56 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



throw into the bottom of a box one inch deep of sand; then a layer of nuts, 

 put in another inch of sand, and another layer of nuts, and so on to one or 

 two inches from the top. Then water well with a sprinkler and water again 

 during the winter whenever the sand gets too dry. The sand has to be 

 pretty well saturated with water, especially from the first of January down 

 to planting time, which is in February, March or April, according to local- 

 ities. The latter part of March or first week in April is best for Nevada 

 City. The nuts are planted in drills and covered to a depth of two or three 

 inches. 



In propagating chestnuts it is always better to select for seed the largest, 

 finest and healthiest nuts; in the fall or beginning of winter the nuts have to 

 be planted in a box of damp sand, by layers, the box being kept in a cellar. 

 The nuts may be stored in a hole in the open ground, a layer of chestnut 

 leaves being first thrown in the bottom of the hole, on top of that a layer 

 of nuts, then another layer of leaves, and so on to the top, which has to be 

 properly covered with two or three inches of earth so as to prevent the frost 

 injuring the nuts. In February or March, according to location, the nuts are 

 taken out and planted in drills to a depth of three or four inches; less for 

 smaller seed like American chestnuts. 



In growing seedlings of English walnuts, Mr. J. Luther Bowers, 

 of Santa Clara, has shown that water-soaking of nuts may make it 

 unnecessary to undertake storage in damp sand, if the nuts are of the 

 last crop. He describes the method as follows : 



The nuts should be large and thin shelled and should be of last year's 

 crop. To ascertain this, break a few and split the kernel open at the germ 

 end, or the point where the root starts. If the meat of the kernel shows a 

 clear color they are of last year's crop, but if the flesh shows any discolora- 

 tion they are old and will not germinate. I have often got hold of a lot that 

 were mixed, old and new together. Never risk a lot of this kind, for failure 

 will follow. After the nuts have been selected place them in some kind of a 

 tin vessel; a five-gallon oil can, with the top removed is just the thing. Then 

 cover them with hot water at not over 110 degrees F. Let them remain in 

 this water for 24 hours and plant at once, keeping them in the water all 

 the time. Do not let them become the least bit dry, and be sure the soil is 

 moist, and put every nut in with the sharp point exactly straight down. The 

 root starts from this point and will go straight down, and if not molested 

 will the first year be about three times the length of the top; that is, if the 

 top grows one foot, the straight tap root will be three feet or more long, and 

 will be from three-fourths to an inch thick where it grew out of the nut, 

 tapering both up and down. 



Tribble Brothers, of Elk Grove, give the following as their prac- 

 tice with native black walnuts : 



Gather the nuts as soon as most of them have dropped from the trees and 

 put them in a trench. Cover with leaves, and on the leaves put a thin layer 

 of earth, leaving them until sprouted and ready to plant in rows. When 

 ready to plant, assort the nuts according to the growth of the sprouts, and 

 as we find the longest sprouts make the most rapid-growing trees, and by 

 selecting we can get even growth in the nursery rows. In our soil we plant 

 the nuts about five inches deep. 



Purchased Seedlings. Formerly a very large proportion of some 

 kinds of the cherry, pear and apple trees produced in this State were 

 worked upon imported seedling stock. These stocks were cheap and 

 being carefully graded by sizes were very convenient and popular. 

 Such foreign seedlings were excluded by the National Quarantine 

 act of 1919 and California grown seedlings are now supplied in ex- 

 cellent quality by those who make a specialty of producing them. 



