OREGON WALNUTS 



35 



WALNUT BLOSSOMS 



Fig. 1, pistilate, or female flow- 

 er, comes at end of new growth ; 

 produces walnuts when properly 

 fertilized. 



Fig. 2, staminate, or male flow- 

 er, commonly called catkin, comes 

 at end of last year's growth; pro- 

 duces pollen to fertilize the pis- 

 tillate. 



Pollination. 



Pollination is a problem that may need some attention. The 

 older grafted orchards of California where only one variety is 

 grown seem to bear quite satisfactorily. Young trees, how- 

 ever, do not set their fruit well. Often a tree from four to six 

 years of age will start from one hundred to three hundred nuts, 

 only to have a large number of them drop to the ground pre- 

 maturely. This is due to the fact that the young walnut trees 

 do not produce sufficient catkins and, therefore, do not have a 

 sufficient quantity of pollen. After the trees become older, 

 there seems to be less trouble from this source. With the young 

 Franquette trees it is especially noticeable that the catkins are 

 scarce the first few years, but by the time the trees reach the 

 period of heavy bearing, at seven years, there are generally 

 sufficient catkins to insure a good crop. With the Mayette, the 

 female blossoms sometimes appear before the male, while with 

 the Glady, they are both apt to appear together. Our experi- 

 ence with fruit has shown that it is better to have several vari- 

 eties in an orchard ; that a larger crop can generally be secured 

 by cross pollination. It would, therefore, seem wise for the wal- 

 nut grower to plant a few trees for pollination purposes, even 

 though the greater part of his orchard consists of a single variety. 



