinnursery.com/Walnuts.htm

Linked below is a good article on commercial BW cultivars, by Dr Bill Reid:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1990/V1-327.html

Personally, I've always liked "Emma Kay" and "Daniels", but John & 
Les have been really high on "Thomas Myers" for this area; Gerald 
Gardner in MO says "Neel #1" is the very best BW he's ever grown - 
wishes he'd had it available 15 years ago.
Our friend Gordon Nofs likes "Kwik Krop" - best production and flavor 
for him there in Flint, MI.
Clermont has the thinnest shell I've ever seen in a BW nut;  Clifford 
England suggested to me at one time that he thought Clermont and 
Elmer Myers were one and the same - but I've not grown EM to compare the two.

More BW info is available online at the NNGA website:
http://www.northernnutgrowers.org

Lucky