The butternut surrendered and died. The Mugho pine took new
heart, lived and again flourished.
At another time, I transplanted several thousand Montana pines, about
thirty or forty of which came within the branch limits of a medium size
butternut tree. Within a year, these thirty or more trees had turned
brown and were completely dead, while those immediately outside the
branch area were dwarfed and not at all thrifty. The trees farther from
the butternut were unaffected and grew consistently well. A similar
condition, although not to the same degree, developed under a white oak
where more Mugho pines were growing. Another instance occurred when a
planting of several thousand Colorado blue spruce were lined out and
fell within the area affected by two butternut trees. The spruce were
all dead within a few months.
Many people have observed the detrimental effect of trees of the walnut
family on alfalfa, tomatoes and potatoes, resulting in wilting and
dying. It is the root systems of the walnut which are responsible for
this damage. Apparently, there is some chemical elaborated near the
surface of the roots, and sensitive plants, whose roots come in contact
with either roots or ground containing this factor, are injured and
sometimes killed by it.
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