PLANTS WHOSE SEEDS WE EAT IO9 



in countries to the west. Classical literature tells 

 of Juglans, "the acorn of Jove," that kings sent 

 as presents to other kings in countries where this 

 rich delicacy was not grown. So the nut, Juglans 

 regia, "fit for kings," made its way into France, 

 where most of the horticultural work of im- 

 provement was accomplished. Large nuts, with 

 rich flavor and thin shells, were grown centuries 

 ago. 



The herballist and botanist, Parkinson, wrote 

 in 1640 about a kind of "French wallnuts, which 

 are the greatest of any, within whose shell are 

 often put a paire of fine gloves, neatly foulded up 

 together." He astonished his English readers 

 further by describing another variety "whose 

 shell is so tender that it may easily be broken be- 

 tween one's fingers, and the nut itself is very 

 sweete." No wonder the English gardeners were 

 keen to grow these "wallnuts," and grieve to this 

 day that they cannot ripen the nuts. 



Southern California raises walnuts equal to 

 those of the south of Europe. The climate, near 

 the coast, is mild and equable, and the air moist. 

 Irrigation, with good drainage, and garden till- 

 age, complete the list of the tree's requirements, 

 and it flourishes like the biblical green bay tree. 

 Twenty years of growth have produced trees 



