North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

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

Members of the KNGA undertook a direct-seeding planting of pecans on some KY
Dept of Fish & Wildlife properties in western KY a number of years ago,
using the X-cut cans, as Jim described.  Thwarts squirrels, but raccoons
will dig/pull up the cans and get the pecans.  Don't know if raccoons are at
all attracted to butternuts/BWs.  I've not seen/heard a follow-up report
with regard to how those plantings have done or progressed.

One strategy I've also seen put forward for direct-seeding walnuts, is to
plant 3 nuts per hole, one on top each other.  Squirrels can't count, and
while they may pilfer the top one, and possibly even the second one, they'll
rarely get the more deeply-planted third nut.

Lucky

Jim Fruth wrote:

    A fellow I once knew planted several acres of nut seeds and the 
squirrels found and dug up nearly all.  He thwarted the squirrels for his 
second planting.  He obtained a quantity of tin cans (Campbells soup cans, 
etc) that had one end cut off.  At the closed end of each can, he cut an "X"

and peeled the flaps out.  One of these cans was placed over the top of each

nut at planting.  Seedlings grew through the end of the can and, by the time

the diameter expanded to fit the can, much of it had rusted away so the 
young trees were not girdled.