88 



The Ottawa Naturalist 



[Vol. XXXII. 



applying pressure or force to the thin side of the nut, 

 while the butternuts and walnuts can be cracked 

 by applying pressure to the end. If this is remem- 

 bered the nuts will crack along certain definite lines 

 without injuring the kernel to any extent. At the 

 present time nuts are not expensive as an article of 

 diet because they supply a large amount of energy 

 at a reasonable price per unit. They constitute a 

 very concentrated form of food, even more so than 

 cheese. 



The English walnut is also used for pickles, cat- 

 sups and preserves, and in France many tons a year 

 are made into oil which is used as a substitute for 

 olive oil. 



The Most Valuable Nut Tree. 



The Persian or English walnut is, without doubt, 

 the most important nut tree from the commercial 

 standpoint and as this will thrive in many parts of 

 British Columbia, as well as in certain parts of 

 southern Ontario, it will be of interest to call special 

 attention to some interesting facts about this im- 

 portant variety. At the present time Canada and 

 the United States import more dollars' worth of the 

 English walnut than both these countries export in 

 apples. There is little reason why this should be as 

 the nut could be grown on this continent with con- 

 siderable success. It is perhaps the finest flavored 

 of all the nuts. It was called by the Romans, the 

 nut of the gods, and trees distributed by the 

 Romans throughout southern Europe have left des- 

 cendants behind which are now over 1 ,000 years old. 

 One tree has been known to produce as many as 

 100,000 nuts in a single year, and the value of the 

 wood of a single tree has been known to exceed 

 $3,000.00. The English walnut was first intro- 

 duced into America about the year 1 758, and is 

 grown commercially chiefly in the state of California, 

 where about 12,000 tons are produced. It is pos- 

 sible, however, that trees would do even better in 

 British Columbia than in California, as it succeeds 

 well in almost every section of England. Frosts in 

 the early autumn are an advantage as they induce 

 the outer shucks to crack and release the nuts. The 

 harvesting then becomes a very simple matter. 



The Experimental Farm at Agassiz, B.C., has 

 grown, since its formation, many of the varieties of 

 nuts with complete success. 



The Walnuts. 



There are about ten known species of walnut 

 widely scattered throughout the four continents. 

 Four are native to North America and two of them 

 are also found in Canada. The Black Walnut is 

 found in Ontario, south to a little north of Ottawa, 

 and the Butternut from the lakes southeast to the 

 coast. In addition, the Japanese Walnut is hardy 

 at Ottawa and in the southern parts of Canada from 

 coast to coast, while the Persian or English Walnut 



thrives in British Columbia, but winter kills to the 

 snow line at Ottawa. 



the black walnut, Juglam nigra. This tree, 

 growing in the open under favorable conditions, 

 attains a height of from 50 to 90 feet with a diameter 

 from 2 to 5 feet. In the forest, however, it grows 

 differently; the trunk is tall and columnar, the head 

 narrow and rigid instead of the rounded crown of 

 the field specimens. 



It requires a deep, rich, well-drained loam to do 

 well. At Ottawa trees growing in the Forest Belts 

 in poor and unsuitable soil have made poor growth. 

 In thirty years they made a growth of only 16 feet 

 with a 3-inch diameter when planted in low sandy 

 loam, and a maximum of 24 feet and 4 inches in 

 diameter when planted in a better type of soil. The 

 tree occurs naturally in Canada only in southern 

 Ontario where it is a fairly fast grower and is 

 tolerant of shade. It might be mistaken for the 

 Butternut except that its bark is darker. The buds 

 are smaller than those of the Butternut, while the 

 compound leaves consist of fifteen to twenty-three 

 leaflets. 



BUTTERNUT, Juglans cinerea. This tree is 

 found throughout the hardwood region of Ontario 

 and east to New Brunswick, growing at its best 

 in well-drained loam solitary or in small 

 groups with other trees. The single specimens grow 

 from 40 to 50 feet high and from 1 to 3 feet in 

 diameter. The crown is roundish to triangular- 

 shaped. At Ottawa single specimens become 

 medium-sized trees about 30 feet high, but those in 

 the Forest Belts, growing in poor soil, have made 

 an average growth of only 1 3 feet in thirty years. 

 The bark is light gray and the ridges smooth-topped. 

 The leaflets are from nine to seventeen to a leaf. 



JAPANESE WALNUT, Juglans Sieholdiana. This 

 walnut is hardy at Ottawa where probably 

 some of the oldest trees of the species are to be 

 seen. Native to Japan it was not introduced into 

 Europe until about I860 by Siebold. Its nuts are 

 edible and sweet and are valued as food in Japan. 

 It becomes a tree of about 50 feet in height, with 

 leaves about two feet long, composed of eleven to 

 seventeen leaflets. It may gain in value as a com- 

 mercial tree after it has been more widely distributed. 



ENGLISH WALNUT, Juglans regia. In a former 

 paragraph a fuller description of this tree is given 

 and it is not necessary to do more than mention it 

 here. As a tree it grows from 60 to 100 feet high 

 with rounded spreading crown. The leaves are 

 composed of five to nine leaflets, occasionally even 

 as many as thirteen. 



The Hickories. 

 All of the twelve known species of hickory belong 

 to this continent and five or six of them are native 



