NUTS. 573 



forest-trees, common in most parts of tlie United States and Europe, and 

 bearing excellent Nuts. The foreign variety best known in this country 

 is the Spanish Chestnut, with fruit nearly as large as that of the llorsp- 

 Chestnut, and which is excellent when boiled or roasted. It thrivea 

 very well here, but is not quite hardy to the north or east of this. One 

 or two English varieties have been produced, of considerable excellence, 

 among which the Downton is considered the best. The French cultivate 

 a dozen or more varieties of greater or less excellence, but though some 

 of them have been introduced, we have not yet fairly tested them in this 

 country. 



The CiiiXQUAPiN, or Dwarf Chestnut, common in sonie parts of the 

 INfiddle and Soixthern States, is a dwarf species of the chestnut, usually 

 growing not more than six to ten feet high, and bearing fruit of half 

 the size of the common chestnvit, with the same flavor. It is worth a 

 place in a small fruit-garden as a curiosity. 



All the chestnuts are very easily cultivated in any good, light soil, 

 and may be propagated by grafting and by sowing the seeds. 



The European Walnut {'Tuglans regla, L. ; jSFoyer, of the French ; 

 Walnussbaum^ German; J^oce, Italian; and Nogal^ Spanish), better 

 known here as the Madeira j^ut, is a fine lofty growing tree, with a 

 handsome spreading head, and bearing crops of lai-ge and excellent nuts, 

 enclosed like those of our native black walnut in a simple husk. It 

 stands the winter very well here, and to the south of this it would un- 

 doubtedly be a pi'pfitable fruit to plant for the market. The fruit in a 

 green state is very highly esteemed for pickling, and the great qtiaritities 

 of the ripe nuts annually imported and sold here, prove the estimation 

 in which they are held for the table. There are several varieties re- 

 puted to be of rather finer q\iality, which, however, have not displaced 

 the original species, even in the gardens of Europe, and have not yet 

 borne fruit here. 



This tree is usvxally propagated by the seed, and transplanted from 

 the nurseries when from thi'ee to six feet high. But it may also be 

 gi'afted, with due care, on the common hickory-nut. A number of dis- 

 tinct varieties have been produced from seed and perpetuated by grafting. 

 Among them the following are regarded as of the most value :-^ 



Dwarf Prolific. 



Early-Bearing'. Fertile. Precocious. 



This is a dwarf-growing and very early bearing variety, very desi- 

 rable for small fruit-gardens, as it may in our Northern States be easily 

 protected in winter. The trees commence bearing when not more than 

 three feet high, and, like the common walnut, it repi'odupes itself nearly 

 always from seed. 



Large-Fruited. 



Double. French. De Jauge. 



This is the largest of all, and of little \-a\\\q except as its size makes 

 it atti-active, or its shell may be of value for forming toys. 



