26 A TREATISE ON NUT CULTURE. 



A new and very extraordinary species of Hazel nut has been discovered in 

 the State of Washington. Instead of being the fruit of a dwarf tree not six 

 feet high, it grows upon a giant tree sixty feet in height. However, because 

 the tree stem is only six inches in diameter, it cannot stand upright. Instead, 

 it bends over not far from the ground, touches the earth, rises again, comes 

 down to the ground once more, and so on for several snaky curves. Its 

 branches bear Hazel nuts by twins. In every pod two nuts are found instead 

 of the usual one. This is a variety well worth cultivating, and experiments 

 are already being made with grafts from it. 



Incidentally to this beginning of nut cultivation, varieties are being dis- 

 tinguished and designated by name. A few years hence one will not look in 

 the market merely for Chestnuts or Hickory nuts, but for certain choice kinds. 

 Already no less than fifty varieties of Pecans have been named. Of these last 

 many plantations are in bearing and hundreds more have been set out in the 

 Gulf States. Their stock has been obtained by grafts from wild trees in Texas 

 and Mississippi, the fruit of which is paper-shelled, so as to be readily cracked 

 between the fingers, and five or six times as big as ordinary pecans. 



Great success is being made with the cultivation of English Walnuts in 

 California. It is believed that they can be produced profitably in the Eastern 

 States as soon as more experience is had in the fertilizing of the flowers. This 

 is always a great difficulty, and it has been found on the Pacific coast that a 

 very effective remedy for it is to plant among the trees Black Walnuts, or even 

 the common Butternuts. They are all cousins and the plentiful pollen of the 

 Butternut or Black Walnut trees fertilizes the blossoms of the English Wal- 

 nuts, which would not otherwise be impregnated. Before very long this 

 country will be shipping English Walnuts abroad, and the same is likely to be 

 the case with Almonds. Of the latter very big crops are now produced in 

 California and Arizona. 



