The limber pine
has flowers like those of the white pine, except that they are
rose-colored. Although the fruit is described as annual, I have found
that, in this locality, it takes about fifteen months from the time the
blossoms appear for it to reach maturity. That is, the fruit requires
two seasons for growth, maturing its seeds the second September. The
cones of the limber pine, which vary from three to seven inches in
length, are purple, having thick rounded scales and being abruptly
peaked at the apex. The seeds are wingless or have only very narrow
wings around them.
With the idea of getting practical results sooner, since nut trees
mature slowly, I interplanted my nut trees with varieties of apple, plum
and cherry. Doing so also served to economize on ground, since
ultimately nut trees require a great deal of space for best growth.
Walnut trees, for example, should be set 40 to 60 feet apart in each
direction.
[Illustration: _Pinus Flexilus nut seeds, Natural Size_]
I learned a variety of facts during these first years of trial and
error. I discovered, for instance, that iron fence posts rust away in an
acid soil; that one must use cedar or oak. Conversely, in alkaline soil,
iron will last indefinitely, but that the nitrogenous bacteria will
quickly rot wooden posts.
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