APPENDIX. 255 



yet, considerable attention must be ])aid to the oatherinj>- of tlie crops so as 

 to have clean, bright nuts that may command a high price and ready sale. 

 The walnut harvest begins in September and ends in November. In some 

 sections the crop comes in quite early, and is gathered in September, over- 

 lapping into October : in others, the ci-op is not harvested so early : but 

 October is the principal month, sometimes overlap])ing into November. 



Some of the growers collect the nuts from the ground as they fall every 

 day, others collect them every other day. and some every third day. until 

 most of the crop has fallen of its own accord, and those remaining on the 

 trees are knocked down by means of a pole. Boys and men are also employed 

 to climb the trees and shake the nuts down: others agitate the limbs with a 

 pole having a hook on the end. The nuts that are ready to drop come down 

 easily, and are picked u]) and dried on trays in the sun. It generally takes 

 i'rom three to four pickings to gather all the nuts from a tree. When the 

 liusk inclosing the nut shows no sign of cracking it is an indication that the 

 nut is yet unripe, and when knocked down the kernels of many of these 

 generally dry away and do not till well. Then, again, if the nuts are allowed 

 to hang on the trees or remain on the ground too long after falling, they 

 absorb moisture and rapidly deteriorate in flavor, color, and keeping qualities. 

 In the walnut sections along the coast damp fogs and dew i)revail during 

 the harvest time, rendering the husks quite moist, and the nuts contained 

 inside become stained by the acid juice of the husks, which, if not removed, 

 renders the nuts quite black, and lessens their market value. This acid is 

 very strong and adhesive, and to remove it the nuts have to be washed and 

 afterward dried. Hon. EUwood Cooper, of Santa Barbara, has a most per- 

 fect apparatus for washing and drying the walnut, which is an invention of 

 Ms own. It consists of an iron cylinder with a long opening on the top 

 side, where the nuts are put in. When the nuts are washed the cylinder 

 ■will turn with the opening down, thus letting the walnuts and water out. 

 As with all other apparatus of this kind, it has to be seen to be appreciated. 

 They are made by the Fulton Iron Works, of San Francisco, and cost from 

 $125 to $140. 



* " There are different modes of gathering : some clean the trees but once, 

 and others go over them several times. I pick what has fallen without 

 knoclcing. I then tap those limbs lightly on which the nuts are ripest, and 

 the third time over I aim to clean the trees. The walnuts are picked up 

 and put in sacks and barrels, so as to be easily handled, and hauled to a 

 sunny place to dry, and should be placed on elevated platforms made of nar- 

 row hoards, with spaces of one-fourth of an inch between each board. The 

 platform should be about eight feet wide and forty feet long, or as long as 

 two men can handle a canvas to cover the beds, which should be done every 

 night the dew falls. The nuts should be stirred in these beds once or twice 

 each day. and with favorable weather they will dry sufficiently in three days, 

 and are'ready for market. I have always dined my walnuts by the sun and 

 they have given good satisfaction, and for small orchards I think it the 

 •cheapest and best way. Some dry by evaporation and claim it is preferable 

 to the sun: that it sets the oil quickly and prevents the nut from becoming 

 rancid. Others claim that it m^kes them so ; but, be this as it may, those 



* Joseph Sexton, essay before Ninth State Fruitgrowers' Convention, 1888. 



