THE WALNUT 



Harvesting 



The walnut usually drops from the hull, is gath- 

 ered and given two or three washings in clear water, 

 laid out on trays, dried and sacked for the market. 



Frequently the outer hull dries, clings to the 

 nut and it is difficult to separate them. When this 

 occurs, knock off the nuts upon a large sheet spread 

 out under the tree. Dump them into a wagon, take 

 them to the drying shed and shovel the nuts into a 

 vat of water. Stir them briskly for a few minutes 

 and they will part from the hulls. They should be 

 washed two or three times in clear water and spread 

 out on the drying trays. Standing in the vat with 

 the hulls, or permitting them to dry when taken out 

 before washing, will give the nuts a dark stain. 

 "\Yash the nuts in clear water as soon as they part 

 from the hull. 



Nuts properly gathered need not be bleached, as 

 this injures the nuts having open shells. Such nuts 

 will not keep, as they soon become rancid. Nuts 

 should remain on the trees until the outer hull is 

 dry. They should not be gathered into piles, nor 

 put into sacks while this hull clings to them; they 

 become soft, are very disagreeable to clean, besides 

 the shells are stained and their market value injured. 



[64] 



