THE WALNUT 



the tree was simply a relief from a copious sap flow, 

 and to furnish more leaf surface to give nitrogen to 

 I the tree. Select scions from two year old wood. / 

 ( The last buds formed the previous year were princi-/ 

 pally fruit buds ; use these. The wood is firm and 

 buds respond readily. Be careful to select scions 

 from perfect trees, i. e.. trees that bear both stami- 

 nate and pistillate bloom, which mature together. 

 Many trees bear both kinds but the bloom does not 

 mature properly. Catkins often shed the pollen 

 long before the pistillate bloom is ready to be fertil- 

 ized, hence nut failure. Avoid such trees in select- 

 ing scions. 



Fertilize Imperfect Trees 



Should trees as above described be found, select 

 ripened catkins and scatter the pollen over them, 

 when the pistils are ready to receive it. A fair nut 

 crop may be taken from such imperfect trees, be- 

 sides Nature is stimulated in correcting her faults. 

 Some trees are thus brought to a perfect state, while 

 others can only be made valuable by grafting. In 

 an orchard of two hundred and fifty trees, but few 

 were perfect. The greater number had to be grafted. 

 Some bore nuts the third year, the bloom being fer- 

 tilized by near-by catkin bearing trees. Yet some trees 



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