442 CALIFORNIA FRUITS I HOW TO GROW THEM 



1-inch meshes take out the small nuts, which are called No. 2 nuts, while those 

 going over the screen are known as No. 1 nuts. The bleaching is done either 

 by dipping or spraying, using a solution made of five pounds of salt in 100 pounds 

 of water and passing the solution through an electric cell with a current of 95 

 to 110 volts and at a temperature of 90 to 95 F., the variation depending on the 

 purity of the salt. 



Varieties of the Walnut.* Of walnuts of California origin there 

 are two classes, which are called "hard" and "soft" shell, but the ac- 

 cepted commercial product is largely composed of the soft-shell class. 

 Several varieties of French walnuts are now being widely distributed. 

 An attempt will be made to give some of the distinctive points of each 

 variety mentioned : 



Common English Walnut; Los Angeles Nut, etc. This is the ordinary Eng- 

 lish walnut of commerce. It was planted at an early day in Los Angeles County, 

 but is now largely replaced by the Improved Soft Shell. 



Santa Barbara Soft Shell; Sexton's Soft Shell. Originated by Joseph Sex- 

 ton, who gives this account of its origin and characteristics : "The winter of 1867 

 I bought in San Francisco a large sack of English walnuts. I raised about one 

 thousand trees that season, and planted two hundred of them the following 

 spring, in orchard form, at Goleta. Sixty of them proved to be the soft-shell 

 variety. The soft shell is a little later in starting in the spring than the common 

 nut, and blooms about ten days later. It commences to fruit at six years old 

 from the seed, and some have been known to fruit as young as the fourth year. 

 The hard shell commences to fruit about the ninth year, and bears full crops 

 alternate years. The soft shell is not as strong a grower as the other walnut; it 

 being so prolific, retards its growth. It is a superior nut; the kernel is white. 

 The shell is thin, rendering them easily broken by the hand, at the same time 

 strong enough to bear transportation to any part of the United States." 



Ford's Improved Soft Shell. G. W. Ford, of Santa Ana, propagated an "Im- 

 proved Soft Shell," gained by selection from the variety of Joseph Sexton, which 

 has been largely planted. 



Santa Rosa. A seedling by Luther Burbank, which has been distributed quite 

 widely; but by variation in its seedling, its character is somewhat ill-defined and 

 the name is applied to several types, some of which are less desirable than the 

 one receiving the name. 



Proeparturiens. Introduced in California in 1871, by the late Felix Gillet, of 

 Nevada City, and afterward by other parties, and widely distributed. Its chief 

 characteristic, as its name indicates, is early bearing. It blooms from two to 

 four weeks later than the common Los Angeles seedling ; it shows both kinds of 

 bloom simultaneously, and has the characteristics of ripening its wood well, and 

 is a good nut, but it has been little planted recently because of its disposition to 

 run to small sizes. 



Mayette. This variety chiefly constitutes the imported Grenoble walnuts. It 

 is large, roundish, with a broad base, on which the nut will sit up ; shell thin and 

 white ; kernel full and rich ; a good bearer and late bloomer ; local Mayette seed- 

 lings are being named; one is the "San Jose," by R. Wiltz, of San Jose a fine 

 nut, believed to be blight resistant. 



Concord. Seedling of Cluster : of the Mayette type, grown by Messrs. West- 

 gate and Hutchinson of Concord from seedling tree by Felix Gillet. Introduced 

 by Mr. Leonard Coates in 1908. Claimed to be blight resistant. 



Franquette. This French variety has risen to great favor and has been 

 largely planted upon the successful experience of Mrs. Emily M. Vrooman, of 

 Santa Rosa, and the extensive effort at its distribution by the Oregon Nursery 



*The fullest account of English walnut varieties grown in California, historical and 

 descriptive, is given in Bulletin 231, University Experiment Station, Berkeley, by R. E. 

 Smith. Unfortunately the publication is out of print and must be consulted in libraries. 



