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  THE 
  PERSIAN 
  WALNUT 
  IN 
  CALIFORNIA. 
  

  

  Abstract 
  of 
  a 
  Lecture 
  by 
  Professor 
  E. 
  R. 
  Lake, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  

  

  The 
  Persian 
  walnut 
  industry 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  is 
  confined^ 
  

   practically, 
  to 
  four 
  counties 
  in 
  Southern 
  California, 
  Santa 
  Barbara, 
  

   Ventura, 
  Los 
  Angeles 
  and 
  Orange. 
  The 
  territory 
  covered 
  is, 
  in 
  a 
  gen- 
  

   eral 
  way, 
  fifty 
  by 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  miles 
  in 
  extent, 
  though, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  only 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  is 
  planted, 
  and 
  that 
  really 
  

   the 
  best 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  territory. 
  This 
  industry 
  which 
  yields 
  practically 
  

   two 
  and 
  one-half 
  millions 
  of 
  dollars 
  annually 
  to 
  the 
  growers 
  is 
  about 
  

   thirty-five 
  years 
  old, 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  involves 
  the 
  consideration 
  of 
  one 
  

   variety, 
  the 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  softshell. 
  While 
  it 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  

   about 
  seventy-five 
  named 
  varieties 
  now 
  grown 
  in 
  the 
  country, 
  the 
  Santa 
  

   Barbara 
  constitutes 
  the 
  commercial 
  crop 
  and 
  will 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  to 
  come,, 
  

   though 
  effort 
  is 
  being 
  made 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  more 
  desirable 
  variety. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  past 
  ten 
  years 
  a 
  troublesome 
  pest 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  

   fungous 
  disease 
  which 
  attacks 
  the 
  young 
  twigs 
  and 
  young 
  nuts 
  has 
  

   awakened 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  other 
  varieties 
  and 
  at 
  present 
  much 
  work 
  is 
  

   being 
  done 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  finding 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  varieties 
  that 
  shall 
  

   be 
  fully 
  resistant 
  to 
  this 
  foe. 
  At 
  present 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  California, 
  

   which 
  is 
  the 
  directive 
  factor 
  in 
  this 
  investigation, 
  is 
  recommending 
  the 
  

   trial 
  of 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  promising 
  varieties 
  or 
  forms 
  that 
  have 
  

   been 
  developed 
  through 
  selection, 
  or 
  chance, 
  in 
  the 
  local 
  orchards. 
  As 
  

   a 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  trouble, 
  the 
  crop 
  output 
  has 
  increased 
  very 
  

   slightly 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  decade, 
  though 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  planted 
  trees 
  has 
  

   increased 
  very 
  much, 
  hence 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  apparent 
  that 
  some 
  other 
  varieties 
  

   must 
  be 
  foiuid 
  ; 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  quite 
  conclusively 
  proven 
  that 
  none' 
  of 
  

   the 
  means 
  so 
  effectively 
  used 
  against 
  the 
  fungous 
  troubles 
  that 
  affect 
  

   other 
  orchard 
  crops 
  are 
  of 
  any 
  avail 
  in 
  this 
  case. 
  When 
  it 
  is 
  noted 
  that 
  

   there 
  has 
  been 
  practically 
  no 
  advance 
  in 
  the 
  improvement 
  of 
  varieties 
  

   since 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  Franquette 
  and 
  Mayette 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  

   fifty 
  years 
  ago, 
  except 
  the 
  accidental 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  Santa 
  Barbara 
  

   which 
  was 
  produced 
  presumably 
  from 
  a 
  nut 
  from 
  Chili 
  (!) 
  in 
  1868 
  on 
  

   the 
  grounds 
  of 
  Joseph 
  Sexton, 
  Goleta, 
  California, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  our 
  

   nueiculturists 
  have 
  been 
  indifferent, 
  especially 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  

   extending 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  production. 
  

  

  Speaking 
  more 
  particularly 
  of 
  California 
  walnut 
  growing, 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  said 
  : 
  The 
  best 
  of 
  soils 
  are 
  selected 
  for 
  this 
  crop 
  ; 
  the 
  trees 
  are 
  being 
  

   planted 
  from 
  forty 
  to 
  fifty 
  feet 
  apart 
  ; 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  most 
  common 
  advice 
  

   is 
  to 
  plant 
  budded 
  or 
  grafted 
  trees, 
  and 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  this 
  advice 
  has 
  been 
  

   followed 
  the 
  Placentia, 
  an 
  improved 
  Santa 
  Barbara, 
  has 
  been 
  used, 
  

   though 
  in 
  the 
  newer 
  districts 
  where 
  efforts 
  are 
  being 
  made, 
  with 
  ap- 
  

  

  