THE WALNUT. 251 



leaving the shells very smooth, with a greasy feel. The 

 French walnuts, which are extensively imported under 

 the general name of Grenoble walnuts, are usually 

 bleached with sulphur before they are shipped, and 

 while this adds nothing to the quality of the kernel, the 

 sulphur is an excellent insecticide and fungicide, and 

 may be of some use on that account } but otherwise it is 

 likely to be more injurious than beneficial. As blench- 

 ing both walnuts and almonds is often insisted upon by 

 dealers, I give the process suggested by Director Hilgard, 

 of the California Agricultural Experiment Station, which 

 he believes will prove more satisfactory than the one 

 usually employed, and is as follows : 



"The nuts, placed in small baskets (such as the 

 Chinese use for carrying), are dipped for about five min- 

 utes in a solution containing to every fifty gallons of 

 water six pounds of bleaching powder and twelve pounds 

 of sal soda. They are then rinsed with a hose, and 

 after draining, again dipped into another solution con- 

 taining one per cent of bisulphite of lime ; after the 

 nuts have assumed the desired tint, they are again rinsed 

 with water and then dried. Instead of the second dip- 

 ping, the nuts may be sulphured (fumigated) for ten or 

 fifteen minutes. The cost of fifty gallons of chlorine 

 dip will be about forty cents ; the same bulk of the bisul- 

 phite dip, probably considerably less. The time occu- 

 pied in handling one batch (two dips) is from twelve to 

 fifteen minutes." 



Insect Enemies. The walnut is attacked by the 

 same kinds of insects that infest the hickories, with, 

 perhaps, a few exceptions ; as, for instance, the bark 

 beetles and the nut weevils. The leaves appear to be 

 more or less acceptable food for the caterpillars that 

 feed on the hickories, and the same insecticides and 

 means employed for destroying these pests on one will 

 answer for the other. 



