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nafex - [NAFEX] Nut collection, Mt Vernon WA

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  • From: "Donna &/or Kieran" <holycow@cookeville.com>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Nut collection, Mt Vernon WA
  • Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2006 07:53:19 -0500

After Lon posted the info about Don Balser's place, I sent it to my son who works about an hour away. Though he was unable to get in touch with Sarah Baxter, he called Don and went out there, had a great time. He said Don has been collecting nut trees for 30+ years, and has 20 acres of mature trees from all over the world. Don told him the nuts are for sale at $1 a lb, U-pick, so Dave got about 45 lbs of walnuts and another 15 of chestnuts, hickories and hazels. He said Don has not only the biggest walnuts he's ever laid eyes on, but also the biggest hazelnuts. Some of the walnuts in their hulls were as big as your fist, and the shells cracked easily. Dave said the hickories had whitish shells like shagbarks and cracked easily, but had smooth bark, unlike shagbarks. There were some black walnuts and some miniscule heartnuts, but no butternuts. Don has maps of the place with all the trees listed. He has some blight resistant hazels, but had gone back to the house by the time Dave got to them, alas, as I'd like some for Tennessee.
If any of you live close enough to make the trek, it would be worth the trip. Dave tells me the nuts are almost all down except for the hickories, which have barely started to fall. Don told him that someone from CA had collected scionwood from all the trees so that they would not be lost if some new owner should bulldoze the lot. My son's email is dave_hudson@juno.com , phone if you'd like some advice on the place, 360-490-4129 Donna

P.S. If any of you are interested but not in a position to go there, I expect that a good many of the nuts he collected will end up as potted seedlings in a year or two and be in need of homes. Here are the original posts re Don's place:


From: Lon J. Rombough <lonrom@hevanet.com>
Date: October 6, 2006 8:26:17 PM PDT
To: NAFEX <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Cc: Nutgrowers Nutgrowers <nutgrowers@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Don Balser

If anyone lives in Washington state, or can go there very soon, there
is a need to have someone go to Don Balser's place there and collect
nuts.
I was contacted by Theodore Danicki in New Jersey who says that Rutgers
wants to plant walnuts from Don's collection to screen the seedlings
for disease resistance and quality. Don, unfortunately, has reached the
point where he is unable to work the trees any more and can't collect
the nuts. He is going to have to sell his place next year. So someone
is needed who could go to Mt. Vernon, Washington to collect the nuts.
His full address is 1458 Donnelly Rd., Mt. Vernon, WA 98273
If you can help, the contact address is:
Cook College
Department of Plant Biology and Pathology
59 Dudley Rd.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Attention, Sarah Baxter
Correction: The e-mail address for Sarah Baxter should be
Sarab@rci.rutgerts.edu
I don't know how many people will follow through, so if you want to
contact Mr. Balser directly, call him at (360) 424-3157




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