434 CALIFORNIA FRUITS I HOW TO GROW THEM 



test their growth, have been found to thrive in many situations where 

 the old Los Angeles variety is a failure, and there is at present quite 

 a disposition to larger plantings of the walnut in all California valleys, 

 either as a sole occupant of the land or as border trees around fruit 

 orchards. At the South the walnut area has largely increased in 

 those situations where the tree shows most satisfactory bearing qual- 

 ities, and newer varieties of California origin, like the Improved Soft 

 Shell, constitute most of the present area. In all untried places, or in 

 all places where the old Los Angeles Walnut has failed, trial should 

 be made of the hardy French varieties, which will be described farther 

 on. Recently considerable planting has been done in the coast and 

 interior valleys and foothills of central California upon the quite fully 

 demonstrated success of these varieties. It is, however, very desirable 

 to secure satisfactory depth and retentiveness, without excess of water, 

 in the soil. The walnut, on its own seedling root, abhors drouth as 

 well as standing water. 



Soils for the Walnut. The walnut makes most rapid growth 

 upon a deep, rich, moist, loamy soil, and shows its appreciation of good 

 things of the earth as do other fruit trees, and yet it attains satisfactory 

 size and bearing in less favorable situations. Thriving trees can be 

 found in the clays and decomposed granite soils of the foothills, as 

 well as in the valley silts and loams. Adequate moisture must, how- 

 ever, be had, and the walnut cannot be commended for dry, neglected 

 places nor for soils which overlie leachy subsoils described on page 33. 



Propagation. The walnut tree grows readily from nuts treated 

 as described in Chapter VIII. In the main the use of seedlings has 

 hitherto prevailed, and the nut has been looked upon as coming 

 sufficiently true from seed. Recently, however, this has changed rap- 

 idly, and budding or grafting to secure a high, uniform grade and to 

 secure fruitfulness in spite of the blight is commanding wide atten- 

 tion. In growing young trees it is being considered desirable to bud 

 or graft rather high so as to get a trunk of the hardier variety which 

 is used as a stock. 



Excellent results have been obtained by using the California black 

 as a stock for the English walnut, and in that case budding or grafting 

 must be resorted to. Many instances of the success of the English 

 walnut on our native stock might be cited, but the most notable tree 

 known to the writer is to be seen on the grounds of John R. Wolfskill, 

 on Putah Creek, in Solano county. He put in a bud in 1875 and the 

 tree has reached immense size and large product. Since then many 

 large native black walnuts have been top-grafted with the English 

 walnut with notable success, not only in orchards, but along highways 

 where the native black walnut has been planted for shade and 

 ornament. 



Mr. F. S. Leib, of San Jose, who has given much attention to stocks 

 for the English walnut, believes that the cross of the California black 

 and the Eastern black walnuts, and the California black walnut straight, 

 afford the best seedlings for roots for the English walnut, but advises 

 close selection to secure the best growth. This is his prescription : 



